The biggest problem which a defence personal faces after retiring from military service is adapting to the uneven, random and inconsistent civilian world. Inside Army, Air-Force or Navy, the instructions are pretty clear: Kill the enemy and follow the orders. But when it comes to the civilian world, then there are no rule-books to follow.
Understanding this need, Uber launched a novel initiative called ‘UberFauji’ for the ex-servicemen from our military forces. Providing special benefits and schemes for ex-servicemen, UberFauji was launched last year in November.
After 6 months of its launch, it was found to be a great hit as 10,000 veterans have joined the platform, and driving Uber cabs to not only earn some good money which compliments their pension, but also adapt seamlessly with the civilian life without any hiccups.
History of UberFauji
Uber had launched a similar program for ex-defense personals in USA called UberMILITARY in 2014 with a plan to enlist 50,000 veterans in 18 months.
In India, Uber has partnered with Army Welfare Placement Organization (AWPO)which comes under the Ministry of Defence; and their pitch while propagating this program was to enable and empower Indian veterans and encourage entrepreneurship among them.
While announcing UberFauji, they had shared in their blog, “At Uber, we understand that ex-servicemen are some of our nation’s most talented and skilled leaders”
3 Distinct Advantages of UberFauji
Besides provides ex-servicemen with flexibility and an opportunity to become auto-entrepreneurs by dealing with their own customers, setting the time and expanding the business via partners, the most important assistance which Uber provided was vehicle financing.
Under UberFauji, Uber provided vehicle loans to ex-military personals at reduced rate, and easy terms and conditions. Besides, the EMI has been programmed to be deducted from the earnings only, and that too within 3 years.
The expansion of this initiative to 10,000 veterans in India is a clear proof that this scheme is a big hit with them.
As per one ex-serviceman, Chinappa P S from Coorg, working with Uber has made him independent from any corporate job, and made him a self-employed. With UberFauji, ex-servicemen can opt to become a fleet-manager or drive their own cabs; and it is the flexibility which is enabling more signups.
This is a very good example of how corporates and startups can devise interesting plans to help defence veterans with employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
