The past few months at <keyword id="19956271" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola-Electric-Mobility" source="keywords">Ola Electric Mobility</keyword> have been very eventful and happening. First came the company's <keyword id="19898327" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPO" source="keywords">IPO</keyword> between August 2nd and 6th, looking to raise Rs 6,154 crore, which was oversubscribed around 4.45 times. The company listed on both BSE and NSE on August 9th, 2024, i.e. last Friday, and soared around 20% over its IPO price on its debut, trading at Rs 91.2 on NSE, up from its IPO price of Rs 76. At present, the company's stock is trading at Rs 133.08 on NSE, skyrocketing the company's total market capitalization to Rs 58,699 crore, as of August 16th, 2024. This also comes on the back of a slew of new electric motorbikes announced by the company yesterday, along with receiving a "buy" recommendation from brokerage house HSBC, which gave it a price target of Rs 140, and deemed it to be an opportunity "worth investing in", despite not being overly enthusiastic on India's EV penetration scene. Per the report, "EV manufacturing costs might fall significantly by FY27/28, while that for ICE scooters may go up due to emission standards, the cost to manufacture (BOM) an e2W may come down by Rs 30,000-40,000. This would make EVs competitive with traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) scooters even without subsidies, which we assume will fall from Rs 40,000 to Rs 10,000 over the same period". However, as the broker cautioned, this would not be without its share of challenges, which include intense competition from their petrol and diesel driven counterparts, uncertain regulatory environment, in-house battery manufacturing risks, slow EV penetration in India, which happens to be the world's second-largest two wheeler market, and more. Says Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd, "Despite receiving demand well below the street's expectation, <keyword id="6354720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola" source="Orion">OLA</keyword> listed well above street expectations, which can be attributed to market mood. Post listing, the short term view remain same due to weak financials and risk of negative cash flows in future and allotted investors should understand the risk before holding, which could adversely impact its consolidated financial condition post listing. Considering all the factors, we advise only risk taking investors to continue to hold with a minimum holding period of 2-3 years. If the stock is available well below its issue price, we recommend risk taking investors to accumulate on every dip, and to be part of 2-3 years of its journey. The long term story is intact, but we may see a lot of ups and downs in the short term". <h2>New bikes in pipeline </h2> Yesterday, <keyword id="19897349" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola-electric" source="keywords">Ola Electric</keyword> announced the launch of Roadster electric motorcycle, which will be available in three variants, namely Roadster, Roadster X and <keyword id="22807137" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="roadster-pro" source="keywords">Roadster Pro</keyword>. In addition to this, the company also teased the launch of three of its upcoming bikes, namely Diamondhead, Adventure and Cruiser, which will start retailing at Rs 1,50,000 and are expected to be launched in October 2024. Here is a detailed list of the various variants on offer, and their ex-showroom price: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Variant </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Battery </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ex-Showroom price (In Rs) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Top Speed (km/h) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Maximum Range on single charge (in kms) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Maximum charging time (in hours, to reach 80%) </td></tr><tr><td rowspan="3" style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Roadster (Commuter Segment) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.5 kWh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,04,999 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">116 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">151 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4.6 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4.5 kWh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,19,999 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">126 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">190 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5.9 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6 kWh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,39,999 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">126 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">248 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">7.9 </td></tr><tr><td rowspan="3" style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Roadster X(Entry Level) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2.5 kWh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">74,999 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">105 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">117 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.3 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.5 kWh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Rs 84,999 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">117 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">159 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4.6 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4.5 kWh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Rs 99,999 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">124 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">200 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5.9 </td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2" style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Roadster Pro (Premium Segment) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">8 kWh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,99,999 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">NA </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">NA </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">NA </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">16 kWh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2,49,999 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">194 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">579 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">7.5 </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Source : Ola website NA : Not Available In addition to this, Bhavish Agrawal, the company's CEO, also announced that its 4680 Battery Cell, also popularly known as the Bharat Cell, will be integrated with all of Ola's own vehicles starting Q1FY26. The cell, he claims, will be the "5G of cells". Per Agrawal, it will offer 5x energy, and will also charge 1.5x faster. <h2> </h2><h2>Financials paint an inspiring picture </h2>As of June 30th, 2024, the company's total income zoomed 34.32% year-on-year to touch Rs 1,718 crore. The same stood at Rs 1,671 crore in the last quarter (Q4FY24), and at Rs 1,279 crore during the year ago period (Q1FY24). However, the company's losses after taxes widened to Rs 347 crore in Q1FY25, up from Rs 267 crore in Q1FY24, largely on the back of the rollback of FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in India) scheme and the subsequent subsidy cuts. Per Agrawal, going ahead, the company's focus will be on improving its margins, and sustainability. However, there was a slight dip in its losses this quarter, as opposed to Rs 416 crore incurred by the company in Q4FY24. The company's share is currently witnessing a stellar run on the stock market, having rallied by over 74% in the last 5 days. At present, the company commands a 48.63% market share in the electric 2-wheeler market in India, up from 39% in Q4FY24, and 31% in Q1FY24. Ola Electric also saw a spike in the quantum of deliveries it made during the quarter. From delivering 70,575 units in Q1FY24, the company delivered 1,25,198 units for the quarter ended June 30th, 2024. This is also an uptick from its deliveries made during Q4FY24, which stood at 1,25,198. A point of concern, however, was the company's short-term operational efficiency, generally reflected by its EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) margins. While it is no secret that Ola has a very long way to go before it can achieve sustained profitability, its EBITDA margins significantly shrunk from a negative of 7.4% in Q4FY24, to just 2% for the quarter ended June 30th, 2024.

