Developed with the aim of connecting every village in Bihar, Dilkush Kumar turned his startup RodBez into a multi-crore company. With his clear vision, he impressed the sharks and secured Rs 50 lakh funds in Shark Tank India S3.
| Startup Name | RodBez (Difelly Mobility India) |
| Founders | Dilkhush Kumar |
| Industry | Travels |
| Company Classification | Private Limited |
| Headquarters/based-in | Saharsa, Bihar, India |
| Idea | To connect every village in Bihar via taxi services, offer affordable taxis, and employment safety to drivers. |
| Revenue | Nothing clearly is mentioned. |
| Date of Commencement | 2022 |
| Investments | Raised Rs 46 lakhs at Shark Tank India S3 |
Competitors: Ola, Grab, and Uber
The Problem: Why Does This Matter?
Despite tremendous development in the transportation sector, still there are places where people are struggling to get affordable and safe transportation.
Bihar is one such place which experiences lack of connectivity between roads and highways. Villages are the ones to experience the worst of this problem. Moreover, the prices are way too much, and the safety offered to travelers is not up to the mark.
Drivers who take the ride charge the passenger for both sides, saying, We won’t be getting a passenger after dropping you. I will have to come empty and that will be a waste of my resources.
Dilkush Kumar from the village Saharsa, Bihar, experienced the same situation several times. While working as a rickshaw puller and a vegetable vendor, he was no alien to the transportation problems faced by the village people.
The Solution: RodBez
In 2008, he was a 10th pass out, 16-year-old, married, and was looking for a stable employment opportunity. He tried at different places for guard jobs, clerk, and other such positions. But everywhere he was rejected due to lack of formal education.
Disheartened, when Dilkhush Kumar returned to his village he asked his father to teach him driving. His father, who was a bus driver, first rejected his request and asked him to look for better options. But seeing his son struggling for a livelihood, he decided to teach him driving.
But long before he started his driving venture, he worked as a taxi driver in his village with a monthly pay of Rs 3,500, which was insufficient to support his child and wife. Then, he moved to Patna in search of stable work, he worked as a driver for 1 year and learnt new skills: construction worker, electricity, firework, etc.
Once he saved some money, he decided to start his venture, AryaGo. He borrowed Rs 50k and purchased a second-hand Tata Nano and his office was in a cow shelter house in Bangaon. Slowly, he added a Hyundai Santro to the fleet and his business was performing well.
In 2021, he made a revenue between Rs 70 and 80 lakhs, which encouraged him to start something bigger.
Then in 2022, he started RodBez with his mentor and cousin Siddharth Jha. Moreover, in November the same year, he raised Rs 46 lakh funds at a valuation of Rs 4 crore at Shark Tank India S3.
In 2024, RodBez appeared in Shark Tank India S3, where he asked for Rs 50 lakhs for 5% equity. But he was offered Rs 20 lakhs for 5% ownership plus Rs 30 lakh loan at 12% interest for 2 years (at a valuation of Rs 4 crore). He accepted the offer.
The platform connects 2 passengers travelling from opposite directions to travel into a single taxi. The driver takes one passenger to the destination and picks another from there. This way, drivers don’t have to travel empty on their way back home. Moreover, this strategy helped in reducing travel costs for passengers by up to 40%, unlike one way taxi where the passengers must pay a fare for both sides.
Business Model: How Do They Make Money?
RodBez charges a commission of 20% for every ride. According to Dilkush, there is a demand for more than 100 taxis but due to lack of fleet, they are able to fulfil only a quarter of it.
Dilkush believes in fair wages and offers a modest monthly salary of around Rs 55k to 60k to its drivers, thus, substantially supporting the drivers of the community.
Moreover, the company offers a 100% refund policy, if a passenger’s ride is delayed, due to whihc he/she misses a flight or train.
Challenges/Struggles: What Roadblocks Are They Facing?
His lack of education became the main hurdle in his life, but he was ambitious enough to learn application coding through YouTube tutorials. Dilkush himself developed the RodBez application, solely based on his acquired knowledge through online videos.
Future Vision: What’s Next?
Presently, RodBez is navigating through Bihar, but the team have plans to soon expand to other cities and offer solutions to connect cities affordably.
As per the company, during the initial phase its services have successfully extended from Patna to every village in the state. Next, in the second phase, the company aims to establish a connection between different cities.
Key Takeaways: Why Should Users Care?
We should stay strong on our choices with unwavering resilience. With a clear vision, determination, and hard work, we can overcome every obstacle.
From Dilkush’s journey we should learn:
- It is never too late, or we are never too old to learn new skills.
- Be determined to your goals, life has pleasant surprises for those who never give up.
- Prioritize customer satisfaction over profits.
- Remunerate your employees to the best possible available and make them feel secure.
