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India’s electric mobility ecosystem is witnessing significant momentum, driven by rising fuel costs, heightened environmental consciousness, and the accelerating demand for efficient last-mile delivery solutions. At the forefront of this shift is Bijliride, a SaaS-enabled electric two-wheeler rental platform expanding rapidly through a Franchise-Owned, Franchise-Operated (FOFO) model.
With nearly 5,000 EVs already on the road, steady month-on-month growth, and ambitious plans to scale its fleet to over 10,000 vehicles across multiple cities, Co-Founder and CEO, Bijliride, Shivam Sisodiya outlines his vision to make electric mobility more accessible, affordable, and operationally efficient across India in the years ahead.
What inspired the launch of Bijliride, and what market gap were you aiming to address?
Bijliride was born from a very simple observation: people wanted electric mobility, but they did not want the burden of owning an EV.
High upfront cost, battery anxiety, maintenance confusion, resale uncertainty, these were real barriers. At the same time, gig workers and logistics partners needed reliable vehicles but did not want to lock capital into depreciating assets.
We saw a clear gap: EV access without EV ownership.
So we built Bijliride as a full-stack electric two-wheeler rental and mobility-tech platform that removes friction, from vehicle access to battery support to fleet management.
When did the company begin operations, and how has the journey evolved?
Bijliride began operations in 2021 in Hyderabad. We started lean, validating demand with a small fleet and focusing heavily on uptime and service reliability. The early phase was about learning unit economics, rider behavior, and operational discipline.
From there, we expanded:
Built a 24x7 service and support backbone
Integrated battery swap and charging logistics under one ecosystem
Developed our in-house SaaS platform for fleet & operations management
What is your expansion model? How many franchise outlets or operational partners do you currently have?
We are expanding through a Franchise-Owned, Franchise-Operated (FOFO) model and currently have multiple operational partners across cities, with Hyderabad as our primary stronghold.
Our expansion strategy is controlled and performance-led, we prioritize operational strength over aggressive vanity expansion. Today, we operate at scale with strong month-on-month growth and increasing interest from franchise entrepreneurs across India.
With nearly 5,000 EVs deployed, how has franchise-led expansion contributed?
Franchise expansion has been a force multiplier. Instead of centralizing capital, we decentralized growth. Entrepreneurs invest in fleets under our operational and tech framework. This allows:
- Faster fleet deployment
- Localized market understanding
- Shared financial responsibility
- Scalable city-by-city expansion
Franchise-led deployment is what enables us to scale sustainably rather than recklessly.
What kind of investment do you expect from your Franchise Partners? What kind of initial handholding strategy do you follow?
The typical investment for a standard Bijliride franchise model (50-vehicle fleet) ranges between ₹14–16 lakh. This generally includes; Electric vehicle procurement, Basic infrastructure setup, Initial operational expenses and Branding and on boarding costs.
The exact investment may vary depending on the city, fleet size, and local operational requirements. We also support partners in exploring structured financing options through lending institutions where applicable.
We believe franchise success depends on structured support, especially in the first 90–120 days.
Our handholding includes; Location feasibility assessment, Fleet planning and procurement support, On-ground training for operations, Access to our SaaS-based fleet management platform, Marketing launch support, SOP training for rentals, battery swaps, and customer service, Demand aggregation from existing B2B and gig partnerships
We stay closely involved during the launch phase to stabilize utilization and ensure operational discipline. The goal is not just launch — it’s sustainable performance.
What are your operational expectations from Franchise Partners?
We expect franchise partners to maintain operational discipline and vehicle uptime, follow brand and service SOPs strictly, focus on fleet utilization and local demand building, ensure customer satisfaction and responsible fleet handling and reinvest in growth where needed.
Bijliride is not a passive investment model. It requires active involvement and structured management. The most successful partners treat it as a long-term asset-building business.
Who is eligible to take up the franchisee?
We are open to entrepreneurs who demonstrate operational capability and business commitment, possess basic understanding of fleet or asset management (preferred but not mandatory), have local market understanding, willingness to follow standardized systems and have financial readiness for the initial investment
Ideal profiles include: Logistics operators, Auto dealership owners, Fleet managers, First-generation entrepreneurs, Investors looking for recurring and asset-backed business models
We do not require prior EV experience, we provide the training and system. The things that matters the most are execution, discipline and commitment.
What makes the 70:30 profit-sharing sustainable?
The 70:30 split works because incentives are aligned. Franchise partner earns the larger share (70%) as they manage operations and capital. Bijliride earns 30% for technology, brand, demand generation, and centralized support.
We succeed only when the partner succeeds. The structure ensures both parties remain invested in utilization, uptime, and customer satisfaction.
Please throw some light on Investment, break-even, and returns.
For a 50-vehicle fleet, the typical investment is ₹14–16 lakh.
Under optimal utilization:
Break-even: 12–14 months
Asset life cycle: 3–4 years
Strong recurring cash flow after stabilization
Returns depend heavily on fleet utilization and operational discipline, but the model is designed for steady, predictable growth rather than speculative spikes.
How does your SaaS platform enhance efficiency?
Our technology backbone is one of our strongest differentiators.
The platform enables real-time vehicle tracking, remote lock/unlock, rental management, battery performance tracking, fleet utilization analytics, payment reconciliation and Franchise-level dashboards.
For partners, this means transparency and control. For customers, it means reliability and ease.
Roadmap to 10,000+ vehicles in 10+ cities, kindly elaborate?
Our roadmap is structured in phases:
Phase 1: Strengthen strongholds (Hyderabad and similar urban clusters)
Phase 2: Expand into logistics-heavy Tier II cities
Phase 3: Enter select metros with asset-light franchise clusters
We are prioritising disciplined scaling, building profitable city units before aggressive expansion.
How do you see Bijliride evolving?
We see Bijliride evolving into:
A national EV rental backbone
A SaaS platform for EV fleet operators
Enterprise-focused mobility partner for logistics firms
Subscription-based EV access provider
In the long term, we are building infrastructure, not just a rental company.
The goal is simple, make electric mobility accessible, affordable, and operationally efficient across India.