How is Ola Electric Mobility faring post its IPO?

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51142134.cms" /> 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber">Uber</a> has launched a pilot scheme for its first <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=motorbike+taxi">motorbike taxi</a> service in Bangkok. The <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=motorbike+taxi">motorbike taxi</a> will collect passengers from their office or home and get them to their respective destinations. The company is looking to spread this offering across Asia. 
 
Traffic-clogged Asian megacities like Jakarta and Manila might get them soon. Makes complete sense! Motorbikes have long been a popular commuting option, thanks to their ability to spiral through the horrible traffic jams. 
 
"This is the first time we're doing it in any market in the world, so our hope is to develop it and innovate it," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Douglas+Ma">Douglas Ma</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber">Uber</a>'s head of Asia expansion, told AFP. 
 
"If it makes sense, absolutely we want to look at other markets", he added. 
 
So what about India? 
The trouble is, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber">Uber</a> has been facing regulatory hurdles and protests from established <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=taxi+operators">taxi operators</a> in most locations in India. Even with their newest offering, the company claims their services will be cheaper than regular <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bike+taxis">motorbike taxis</a>. That has not gone down too well with the old players. 
 
Radio taxi services like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber">Uber</a> and Ola have also locked horns with the Indian government many times. 
 
There are also regulatory challenges with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bike+taxis">bike taxis</a> in general. The transport officials are yet to figure out the guidelines for the fares, requirements and permits for the drivers, and designated stops for <keyword id="6383026" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bike-Taxis">bike taxis</keyword>. 
 
Efforts have been made to get bike taxis on road in Delhi but the move fell through. The only city that has stepped up and launched bike taxis for commuters is Gurgaon. 
 
Gurgaon even has a two-wheeler taxi service that goes by the name of Bikxie Pink. It’s by women and for women. It was launched on Jan 21 after it was found that women were reluctant to use the service because they were uncomfortable riding behind male drivers and concerned about their safety based on safety concerns and unease with riding behind male drivers. 
 
But Mayank Jyoti, RTO Ghaziabad had told reporters earlier, "We have not given permission to anybody for such service. This is a violation of permit rules." 
 
So that’s what’s standing between <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber">Uber</a> India and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bike+taxis">bike taxis</a> – regulation, and more regulation. 
 
Image credit: Uber

Will
Uber’s Bike Taxi Services work in India?

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/49088746.cms" /> Keeping in mind the vast online commuter market, India’s top cab aggregator, <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> is now prepping-up to introduce <keyword id="3071546" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="motorcycle-taxis">motorcycle taxis</keyword>. 
 The Bangalore-based cab aggregator also plans to launch a shuttle bus service. Not just this, but Ola users will now be able to avail <keyword id="3072073" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="car-pooling">car-pooling</keyword> feature on its mobile application, reported The Economic Times. 
 
The motorcycle taxis and shuttle service, however, might face regulatory issues as these do not have any legal frameworks so far. 
 
Internal sources, requesting anonymity, informed that the bike taxis will be on the lines of Indonesia's GoJek, Blue-Jek and Grabbike, which is being used to transport people as well as goods. 
 Another major add-on to the mobile application, <keyword id="3071503" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OlaShare">OlaShare</keyword>, is being worked-on for quite some time now. The company, however, declined to respond on the email queries by the business daily. 
 
