DRIFE, the world’s first decentralised ride-hailing platform, today announces Siddharth Bhatia as its new Chief Scientist. Having previously worked with Google Research, Amazon and Microsoft Research, Siddharth brings vast ‘big tech’ experience to help enhance the technology powering the DRIFE platform.
Siddharth will be responsible for leading research and innovation and will be instrumental in developing DRIFE’s visionary mobility blockchain. Siddharth says: “I am inspired by DRIFE’s passion to create a more equitable environment for both drivers and passengers. I am excited to play a part in taking DRIFE through its next phase of growth.”
CTO and co-founder, Mudit Marda comments, “Hailing from academia and big tech, the technical skills Siddharth brings to the team regarding his experience in machine learning, fraud detection, and distributed systems is unrivalled. At DRIFE we want to bring onboard like-minded individuals who share the vision of generating a fairer and more decentralised ride-hailing platform driven by latest technology. Siddharth is a fantastic talent and we’re delighted to welcome him to the team”
Siddharth has done his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore. His research on real-time anomaly/fraud detection in a cybersecurity setting has been well appreciated and deployed by several companies. He has also been recognised as a Young Researcher by the ACM Heidelberg Laureate Forum.
Set for IDO on 6th August 2021, DRIFE is the only taxi platform that empowers both drivers and passengers, challenging an unfair model by bringing fairness and transparency where drivers take home 100% of fares and passengers can pay using cryptocurrency. For the first time, blockchain technology has enabled DRIFE to tokenize the ride-hailing economy, allowing riders to openly connect with drivers through the decentralised platform, cutting out the middleman and reducing additional costs.
To date, DRIFE has 2,000 registered drivers and 20,000 riders ready to go in Bangalore, India with a target of 10,000 active drivers by Q3 2021. It is in advanced stages of gaining operational approval in Brazil, France and Dubai, with plans for EU, US and Asian market expansions to follow. DRIFE is also in conversation with representatives from El Salvador, the first crypto-progressive country to recognise Bitcoin as legal tender for defining next steps towards a decentralised taxi network with crypto payment scheme.
For more information visit: https://www.drife.io/
A detailed whitepaper on DRIFE’s proposition and its technology architecture is available here.
