Now a night delivery service for smokers

Ciggywala, launched by a former employee at Google, is another first for Bengaluru. It serves those desperate for a late-night smoke.

Raj Datta quit his job in Google and started the country’s first legalised late-night cigarette delivery business in Bengaluru.

The frequency of cigarette usage across the country and lack of active shops during the night encouraged him to launch this initiative.

Ciggywala aims to channel their profits to help the needy. “Cigarette is an untapped item in the delivery industry and is one of the fastest ways of making money. Once the business is established, a part of the profit will be used to help the underprivileged,” says Raj.

The service was launched in April this year. “Someone was eventually going to do it,” he says.

Ciggywala operates between 11 pm and 3 am. “We get 80-90 orders a day. We are able to deliver only 30-40 of them as of now,” says the founder, when asked about how the market was responding to his venture.

The company currently delivers to BTM, Koramangala, HSR, Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Whitefield, Manyata Tech Park and Electronics City. They are also planning to deliver in other places like Bellandur, Sarjapur Road, Marathahalli, Indiranagar, Ulsoor, Yeshwantpur.

“Startups are all about solving the people’s problems in a productive way. But we also do need a lot of funds to achieve this. We all know that the demand for cigarettes is something that never goes down as many people are getting addicted to it despite knowing the adverse effect of consuming it,” adds Raj.

The idea of door-delivering cigarettes hit Raj when he personally faced difficulties to get them at night, as most shops are closed after 12.

Ciggywala is completely legal. “I consulted with 3 lawyers, 2 CAs, and several senior bank officials before the execution,” he asserts. “This is not a social service. It is just a business. We want to make money and use it for our future endeavours. Hence, I am ready to accept the bad karma.”

When questioned about the safety and consumption by children or underage individuals, Raj says “All our delivery boys have been instructed to check the IDs before delivering the package. We have taken all the preventive measures.”

Looking at the positive response so far, Ciggywala is planning to expand their business to other metropolitan cities.

Safeguards

They only deliver cigarettes in full packs

Separate policy for female customers. Their contact details such as phone numbers are not shared with riders.

They will check the ids before delivering the package.