Yamaha Motor Invests in Bike Rental Platform Royal Brothers The investment has been made via Yamaha Motor's Moto Business Service India (MBSI) subsidiary, which is a mobility solution company established in March 2021
By S Shanthi
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Yamaha Motor has invested an undisclosed amount in bike rental company Royal Brothers via its Moto Business Service India (MBSI) subsidiary, which is a mobility solutions company established in March 2021.
Yamaha Motor had recently announced its entry into two-wheeler asset management services through the launch of MBSI, which will provide its services for tech startup companies that focus on shared mobility space in India. Their first investment is with Royal Brothers, which, according to the company, was the first company with a bike rental license for Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh and is now the first company to launch a bike rental service at Kempegowda International Airport Bangalore. In 2019, angel investors invested in the primary rounds taking the company from a bootstrapped to a funded venture currently operational in Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana
MBSI aims to increase the usage of vehicles on shared/rental platforms, create employment opportunities, and contribute towards improving people's quality of life in India. The company aims to generate higher levels of employment for the Indian youth, empower more women to earn their livelihood and to support the business growth of mobility platforms with a keen focus on maintaining a cleaner and greener environment in the country.
MBSI will also procure new two wheelers and deploy them on rental platforms such as Royal
Brothers, on a revenue sharing basis model. These vehicles are taken on rent by individuals and
delivery executives at an affordable monthly lease value, which in turn ensures regular income
and the agenda of creating employment. MBSI will also explore the opportunities to work with
last mile delivery platformers, especially with the companies who are keen on deploying EV
2W/3W.
"We are extremely excited to officially launch MBSI by kick starting our operations with Royal Brothers. Today, India is the land of startups and thriving digital infrastructure, uniquely placed at the cusp of a socio-economic
revolution. Though the mobility sector took a blow from Covid-19, ride-hailing and rental services are picking up pace again. We will onboard two wheelers across multiple cities and generate employment avenues for the youth of India. We plan to work with more mobility companies in the future and to transform the overall shared mobility space in India by bringing our financial and strategic experience from our stakeholders," said Shoji Shiraishi, Managing Director, MBSI.
Royal Brothers offers a range of two-wheelers from Mopeds to Scooters to Superbikes which can be rented in 20-plus cities across 8 states of India and our partnership will widen the reach in cities and will expand the customer base. "We are delighted to be starting the first quarter of 2022 with this partnership. We have always focused on our client needs and are striving on a daily basis to serve the best to our clients. We want our users to enjoy a seamless experience with everyday innovation. We want to give access to 500 million Indians to move around on a motorcycle or scooter without owning a vehicle. We believe access is the new ownership," said Abhishek Chandrashekar, co-founder and CEO, Royal Brothers.