BookMeDrive · 3 min read · 14 October 2026
The model I couldn't legally run
I designed BookMeDrive so anyone in Tricity could rent out their own car. Then I read the law. A private car can't be rented out for self-drive in India, so the model I'd built didn't work. This is how I rebuilt it around how rentals actually work here.
- Market
- Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula
- Stack
- Django REST + Next.js
- Enquiries
- WhatsApp-first
- Host keeps
- 90%
- Status
- Live
The idea
The plan was simple. Lots of people in Tricity have a car that sits parked most of the week. Lots of people want a car for a weekend trip to the hills. Put them together, let the owner keep 90%, and take 10%.
Then I read the law
In India, a privately registered car, the one with a white number plate, can't be rented out for self-drive. Only vehicles registered commercially under the Rent-a-Cab scheme, with black plates and the right permit and insurance, can be. Listing your private car on an app doesn't change that.
So the peer-to-peer version I had designed would have put every owner who listed on it at risk. That's not a business, that's a liability.
What I rebuilt it into
Instead of private owners, BookMeDrive now works with commercial rental operators who already have the right registration. Renters browse what's available across Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, and enquiries go straight to the operator on WhatsApp. The first operators, in Mohali and Panchkula, are already on it.
How it's built
The backend is a Django REST API and the frontend is Next.js. Every account has two workspaces: Explorer for people renting, and Host for the people listing vehicles. Enquiries are WhatsApp-first, because that's where people in Tricity actually reply. Razorpay payments are next.
What I'd tell another founder
Check the law before you write the first line of code. I didn't, and it cost me a rebuild. The version that came out of it is smaller, but it's one I can actually run.