The firm is also in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Ola-Cabs-new-round-of-fund-raising-to-value-it-above-5-billion/articleshow/49072304.cms">advanced stage of closing a financing round</a> of about $500 million (Rs 3,000 crore), which will give a muscle to the firm for its forthcoming plans. 
 The new services, if compared to the other cab-service providers, might give a tough fight to San Francisco-based <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>, which is targeting to enhance its business outside the US with India being one of the most potential markets. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Uber-hopes-to-make-India-its-second-largest-market-sees-Ola-as-competition/articleshow/49087294.cms">(​Uber hopes to make India its second-largest market, sees Ola as competition)</a> 
 
Uber, however, introduced UberPool, its car-pooling service in India, starting with Bengaluru. 
 
Kartik Hosanagar, a professor of technology and digital business at The Wharton School termed the bike-taxi move an interesting one and said, "As of now, it should be seen as an experiment. But one with tremendous potential for Ola... However, the company would have to navigate around regulations." 
 
HeyTaxi, a Mumbai-based motorcycle-taxi company which was launched in June, came under fire from the city's transport department, which has termed the service illegal. 
 A top official at <keyword id="151058" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi-Transport-Department">Delhi Transport Department</keyword> said the state was framing a scheme for a motorcycle-taxi service but there were issues to consider. "As of now it will be deemed illegal. We were planning to launch such a service in Delhi but have put it on hold due to safety concerns," he said. Instead, Delhi launched a scheme for renting self-driven motorbikes in August. 
 
Car-pooling services, too, are in a regulator grey zone. Several state governments encourage personal carpooling as a way to lessen traffic and pollution, but as a business, the service is not covered under any legal framework. 
 
Safety is another area of concern, as riders would have to car-pool with strangers. Meru Cabs verifies co-riders with their PAN or Aadhaar numbers while BlaBlaCar mandates a social network account such as Facebook for logging in. 
 
Experts, on the other hand, agreed upon the fact that car-pooling as a business has huge potential. 
Image: thinkstock

Ola is going for the kill! Uber already sees it as competition

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51603405.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> Taxi-hailing app <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>'s new <keyword id="3303159" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="bike-sharing-product">bike sharing product</keyword> '<keyword id="3259663" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="uberMOTO">UberMOTO</keyword>' can now be enjoyed by <keyword id="6361586" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gurgaon">Gurgaon</keyword> commuters. 

	“Uber today announced a pilot of Uber’s bikesharing product — 'UberMOTO' in Gurgaon... This follows our agreement with the government of Haryana to introduce technology based ride-sharing services in the state,” it said in a statement.
 

	The company has set minimum fare at Rs. 15, followed by Rs. 3 per km and Rs. 1 per min of ride-time charges. The minimum fare is Rs. 20. It will compete with companies like Baxi.
 

	“UberMOTO works towards the vision of reducing congestion by helping fill every empty seat on the bikes on road. It enables riders to push a button and share a motorbike ride within minutes,” Uber Delhi General Manager Gagan Bhatia said.
 

	It’s a great way for people to save time and money on short trips across town and provides last mile connectivity — especially to and from the metro stations, he added.
 

	Also, Uber will not charge any service fee for the duration of this pilot and will submit a key findings report to the Government, analysing the benefits of bike-sharing in the city.
 The U.S.-based company had launched a pilot for the product in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword> earlier this month but state road authorities had complained that it lacked requisite permissions to offer two-wheeler taxi service. 

	Uber said it had extensive discussions with the relevant authorities and made modifications to the pilot service.
 

	It had said it will also not charge any service fee for the period of this pilot and was essentially encouraging “bikepooling” aimed at decongesting city roads.
 

	The company will prepare a similar report addressing the viability of the product for Bengaluru as well.
 

	Uber’s rival, Ola had also launched a similar bike-sharing service in Bengaluru. However, following the complaint, the Softbank-backed firm had discontinued the service.
 

	To book a bike ride, users can choose the ‘UberMOTO’ option from the Uber app and enter their pickup location and payment method and request a ride.
 

	Similar to cabs, users will get driver’s details straight like name, photo and details of the motorbike.
 

	Uber’s standard product safety features include GPS tracking, 2-way feedback and the ability to share trip details with family and friends.

