Patna has become the third city in the country, after Chennai and Coimbatore, to introduce air-conditioned rest pods for gig workers. The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has nearly completed two AC lounges designed to provide relief to delivery personnel and other platform-based workers who spend long hours on the road.
Location and Facilities
The lounges, located near Gandhi Maidan Gate No. 3 and the Income Tax roundabout, will offer seating, air conditioning, charging points and drinking water facilities. Each unit can accommodate 10 to 15 people. PMC officials said plans are also being explored to allow Jeevika didis to set up nearby stalls selling sattu-based drinks. Open to all, the facilities are intended to provide shelter from extreme heat and sudden rain. Officials added that the initiative could be expanded to other locations based on feedback from workers.
Impact on Workers
The move is expected to benefit thousands of gig workers who spend much of their day outside warehouses and distribution centres across the city. With temperatures frequently crossing 40°C and sudden thunderstorms becoming common, many workers are forced to wait for assignments in difficult conditions, often without access to seating, shade or drinking water.
Rajesh Kumar, a delivery worker, said: “There is no water facility in our warehouse. We have to bring our own bottles and find places to refill them.”
Suresh, who has worked with a delivery platform for two years, described the challenges: “The weather changes fast — one day it is hot, the next it is raining. We have nowhere to sit, so we eat on the side of the road. If we go to find shelter during a storm or heatwave, we risk missing a pickup notification, so we stay and eat on our bikes.”
Amit Kumar added: “Last week I suffered from dehydration and fever because of the heat.” He lost three days of earnings while recovering.
Call for Broader Policy
Despite welcoming the initiative, All India Gig and Platform Workers’ Union chairman Chandraprakash Singh said a broader policy framework was needed. He called for summer allowances, medical coverage for heat-related illnesses and designated company-mandated resting spaces for gig workers.
