Travtus Workforce: Mumbai's handymen on call

Pakhi Singh, a 27-year-old advertising professional, has only one weekly off. A tubelight in her room has been flickering since three days, and a leaking tap has been causing seepage on a wall of her house. Her respite for the festive season? Handymen on call.

Courtesy busy work schedules and a fast-paced lifestyle, people are finding themselves with a lack of time to take a closer look into the stitches and fixes required in their personal spaces.

This is where organisations like Travtus Workforce, which offer maintenance services on call across Mumbai and its suburbs, are coming in handy for office-goers as well as homemakers.

With a workforce of 40, capable of catering to around 100 electric, plumbing, patchwork, windows, woodwork and tile repair services daily, the target audience of the company is "anyone and everyone who wants to save time".

"In a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai (as it is with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangalore - the cities where we plan to expand into), we have noticed that time is precious and getting handymen at your every beck and call is a challenge because of the sheer size of the city and the conditions of the people living in the city. So, our job is to make life easy for our customers," Tripty Arya, head, Travtus Workforce, told IANS.

Launched in June 2013, the company allows members to avail unlimited services - if you have a leaky tap today, they will send a plumber. If you notice a loose tile, they will send in a mason tomorrow or if you find a broken faucet tomorrow, they will send the plumber again.

One has to pay Rs.2,525 for a quarter and Rs.7,575 for a year to avail membership.

Non-members can avail services too, but at a higher price.

In view of the Diwali season, the company has come up with various options for its customers.

"Our service is a step towards creating a culture of being houseproud. Diwali is a wonderful opportunity for this. We currently have a 'Paint a Room (or more)' promotion. Our team of painters will paint your room for just Rs.3,500 and if you add more rooms, the price per room is discounted," said Arya.

The membership includes labour charges on call. You can get your own materials or you can ask them to get it for you - they will charge you at actuals.

The festive season is in fact, a busy time for the company's electricians and painters.

"A lot of people are moving into new homes during this season and often need us the most during this period for jobs ranging from installation of sanitary fixtures to fixing broken sofa legs. Typically, our members use our service 1.5 times a month, but the festive season sees this average skewed to around 2.2," she said.

The service currently has 48 residential members.

"In addition to this, we have three offices, one spa and a few restaurants," said Arya, who believes that "every built space is a potential client" for her company.

"The condition of every space depreciates over time and we aim to help slow this process down by providing on demand and preventive repairs without it creeping up on a chore list," she added.