	 
	 
	(Image credits: indiatimes)

UberMOTO enters Gurgaon

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51092850.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" />In the sector-wise coverage following the recent <keyword id="3256007" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aon-Hewitt-Salary-increase-report">Aon-Hewitt Salary increase report</keyword> for this year, next up is the <keyword id="20077" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="automobile-industry">automobile industry</keyword>! 
 While speaking to <keyword id="51561" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Kumar">Amit Kumar</keyword> Otwani - Sr. Consultant, Rewards, Aon Hewitt – we tried to understand how this key industry is moving forward in terms of its competitiveness, salary increments to employees, pay differentiation etc in the past couple of years, and what these would look like in future. 
 
“If I look at the industry growth for last 6 years, it stood at 20% and 12% in the first two years, saw a flat growth rate of 2 to 3% thereafter, and in the next two years (2014-16) came back to roughly an 8-9%. The salary increases has also seen a rise with the rise in growth rate. In 2010-11, salary increases were roughly at 14%, it went down to 12.3% and then picked up again to reach a 10.1%. In the last couple of years it has shown stability by hovering around 10.5 %, close to the India average of 10.3%,” he says. 
 Highlighting some of the happenings in the industry as of now and correlating these numbers, Amit says that controlling rising cost of infrastructure and R&amp;D could be a major challenge for the <keyword id="34478" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="auto-industry">auto industry</keyword> in the times to come. 
 
“Companies are increasingly investing in product development following stricter environmental norms. It is leading to a huge technical upgradation and therefore more investments. Remember, Supreme Court of India has ordered auto OEMs to produce vehicles which will comply to BS-VI norms by April 2020. This can put a lot of pressure on the auto industry to have cleaner vehicles in the times to come,” he says. 
 
Another challenge which has been discussed a lot is the demand for cars coming down due to the emergence of Olas and Ubers. However, for it to be a major-time threat there’s still a long way to go. 
 
Increasing wage costs, however, is a concern that can’t be taken lightly. 
 
“The wage cost used to be in a range of 3-5%, however, with double digit increase and also the revenue growth of the industry being slightly muted, the wage cost has moved in the range of 5-6%. This is putting a lot of pressure on the industry to control the salary increases. Moreover, if we compare it some other countries, say Indonesia, wage costs are much lower there,” says Amit. 
 
“Precisely, why we are not seeing it go up any further in India too. It’s also highly unlikely that it will go up or down in the next few years. What we expect is it will remain closely in the range of 10% because this is a new normal we are observing and companies don’t want to keep higher incremental next year in view of the wage cost factor and in order to stay competitive,” he adds. 
 
He also informs that comparing pay compensation and adjusting purchasing power parity, India has reached slightly lower mark compared to the global/emerging marketers in terms of senior management. However, he adds that at the entry level, “India is paying as much as some of the emerging countries.” 
 
“The cost advantage which auto industry, therefore, enjoys is coming into a check and therefore companies are cautiously providing salary increases which has contributed in achieving this new normal,” he says. 
 
Now speaking of talent attrition, the numbers have come down from 10-12% to 9-10% in the auto industry like in the other sectors. The reason for this dip is lack of opportunities in the sector for a couple of years now; however, Amit says looking at the uptake in the last one year, this number could go up. 
 
“There is lot of thrust from the government’s end to upscale the entire auto industry. With that some of the key companies are also investing in India. Moreover, R&amp;D institutes (by HeroMotorCorp and others) are likely to come up soon. So, I see the attrition going up in R&amp;D and Sales and Marketing in the coming times,” he says. 
 Another key area which needs focus is the pay differentiation. It’s 1.5 to 1.6 times in terms of salary increases in the auto sector this year. “Compared to the likes of <keyword id="34523" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="fmcg">FMCG</keyword>, Telecom, Banking, this number is lower in the auto sector because it’s been slightly traditional. What we recommend is that the differentiation should be sharper because of the overall pay-for-performance culture. Auto industry needs to catch up with respect to other industries in this regard,” says Amit. 
 
He also sees employees in Sales, purchase, Engineering and electronics moving to startups or e-commerce. “The auto industry is innovating itself and there is a lot of focus on electronics. This is an area where it could compete with early stage startups. Therefore, people in sales, purchase, engineering and electronics could probably get attracted to some of the early stage startups,” Amit Says, adding that overall auto industry does not have a huge threat in terms of losing its key talent to the new startups or e-commerce industry. 
 
Even as global players have already made their mark in India, Amit says as he concludes, “there could be newer players in the luxury car or motorbike segment in the future, this could as a result greater war for talent.”

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