Gearing up for the festival season, Amazon India has planned for 50 new ‘Ashray centres’, or dedicated rest stops for gig workers across India.
“With the festival season driving a sharp increase in deliveries, it’s more important than ever that drivers across the industry have access to rest on their routes,” said Salim R Memon, Director-Operations, Amazon India. “Ashray was built on a simple idea: every delivery driver, whether they deliver for Amazon or not, deserves a clean, cool place to rest during their workday.”
The expansion will take the total number of pan-India Ashray centres to 200, with plans to reach even 250 by the end of 2026. The company has also announced the expansion of its mobile Ashray vans to Bengaluru, the fourth city after Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
“This expansion is part of Amazon India’s broader investment of over ₹2,800 crore in 2026 to strengthen associate safety, health, and financial well-being across its operations network,” said Memon.
Launched in 2024 in Delhi NCR, the centres have scaled rapidly to become one of the largest delivery-driver welfare initiatives of its kind in India. The centres are equipped with air-conditioned seating, drinking water, mobile charging points, clean washrooms, first-aid kits, and comfortable resting space. Each centre accommodates 10-15 people at a time, allows free access for up to 30 minutes per visit with convenient parking, and operates year-round from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at high-footfall locations like petrol pumps and commercial spaces. These centres are also listed on Google Maps for easy discovery.
Mobile Ashray vans bring similar convenience along high-footfall delivery routes. Each van is equipped with air-conditioned seating, drinking water, free Wi-Fi connectivity and charging points for mobile phones.
Earlier, two mobile Ashray vans were flagged off in Bengaluru in the presence of Sandy Gordon, Vice-President, Employee Experience and Relations, Amazon, and Brendan Branon, Vice-President of North America Employee Relations.
Published on October 1, 2026
