Rajshree Upadhyaya | Business Remedies | Observing everyday transportation problems in Bihar, Dilkhush Kumar and Siddharth Shankar Jha founded the mobility startup RodBez and carved out a strong identity for themselves. The venture was launched in November 2022 and was shaped largely by the personal experiences of co-founder Dilkhush Kumar. Growing up in Saharsa, Dilkhush witnessed how passengers were often forced to pay unnecessarily high round-trip taxi fares, while drivers returned empty after completing a drop. Limited job opportunities and repeated rejections pushed him closer to the transport ecosystem, where he learned driving and spent years observing the inefficiencies dominating intercity travel in small towns and rural areas.
Along with his cousin Siddharth Shankar Jha, he started the company with the aim of bringing structure, affordability, and fairness to an unorganised sector. The company was officially incorporated as Defely Mobility India Private Limited, with RodBez positioned as a tech-enabled platform focused on optimising unused vehicle capacity. Unlike traditional taxi models that compel customers to pay for an entire round trip, RodBez designed its services around real travel behaviour and demand patterns. Its one-way taxi service allows passengers to book a cab for a single journey without paying return charges, addressing one of the most common pain points in regional travel. In addition, the taxi pool feature enables multiple passengers travelling on similar routes to share a vehicle, significantly reducing individual costs, while carpool connects people travelling in the same direction in a more community-driven and affordable manner.
Working Closely with Local Drivers
RodBez gradually built its presence by focusing on routes in Bihar that large mobility players often overlooked. The founders worked closely with local drivers, onboarded them onto the platform, and explained how optimised routing and shared rides could increase-rather than reduce-their earnings. For passengers, the platform’s appeal lay in transparent pricing and the promise of affordability without compromising trust. This grassroots expansion helped RodBez gain early momentum despite limited resources, demonstrating that strong local insights can compete with capital-heavy national platforms.
The startup gained nationwide attention when Dilkhush Kumar and Siddharth Shankar Jha appeared on Shark Tank India Season 3. Seeking Rs. 50 lakh for a 5 percent equity stake at a valuation of Rs. 10 crore, the founders presented RodBez as a solution built for India rather than just for metros. Their pitch highlighted how one-way and pooled travel could reduce fares by up to 40 percent while improving vehicle utilisation and increasing drivers’ monthly income. The clarity of the problem and the founders’ authenticity resonated with the sharks. Vineeta Singh and Ritesh Agarwal jointly offered a deal comprising Rs. 20 lakh for equity and Rs. 30 lakh as debt at 12 percent interest, giving RodBez both capital and strategic validation.
Strengthening Core Routes and Improving Booking Coordination
Post Shark Tank, RodBez benefited from increased visibility and credibility, especially among drivers and regional users who saw the platform as a home-grown solution designed around real needs. While scaling a mobility startup in semi-urban and rural India came with operational challenges, the company chose not to pursue rapid, unstable expansion. Instead, it focused on strengthening key routes, improving booking coordination, and increasing driver participation.
RodBez is currently operational and offers one-way taxi, taxi pool, and carpool services across multiple districts in Bihar. User activity and ongoing bookings indicate that the platform remains active, particularly for intercity travel where cost sensitivity is high and alternatives are limited. RodBez’s story illustrates how a simple idea rooted in lived experience, when pursued with persistence, can evolve into a viable business that solves real problems. More than just a taxi platform, RodBez represents a shift towards region-specific innovation-where understanding local needs becomes the strongest competitive advantage.
