Thiruvananthapuram:

Forget delivery boys, a leading e-tailer has officially launched a women-only delivery station in Thiruvananthapuram, the first in the country. For over a month now, the ‘biker girls’ have been delivering around 40 packages daily to customers in the Technopark region on an experimental basis.

“We have built a new model, which will help us reach out to customers, at a time when transportation of products has become most challenging and expensive,” said Samuel Thomas, director (transportation), Amazon India. The company will next set up a similar station in Chennai, followed by one in Kochi by next month, he said. The plan is to have dedicated women delivery stations across India, to be completely managed by women service partners.

The station, with Divya Syam of Thiruvananthapuram as service partner, is based in Kulathur near Technopark. “With increasing popularity of e-commerce platforms and with support from our dedicated delivery associates, I am sure we will be able to grow in this male-dominated business,” she said.

The company has around 20 service partners in the state. “The women deliver packages on two-wheelers, covering a radius of 2-3km from the station. There are plans to train them in self-defence besides starting a helpline,” Thomas said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / March 03rd, 2016