Bengaluru techie finds Uber driver with shoulder pain using self-made paddle shifter: 'Cost him Rs 9,000'

'Durai (the Uber driver) said he made the changes because his shoulder was hurting from shifting gears too much so he and his friend made this mechanism where he can shift gears using the stick behind the steering,' IT developer Parth Parmar said. (Image credit: @ParmarParth91/X)

When Parth Parmar, an IT developer from Bengaluru, booked an Uber to go from Marathahalli to HSR layout, he was surprised to see that the driver had a strange contraption on his dashboard.

In a video that he shared on X, the 31-year-old explained that the device was a paddle shifter that the driver, identified only as Durai, had designed himself because he had shoulder pain and it hurt when he changed gears the conventional way.

"The whole thing cost him Rs 9,000," Parmar wrote on X. "This could be huge. Wish he gets the right support and guidance to make it big. No dearth of talent in India."

This Uber driver designed paddle shifter himself cz he was having shoulder pain while changing gears. whole thing cost him 9k!! This could be huge. Wish he gets ryt support n guidance to make it big. No dearth of talent in India. #peakbengalurumoment#Bengaluru#indiantalentpic.twitter.com/PvxCpCHDTF

— Parth Parmar (@ParmarParth91) January 6, 2024

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Parmar said, "I booked an Uber for returning home and this guy picked me up. I noticed this gear lever shifting automatically as in the video and asked him if he had gotten the car modified. Durai said he made the changes a couple of weeks ago because his shoulder was hurting from shifting gears too much so he and his friend made this mechanism where he can shift gears using the stick behind the steering with some chips and relays and motor assembly."

Durai told Parmar that he has received requests from friends in Bengaluru to make similar contraptions for their cars, but he hasn't agreed yet. "Durai said he is still testing it out. It breaks sometimes in the middle of the road so it still needs improvements, but he was planning to get it patented as soon as it works flawlessly," the techie told the publication, adding that he offered the driver help.

"I gave him some suggestions, warned about not selling without a patent, and motivated him as this could be really huge if he is successful and offered him my help if he needed any," Parmar said.

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