Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

UberMOTO comes to India; Fare As Low As Rs 3/Km Uber to launch its new bike taxi service UberMOTO in Bengaluru today

By Ritu Kochar

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Uber

After a successful launch in Bangkok, Uber will debut its new bike taxi service named UberMOTO in Bengaluru today. This makes Bengaluru the second Asian city that will be able to hail this service by Uber.

According to the officials, the fares are kept as low as Rs 3 per kilometre, making it the cheapest taxi service offered by Uber so far. UberMOTO follows the launch of Uber's carpooling service in Bengaluru and Delhi. The company launched the carpooling service in the national capital just a few weeks before the oddeven experiment. The launch of UberMOTO could be a precursor to the repeat of the oddeven trial run next month.

UberMOTO serves twofold purpose. First, it will aim to tap the additional revenue streams in one of the world's biggest markets for two-wheelers. Secondly, given the perennial traffic in India's technological capital, the service will help in curbing the traffic, though on a very minimal level. "Uber will start this service since (Bengaluru) suffers from the similar issue of traffic congestion like Bangkok," said a source who did not want to be identified. According to this person, the company sees a huge opportunity in solo bike riders who have space to take pillion riders commuting on the same route. (ET)

Expecting the service to be similar to that launched in Bangkok on 24th February, UberMoto comes loaded with all standard Uber safety features. This means that motorcycle passengers and drivers can give feedback about each other, passengers are encouraged to share relevant trip details with fellow Uber users and GPS tracking is enabled.

Considered the most valuable app, Uber has been increasingly working on making its services available to people from every spectrum of society. Fare as cheap as 3 kilometres is a sure shot sign of that. Not only will it relieve the consumers who pay a little extra amount for short distances, but it will also prove to be time saving. First to be piloted in Bengaluru, it will then be expanded to other states across the country.

However new this idea might sound, Uber still faces competition from startups like Baxi in Gurgaon and Rapido in Bengaluru among others. Ola is also looking into launching a similar service.

The problem that lies in front of Uber now is to ensure that helmets are provided both for the rider and commuter, given the recent regulation by the authorities that mandate use of helmets by pillion riders. Also, since most women commuters will prefer to ride with women riders, Uber will have to keep in mind the division of riders and safety of women, an issue Uber has faced in the past. Over all a smart move, UberMOTO could take the taxi service to a new high.

Ritu Kochar

Former Staff, Entrepreneur India

Ritu used to work as a Feature writer for Entrepreneur India.
Business News

Meta Fires Employee Making $400,000 Per Year Over a $25 Meal Voucher Issue

Other staff members were fired for the same reason, per a new report.

Business News

Microsoft Strikes Back at Salesforce, Announces New AI Agents That Can Take Over Finance, Sales, and Service Tasks

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff called Microsoft's Copilot AI "disappointing" earlier this month.

Career

Tired of Applying to Jobs with No Response? Try This Tactic, According to An Expert Who Helps Thousands of People Get Jobs

It's all about finding your "candidate-market fit," says the author of the book Never Search Alone.

Business News

AI Startups Received $2.9 Billion in Funding Last Quarter. These 3 U.S. Companies Received a Lot of It— And You've Probably Never Heard of Them.

AI was one of the few industries that saw growth in unicorns, or billion-dollar startups, last year.

Growing a Business

You Want to Grow Your Business — But Do You Have a Plan? Here Are The Proactive Steps You Need to Take to Succeed.

Subscribing to routine growth initiatives at every level of a business is the key to short-term and long-term growth

News and Trends

The Empathetic Boss: Rajeev Juneja, MD and VC, Mankind Pharma

Rajeev credits the company mantra of 'staying dynamic' as the reason behind its tremendous success over the years