Uber In Talks In India To Permit Commercial Use of Privately-Owned Cars

Global ride-hailing superpower Uber is focused on making it big it the Indian market. Recently, a company executive revealed that the company is holding talks with central and several state governments in order to pursue them to green light commercial use of private cars, which is currently illegal in the Indian subcontinent.

Speaking at the recently held Decongest India initiative event in New Delhi, Shweta Rajpal Kohli, the head of public policy at Uber India and South Asia said that the company is asking the government to provide at least a pilot of the project and then expand it depending on the outcome of the pilot.

Linking her company's thinking with the Decongest India initiative, Kohli said that country's capital city New Delhi alone has over one crore private cars that takeover the city's roads for a larger part of the day. She believes that commercialising use of private cars can help solve this problem to a greater affect.

Earlier in the month, a Reuters report had revealed that government policy think-tank Niti Aayog was in talks with Uber and other ride hailing companies "to assess the economic and environmental impact of using private cars as taxis".

Talking about the Decongest India initiative in particular, Kohli said that its San Francisco-headquartered company has decided to encourage more and more Indian population to avail its cab services over taking their personal car alone for a ride. The ride-hailing giant has also decided to educate people about using its pool services such as UberPool and UberMoto and making them aware of the advantages of using these pool services, both economical and environmental.

In order to encourage its pool services, Uber is considering incentivising riders to take UberPool and other pool services instead of hailing their private car service. Currently, in Delhi, one can avail an UberPool for 8km at as low as Rs. 49.

According to the company, their cars help in getting other cars off the road. Citing several studies, the company claims that every car that Uber adds to its fleet helps in taking about 9-13 cars off the road. It also revealed that UberPool accounts for more than 30 percent of all Uber rides in Delhi.

It is interesting to note that while Uber is banking heavily on UberPool for its Decongest India initiative plans, the Delhi government is currently contemplating banning them altogether as they have found these services in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which restricts them from making a stop and allowing additional passengers to join in a point-to-point journey. Uber is said to be talks with the Delhi government and working out a way to solve the issue soon.

uberMoto Strengthens Nationwide Presence with Ahmedabad Launch

Uber, the ridesharing app that connects riders with drivers to provide convenient, reliable and affordable rides at the push of a button, today announced the launch of its bike-sharing product, uberMOTO, in Ahmedabad in the presence of of Shri Vallabhbhai G Kakadiya, Hon’ble Transport Minister, Gujarat, and Shri Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary, Transport - a first of its kind service in Gujarat.

The launch is in line with Uber’s focus on using today’s transportation infrastructure more efficiently and effectively, while offering riders another quick, easy and affordable way to get around the city. With this launch, uberMOTO will be available in five cities in India - Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad.

Mr Prabhjeet Singh, General Manager, North, Uber India, said “With urban mobility being a key focus area for the Government of India, we want to do our bit by introducing newer ways of ridesharing that will help solve for issues like traffic, congestion and last mile connectivity across India. We are very excited to launch our bike sharing product UberMOTO in Ahmedabad. This will be the fifth city in India to go live with this service. We would like to thank the respective State Governments for showing their support and commitment to embracing technology-enabled solutions for their cities.”

Commenting on the development in Ahmedabad, Shri Vallabhbhai G Kakadiya, Honble Transport Minister, Gujarat said, “I believe that bikesharing will contribute greatly to improving last-mile connectivity in Gujarat and in reducing the transportation problems faced by people in Ahmedabad. I am certain that uberMOTO will not only offer riders a quick and affordable ride around the city but will also be instrumental in creating economic opportunities for the youth in Ahmedabad. I urge all driver partners to follow road safety rules and support Uber in its commitment to make transportation safe, reliable and affordable for all.”

uberMOTO gives riders an affordable and convenient motorcycle ride at the push of a button, through the Uber app. Riders receive driver and bike details just as they do for other Uber rides, as well as all standard safety features before, during and after the ride including GPS tracking, two-way feedback and the ability to share trip details with family and friends.

How uberMOTO works:

· Download the Uber app for iOS or Android and create an Uber account
· Select uberMOTO in the app, enter the pickup location and payment method, and request a ride; receive driver details -- name, photo and details of the motorbike.
· uberMOTO drivers will have one helmet for the rider, and all riders and drivers must wear a helmet, as per the law.
· At the end of the trip, pay by cash, credit/debit card or mobile wallet and receive an electronic receipt via the Uber app.

uberMOTO will be one of the most affordable transportation options in the city, with fares as low as Rs. 3. The product has been rolled out after a successful pilot that concluded last summer.

uberMOTO is also available in the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Vietnam, and is especially well-suited for first mile/last mile connectivity, getting people from their homes or offices to metro stations and vice - versa.