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An autorickshaw driver near the US Consulate in Mumbai earns Rs 5-8 lakh monthly by offering bag storage to visa applicants, highlighting grassroots entrepreneurship
According to Rupani, the auto driver parks outside the consulate daily, offering his “bag storage” service to 20–30 customers each day. (Source: LinkedIn/@Rahul Rupani)
Outside the towering gates of the US Consulate in Mumbai, a story of grassroots entrepreneurship is quietly unfolding, one that is now grabbing national attention. It’s not a startup pitch from a boardroom or a tech innovation from Silicon Valley, but a street-smart solution from an ordinary autorickshaw driver, now reportedly earning between Rs 5 to Rs 8 lakh every month, without even driving his auto.
This unconventional business, shared by Lenskart’s Product Leader Rahul Rupani in a viral LinkedIn post, centres around a seemingly simple problem: what do you do with your bags when you’re barred from taking them inside the US Consulate?
Thousands of visa applicants visit the consulate every day. One of the strictest rules in place is the prohibition on bags inside the premises. Add to that, the absence of any official locker facility nearby, and you’ve got a major logistical headache for applicants carrying documents, electronics, and personal items.
That’s where the unnamed autorickshaw driver steps in. “I was outside the US Consulate this week for my visa appointment, when security told me I couldn’t carry my bag inside. No lockers. No suggestions,” Rupani wrote in his post, adding that while he stood clueless on the footpath, an auto driver waved at him, saying, “Sir, bag de do. Safe rakhunga, mera roz ka hai. Rs 1,000 charge hai (Sir, give me the bag. I’ll keep it safe. I do this daily. Just Rs 1,000).”
See the viral post here:
At first glance, it may seem like an expensive offer but for someone about to miss a crucial interview or risk losing a visa slot, it’s a small price to pay.
According to Rupani, this enterprising driver parks outside the consulate daily, offering his “bag storage” service to 20–30 customers each day. That’s anywhere from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 daily, an income that rivals or exceeds that of senior professionals in the corporate world.
But this is no random hustle. The driver, Rupani says, has even built an operational model in collaboration with a local police officer who provides access to secure locker facilities. The auto serves merely as the “point of contact”; once trust is established, the bags are transported and safely stored at the designated lockers.
He has created a model built entirely on trust, Rupani said. With an app or office or an MBA degree, he earns with just his street smartness and a deep understanding of people. “This is entrepreneurship in its rawest and most powerful form,” he added.
While the authenticity of the post has not been officially verified by News18, it has sparked a flurry of online discussion about innovation, hustle culture, and the growing gig economy in the country.
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