New Delhi, May 27 -- Bengaluru: In Bengaluru's bustling HSR Layout, 22-year-old Niaj Hussain waits outside a Blinkit dark store on a grey Yulu DeX, an electric bike designed for quick and short-distance deliveries. New to quick commerce, Hussain previously worked inside a dark store before realizing he could double his earnings as a rider. A petrol scooter would cost him Rs.16,000 per month in fuel, whereas renting a Yulu works out to around Rs.9,000 a month, including maintenance.

Hussain sets himself a daily target of at least 36 deliveries, to earn up to Rs.1,500. His only complaint is that the DeX's speed is capped at 25kmph. "That rider there did 52 deliveries in a day on his petrol bike," he says, gesturing toward a colleague. "I c...