Hyderabad, Apr 17 (IANS): At a time when coronavirus induced lockdown has sparked fears of large-scale layoffs, a employee transportation company has not only assured its partner cabbies of no-layoffs but also announced interest free loans for them.

WhistleDrive, which has its operations in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, and Pune, has assured over 800 partner cabbies that there will be no COVID-19 related layoffs.

The Hyderabad-based company also announced interest-free loans of Rs 5,000 each for April to ensure their basic needs are met.

"We are offering an interest-free loan of up to Rs 5,000 per cabbie for April to ensure their basic needs are met and they feel job secure," said Rakesh Munnanooru, Founder, CEO of WhistleDrive.

The company said this initiative has already helped around 65 per cent of its cab partners.

WhistleDrive has also requested its clients to do a basic payout so that they can support cab partners, and also retain all the workforce they deploy at client locations.

WhistleDrive is providing fleet, plus technology and on-ground support for the corporate employee's transportation. It operates in four cities serving 35 clients through its fleet of over 800 cabs to move 25000 employees every day.

To deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, the company has made it mandatory for drivers to use a face mask and a sanitizer in every cab. The company has enforced regular temperature checks at their client locations for all their drivers.

It also rolled out a technology feature to ensure clients and employees can get real-time info on wellness checks performed concerning cabs and drivers.