India, April 28 -- Twenty-year-old Rini Burman recently moved from her village in West Bengal to Delhi and is looking for a job to support her family, which currently subsists mostly on her mother's earnings. Her immediate challenge is getting around without enough money for transport or the bicycle she received in her village.

While studying in a rural government-run school in Nabadwip city in Nadia district, Burman - like all other senior secondary students - received a free bicycle, which she rode to her school, coaching classes, market, bank, and elsewhere in her proximity.

Her mother, Rinki, a domestic worker who has lived in Delhi for years, spends 10-15% of her wage on e-rickshaws, as shared rides are her only option for commutin...