BBA Student Earns ₹1,200 a Day on Rapido During College Break, Shares Reality of Gig Work

A BBA second-year student from Bengaluru spent his three-month college vacation working as a Rapido captain, earning around ₹1,200 on a good day. What began as a temporary side hustle after his first-year exams gave him a first-hand understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with gig work in India.

The student shared his experience in a Reddit post, detailing his daily routine, earnings, fuel expenses, customer interactions and the uncertainties that gig workers face.

BBA Student Worked 8.5 Hours a Day on Rapido

The student said he typically started work around 8 am and returned home by 4:30 pm, spending approximately 8.5 hours online.

When he first joined the platform, he had little understanding of how ride demand worked. Over time, however, he began identifying locations and time slots where demand was higher and learnt how to use the platform more efficiently.

On a good day, he could earn around ₹1,200. During periods when bike-ride demand was lower, particularly between 12 pm and 3 pm, he said he also accepted food delivery orders to make better use of his time.

His experience highlights how gig workers often have to understand demand patterns and constantly adjust their working strategy to maximise earnings.

'I Didn't Really Take Breaks'

The student said his experience also changed how he viewed people who depend on gig economy jobs as their primary source of income.

While he was online, he was generally either completing an order or waiting for the next one. He said he did not really take regular breaks during his working hours.

However, there was one major difference between his situation and that of a full-time gig worker: he could simply stop working and return home because the job was only a college vacation side hustle.

For someone dependent on gig work to meet household expenses, that flexibility may not be available.

Ratings, Cancellations and Platform Support

The student also highlighted some of the challenges associated with working through app-based platforms.

He claimed that customer cancellations could affect a captain's rating, even when the cancellation was outside the worker's control. He also said that getting adequate platform support when problems arose could be difficult.

At the same time, his experience with passengers was largely positive. While working around busy Bengaluru locations, including Majestic and railway stations, he interacted with several passengers and said he did not have a negative customer experience during his three months on the platform.

What ₹1,200 a Day Really Means for a Gig Worker

The student's biggest takeaway was the difference between treating gig work as a temporary side hustle and depending on it as a full-time livelihood.

For him, ₹1,200 earned on a good day represented additional money during his college vacation. For a full-time gig worker, however, a similar amount may need to cover fuel costs, daily expenses and household bills.

His experience also exposed the less visible aspects of gig work, including waiting time, fuel expenses, fluctuating demand, customer cancellations, restaurant delays, ratings and platform policies.

The BBA student's account offers a snapshot of the realities of India's growing gig economy, particularly for young people who increasingly turn to platform-based work for temporary income.

He concluded his Reddit post by asking full-time workers associated with Rapido, Swiggy and Zomato to share their experiences with earnings, ratings, cancellations and platform support.