Uber gets licence to operate buses in Delhi

Ride hailing app Uber has received an aggregator licence by the Delhi Transport Department to operate buses in the national capital under the Delhi premium Bus Scheme, the company said in a statement. With this, Delhi becomes the first state to award a licence for bus operations, while Uber becomes the first aggregator to be granted a licence under the Delhi Premium Bus scheme, the statement said.

"Following a successful pilot programme, where we witnessed significant demand for buses, we are thrilled to officially introduce the convenience of Uber rides to buses in Delhi," Uber Shuttle India head Amit Deshpande said.

Customers will be able to pre-book seats on their preferred route by choosing the 'Uber Shuttle' option on the Uber app.

The formal launch of Uber Shuttle, a bus service tailored for daily commuting needs, brings to fruition a pilot programme that was initially tested in Delhi-NCR and has been operational in Kolkata since last year under an MoU with the West Bengal government, as per the statement.

Commuters will be able to pre-book seats up to a week in advance, track the live location and route of the bus, and view its expected time of arrival (ETA) -- all through the Uber app, it said.

Each shuttle vehicle will be able to accommodate 19-50 passengers and will be operated by local fleet partners using Uber's technology.