Does your solution have the potential to answer one or more of these problem statements?
1
Commercial Vehicle Drivers
Question 1:
The profession of truck drivers needs urgent reforms to bridge supply gaps and make the profession more attractive.
How might we augment the physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellbeing of truck drivers (and their family members) to enhance their productivity and longevity in the profession?
Note: Our research indicates that personal health and safety are grave concerns for truck drivers. Long hours on the road and time spent away from the family affects their physical health and mental and emotional wellbeing. Lack of job security affects their financial wellbeing. For a stronger ecosystem, truck drivers and their families need greater support. We need scalable solutions that go beyond individual efforts and can be institutionalized.
Question 2:
Highly fragmented informal networks influence truck driving as a livelihood. Knowledge and power is concentrated among small operators and middlemen. Efficiently sharing information can be beneficial to everyone and democratize the ecosystem.
How might information exchange in the sector be enabled to promote real time decision making, encourage transparency, and promote reciprocity among the actors in the ecosystem?
Note: The rise of freight matching platforms has led to aggregation of and increased access to stakeholder data. This data can be leveraged to provide products and services like fuel cars, spare parts, toll tags and vehicle insurance. Digital enablement can also be used to address shortage of truck drivers in the short term and increase the fleet owner’s ability to provide social security benefits and wellbeing facilities to truck drivers in the long term.
2
Delivery Executives
Question 1:
Delivery executives work within a high risk framework. Successfully fulfilling their duties depends on multiple variables that are beyond their control, making the livelihood extremely insecure.
How might Delivery Executives be assured income security and social protection so that the existing risks and uncertainty associated with the livelihood can be reduced?
Note: Close to 90% gig workers were reported to have lost income during the pandemic. 83% had to dip into their savings to meet every day needs (The Hindu, 2020). There are health risks associated with the livelihood like injuries, accidents, and illnesses (eg. exposure to COVID19 infection). Any insurance only covers accidents and hospitalizations. Further, time spent on medical processes is time spent away from earning opportunities. Micro-insurance, micro-savings and credit platforms can be possible solutions to enable access to financial and health services for Delivery Executives.
Question 2:
Validation and vetting by social networks plays an important role in a Delivery Executive’s decision to choose the livelihood and continue in it. Leveraging these networks has a huge potential to positively impact the livelihood.
How might networks and communities be leveraged to design livelihoods for delivery executives which are sustainable, inclusive, and relatable?
Note: Our research shows that the decision to join and to continue as a Delivery Executive is influenced by friends and family in similar jobs or ancillary trades. Once in the job, seniors who can provide moral and affective guidance play a crucial role in ‘sustaining their future in this work as well as the future of this work’ (Lalvani 2019). This suggests that hiring and training programs, incentives, work spaces, and job aids for Delivery Executives should be designed keeping in mind how these relations are formed and sustained. There is significant scope for innovation as this remains a powerful yet under leveraged space for collaboration and inclusion.
You may read the complete research document by LagomWorks here.