The Ground Reality For The Gig Workers Powering India’s Instant Help Boom

The instant help category is heading into another festive surge, with monthly bookings rising nearly 6X in under a year and platforms rapidly scaling their women workforce to meet demand

But behind the growth are unpaid waiting hours, commute costs, limited rest infrastructure and safety concerns, raising some serious questions about the industry’s rapid expansion

Women gig workers across Urban Company, Snabbit and Pronto have alleged opaque policies when it comes to earnings and logged-in hours, arcane leave policies, unpaid waiting time, safety risks and lack of access to basic infrastructure.

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It’s festive season again and in Bengaluru’s upscale neighbourhoods, the sight of women in colourful uniforms — black, purple, pink or green — is becoming too commonplace to ignore. Most of these women, gig workers for the likes of Urban Company, Snabbit or Pronto, are stationed just outside the gates of the large community that they visit routinely. 

Many of them spend hours waiting for the next order or a ride back home. In inclement weather, there’s no shelter or cover. Some sit on the back of a parked motorbike or perch themselves at a bus stop if there’s one nearby. Many often mill at roadside tea stalls, if they find a safe space. 

That last part is key. A few have taken to the steps of a nearby temple, phone in hand, scrolling, waiting for the next booking to land so that they are finally able to earn their dues of the day.

“Typically, the waiting can stretch for hours and even though we are out of our homes for a living, we don’t earn anything unless an order is placed. When someone books the service it is assigned to the nearest professional or the one who can reach you within 10 minutes,” said Jhanki Devi (name changed on request) who works with Urban Company’s InstaHelp vertical. 

“Typically, the waiting can stretch for hours and even though we are out of our homes for a living, we don’t earn anything unless an order is placed. When someone books the service it is assigned to the nearest professional or the one who can reach you within 10 minutes,” said Jhanki Devi (name changed on request) who works with Urban Company’s InstaHelp vertical. 

On a good day, she completes 4-5 hours of household work within a single gated community but on most days, this is not enough to meet her app commitments. She then has to continue being logged in to go to the home where the next order comes from.  Gig workers along the way keep the chain going, because if she can’t find the right bus, she has to book an auto or a bike taxi using Namma Yatri, Uber or Rapido. 

While the scene of gig workers outside prominent gated communities has become ubiquitous in dense residential neighbourhoods in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi NCR, not much focus has landed on the plight of the gig workers fuelling this boom. With another festive season upon us, it’s pertinent to see where things are headed. 

Because just under a year ago, Inc42 wrote about the festive season rush that created the instant help category. Now the rush in 2026 is taking Snabbit, Urban Company and Pronto to expand, grow more profitable and extract more from its gig worker base. 

Because just under a year ago, Inc42 wrote about the festive season rush that created the instant help category. Now the rush in 2026 is taking Snabbit, Urban Company and Pronto to expand, grow more profitable and extract more from its gig worker base. 

In Diwali........

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