Green SM, the electric taxi company that rolled onto Delhi-NCR's roads with a big promise, is now facing an uprising from its own drivers. Backed by Vietnam's VinFast, the company recruited drivers by dangling monthly earnings of ₹35,000 to ₹40,000. But a growing number of them now allege that the money is either not arriving on time or is being paid out at a fraction of what was promised.
The frustration has spilled into the open on social media. In a viral Instagram reel, drivers can be heard demanding what they say is rightfully theirs: "Give us our salary, this is our hard-earned money, we aren't begging." The anger is aimed at a company that had only recently described its Delhi-NCR debut as a success.
What the company promised
Green SM, short for Green and Smart Mobility, is VinFast's mobility arm. It launched operations in Delhi-NCR with roughly 1,000 electric taxis. The company pitched drivers a package of fixed salaries, incentives and stable income, which many saw as a better deal than the commission-based model of Ola and Uber. It entered the market with low fares of ₹8 per kilometre and an all-electric fleet.
According to drivers, they were promised a Minimum Business Guarantee (MBG) of ₹1,346 per day or ₹35,000 a month. But within days of the launch, payment problems began to surface. The situation was so stark that one driver says he received just ₹1,064 over an entire week.
Where the money is going
A few complaints keep coming up again and again. The first is reduced pay, which is being decided on performance metrics such as ride acceptance rate, completion rate and rating. Deductions are being made on the basis of these numbers.
The second major grievance is about changing terms. Drivers allege that extra eligibility conditions were later added to qualify for the MBG. The effect is that many drivers, even after months of effort, are unable to earn a decent income and are slipping into financial distress.
That despair is plain to see in the reels and posts, where drivers are repeatedly raising their voices against the company. In some cases, the matter has even reached the stage of police complaints.
The company's silence and the road ahead
The company has so far issued no official statement on the entire affair. It is, however, being said that payments are determined strictly on the basis of performance. Green SM positions itself as a champion of sustainable mobility, built around low fares and an electric fleet.
This dispute is not just one company's problem. It is also a lesson for platforms like Ola and Uber, where drivers frequently complain about their earnings. If Green SM does not resolve the tangle soon, its expansion plans in cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad could also stall.
Meanwhile, appeals are being made to driver unions to take up the matter. Service remains running for passengers for now, but the company's credibility could take a hit. Taken together, the episode paints a picture of the early struggles of India's EV taxi business, where the gap between glossy promises and ground reality is now clearly on display.
