We're building transport
infrastructure for rural India
65% of India lives in rural areas, but reliable transport remains a daily struggle. We're changing that — one zone at a time.
Transport in rural India is still informal
A farmer needs to move 200kg of tomatoes to the mandi. A family needs to reach the hospital at 3 AM. A distributor needs five vehicles for today's deliveries.
Today, they call around hoping someone picks up. Negotiate prices every time. Have no idea if the vehicle will actually show up. If plans fall through, there's no backup.
The vehicles exist. The drivers exist. What's missing is a reliable, structured way to connect them — and that's what we're building.
Built for rural, not adapted from urban
Most platforms start in cities and eventually try to "expand" to rural areas. That rarely works because rural transport has fundamentally different needs.
We're building from the ground up for rural realities: cash payments, scheduled bookings, sparse demand, local trust networks, poor connectivity, thin margins.
We work zone by zone — typically a taluk or cluster of villages. Each zone has local drivers, local support, and operates as a self-sustaining unit. Growth is slow and deliberate, because trust takes time.
A fundamentally fairer deal
Typical platforms take a significant cut of every fare — often much higher than necessary. That adds up fast, especially for drivers working thin margins in rural areas.
We're building 1KM with a different model: take less, so drivers keep more. The exact numbers will vary, but the principle is fixed — driver earnings come first.
We also pay instantly. No waiting days or weeks to access your own earnings. Complete a trip, get your money.
What sets 1KM apart
- Fair commission — Drivers keep more of every fare
- No surge on standard rides — Fair price for regular bookings, always
- Cash accepted — Digital isn't the only option
- Local drivers — People from your community who know the area
- Instant payouts — Drivers get money right after completing trips
- Works offline — Designed for areas with patchy connectivity
- Scheduled bookings — Book hours or days in advance, not just on-demand
- Business tools — Multi-vehicle booking, tracking, invoicing for distributors
The radius of trust
In a village, everyone within a kilometre knows each other. They know who's reliable, who shows up on time, who can be trusted. This is social infrastructure that's existed for generations.
Our job is to extend that radius. If a driver is trusted in their village, our platform helps that reputation travel to the next village, and the next. We don't replace local trust — we help it scale.
What guides every decision
Rural First, Not Rural Eventually
Build for villages from day one. Sparse demand, cash payments, poor connectivity — these aren't problems to solve later, they're our starting requirements.
Providers Keep the Value
Platform commissions must be the lowest in any market we operate in. A marketplace that extracts too much from providers eventually collapses.
Each Zone Must Sustain Itself
Every zone operates as a self-contained unit. Local revenue covers local costs. No infinite subsidies — if a zone can't work economically, we learn why before expanding.
Profitability Before Growth
A profitable small network proves the model works. An unprofitable large network proves only that you can burn money efficiently.
Temptations we won't give in to
Philosophy is tested by temptation. These are the pressures we'll face, and why we'll resist them:
The Temptation to Scale Fast
"Launch in 50 zones by Q4." Trust doesn't scale at venture speed. A zone launched before trust is established fails loudly and poisons the next zone. Better 10 healthy zones than 50 struggling ones.
The Temptation to Subsidise Growth
Burn money to acquire users. Offer ₹0 rides, ₹500 bonuses. Subsidised users aren't real users. They leave when subsidies end and train providers to depend on artificial incentives.
The Temptation to Extract
Increase commission "just 2% more." Add fees. Take larger float on payouts. Every rupee extracted from providers is trust destroyed. We build prosperity, not dependency.
The Temptation to Centralise
Standardise everything. Override zone admins from headquarters. "We know better." We don't. Local knowledge beats central assumptions. Always.
Building for generations, not quarters
Rural India has lacked reliable transport infrastructure for decades. Fixing that isn't a quick win — it requires patience, trust-building, and thinking in decades rather than funding cycles.
Our goal is to create infrastructure that outlasts current trends. Transport needs don't disappear with technology changes — they evolve. We're building to adapt.
Built by people who believe in rural India
1KM is being built by a small team passionate about creating lasting infrastructure for underserved communities. We're combining technology expertise with deep understanding of rural realities.
We're hiring. If you want to work on meaningful problems and build something that matters, reach out at careers@1km.co.in
Currently in development
We're building 1KM right now. Talking to drivers, farmers, distributors, and communities to understand what's actually needed — not what we assume from a distance.
If you're a driver interested in joining when we launch, a business that needs logistics help, or just want to follow our progress — we'd love to hear from you.