The fuel delivery market is fast evolving with oil marketing companies including Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil entering into agreements with startups under the ‘Fuelent’ (Fuel Enterprises ) a flagship initiative by the Union government . Doorstep diesel delivery has become a a new revolution in energy distribution across the country, which is easing the lives of the end-consumers without the hassles of diesel procurement.
Humsafar India, a Delhi-based startup with their APP ‘Fuel Humsafar’ has changed the fuel industry with this door-to-door delivery model by facilitating the delivery of Diesel in 3000-liter and 6000-litre capacity delivery bowsers (Diesel dispensing vehicles) as well as 20-litre jerry cans for easy transfer of Diesel.
“Every business needs to change with time. And we want to take the first few mover advantages of introducing door-to-door diesel delivery services in the country. Doorstep diesel delivery is approved by the government and is a new-age concept of effective distribution of Diesel. It allows fuel startups to maintain quality and create availability of fuel for the consumers. It will hugely benefit the agricultural sector, hospitals, housing societies, heavy machinery facilities, mobile towers, etc. Earlier, the bulk consumers of Diesel had to procure it from retail outlets in barrels which used to cause a lot of spillages and dead mileage in energy procurement. Efficient energy distribution infrastructure was lacking. Doorstep diesel delivery will solve many such problems and will provide Diesel to bulk consumers in a legal manner.” Said Ms Sanya Goel, Founder Director of Humsafar India.
“Home delivery of Diesel is intended to take fuel to customer consumption point rather than customer reaching petrol pump to pick up. It solves the customer’s pain points while reducing the need for more petrol pumps, reducing road traffic etc. Currently, the sector is open for Diesel and CNG. Diesel is currently permitted for Stationery equipment and Heavy Industry as it is a new sector with many lessons to be learned. Currently, the customer is charged the same price for Diesel when delivered by Bowser, as is applicable at the petrol pump. However, recently we also started with our delivery of 20-litre Jerry Can service; there is a logistics charge per jerry can for delivery. There is a strong demand for delivery of small quantities at customer premises ” Said Ms Goel.
“The company has fabricated approximately 300 bowsers (dispenser vehicles), and these are distributed all over the country. It has endeavoured that these dealers/partners take benefit of our unique Bowser+ service. Humsafar India plans to sell a total of 600 bowsers by the end of the current Financial year 2022 and sell more than 5000 Kilo litres of Diesel in 50 cities across India. The company also plans to sell 100 Kilo litre of Diesel through recently introduced 20-litre jerry cans branded as Safar20, by the end of current FY 22” said Mr Nitish Goel, founder-director of Humsafar India.
“The service is also available to agricultural equipment users or establishments such as group housing societies that use diesel gen-sets for power backup services. Humsafar primarily attracts orders from Industrial customers, including factories, project sites, banquets, hospitals and agriculturists. The service is affordable, safe and streamlined, and these non-retail users are the core customers of Humsafar. Door Delivery service results from the demand for ease of service that customers were looking for, especially at Petrol pumps, with more clients getting used to the convenience of shopping through platforms like Flipkart /Amazon, etc. This was the way to go. “ Mr Goel Said.
“As we advance, we believe Door Delivery would become an integral part of the ecosystem because of the logistical conveniences compared to the current practice of bringing barrels/cans and picking up Diesel directly from fuel pumps. Diesel Door Delivery is governed by PESO protocol. Therefore, specs of a Bowser and its filling at a petrol pump, parking, and delivery are all mandated per PESO specified protocols. To that extent, it is a safe practice as safe as running a petrol pump. Further, PESO mandates Geo fenced delivery. The practice eliminates/reduces workforce requirement, spillage, unsafe transportation and storage, and reduces inventory carrying costs. So technically, it enhances efficiency to another level.” Mr Goel said.
“Humsafar started its services from the NCR region, including Delhi and Haryana, Punjab, and parts of Rajasthan. Since then, it has made approx. 300 partners across states. Of these, 92 partners are actively using Humsafar App, and these numbers continue to grow. We believe that these numbers and pin codes would grow exponentially due to the strength of our unique ‘Bowser+’ programme, and our challenge currently is to grow internal resources accordingly. Besides, the Tech platform is an ever-evolving phase. We are strengthening our Tech vertical a lot, and a great deal of focus would be to create a vibrant seamless marketplace,” said Mr Mayank Agarwal, Founder Director of Humsafar India.
“Our Vision is to provide last-mile connectivity in Fuel space. Therefore, it is logical to get into other fuels as the Govt of India keeps opening up the space. Therefore, CNG delivery, opened by the Govt was the next logical step. We also believe that the GOI would further open up diesel Door Delivery for other sectors in the coming future. This move will increase the market potential exponentially. We also look forward to petrol Door Delivery in the next 2 to 5 years given the scarcity of land in urban areas.” Said Ms Sanya Goel.
“As EVs come in, we would surely explore the Battery charging/replacement area. We strongly believe that it is logical to look at EV charging/battery space and its delivery. As we advance, we are exploring and finding creative solutions to make EV charging or battery delivery convenient and efficient.” She added.
