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<keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> and <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>’s ambitious plans to launch their respective <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bike+taxi">bike-taxi services</a> have come to a halt as the Karnataka government said there are no rules on how to govern them. 
 
This doesn’t mean that the bike-taxi services have been banned. They have been halted till the time the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=karnataka+government">Karnataka government</a> formulates a set of regulations under the Motor Vehicles Act on how to govern them. 
 Till now, as per the transport department officials said the <keyword id="3273948" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bike-taxi-services">bike taxi services</keyword> launched by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Welcome-UberMoto-to-Bengaluru-a-brand-new-bike-taxi-service/articleshow/51236151.cms">Uber</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Ola-hits-at-Uber-with-cheaper-bike-taxis-in-Bengaluru/articleshow/51239417.cms">Ola</a> in Bengaluru last week, remain unlawful. 
 
"Let them (Uber, Ola etc) first go before the Regional Transport Authority stating that they wish to run bike taxis. They will examine the request, and take things forward," transport commissioner Rame Gowda told ET, adding, "We cannot allow a white-board registration bike to offer taxi services. We will have to deal with many aspects including the security of users.” 
 
Uber and Ola had taken advantage of no rules listed under the bike taxi services and launched the same in the IT hub. 
 
In Karnataka, a bike is registered for personal use. If the owner of a bike wishes to use it for commercial purposes, then he or she cannot do that without first changing the vehicle to transport category. 
 
However, in Goa, there is a provision for bike taxi services and they charge a minimum fare Rs 10 and a per kilometre fare of Rs 3. 
 
Meanwhile, as per few reports, some Uber and Ola bike taxis were seized also for illegally running in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bengaluru">Bengaluru</a>. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Newly launched bike taxi services by Uber, Ola are unlawful until new regulations formulated

<keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>, which is India's largest mobility app, has started piloting Bike Taxis in Bengaluru after introducing bus services, thus strengthening its place in the mobility market. 
 
The bike taxis would run at an introductory fare of Rs 2/km and Re 1 per minute of trip time would be added to the bill. In a statement by Ola, the minimum fare is reported to be Rs 30. 
 
Pranay Jivrajka, Ola’s COO said, "We expect significant demand in the pilot phase and we will continue to scale this service up in the coming weeks to cover more areas in the city." 
 On the other hand, Ola’s prime rival <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> has also announced the experiment of offering Bike taxis in Bengaluru, but at a higher cost of Rs 3/km. The minimum fare in Uber bike taxi rides would be Rs 15. 
 
<a href="http://blog.olacabs.com/ola-bike-taxis-launched-in-bangalore/">Image source</a>

Ola hits at Uber with cheaper bike taxis in Bengaluru

<ul><li>Delhi HC stays <keyword id="701249" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="transport-dept" source="Orion">Transport Dept</keyword>'s notice, saving Ola, <keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword>, and Rapido from suspension of ride-sharing services.</li><li>A division bench of Justices Suresh <keyword id="15491952" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kumar-kait" source="Orion">Kumar Kait</keyword> and <keyword id="2581533" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="neena-bansal-krishna" source="Orion">Neena Bansal Krishna</keyword> directed the <keyword id="62110" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="transport-department" source="Orion">Transport Department</keyword> to refrain from taking any coercive measures against Rapido and other ride-sharing platforms.</li></ul>New Delhi, In a major relief to Ola, Uber, and Rapido, the Delhi High Court on Friday put a stay on the public notice and show cause notice issued by the city Transport Department, halting the ride-sharing platforms. A division bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Neena Bansal Krishna directed the Transport Department to refrain from taking any coercive measures against Rapido and other ride-sharing platforms until a comprehensive policy is formulated. In February, the app-based aggregators were prevented from plying bike taxis on the road without commercial permits. The Transport Department, ordering an immediate halt to the bike taxi services provided by these platforms, had warned that any violation will result in penal action. The public notice by the Transport Department said that the companies defying the orders will be fined up to Rs 1 lakh, as the use of bikes for commercial purposes violated the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Following the High Court decision, Uber has expressed its gratitude towards the court's order providing protection to the company against coercive actions regarding its bike taxi service in the capital city. "We welcome the High Court's order to give Uber protection from coercive action on bike taxis in Delhi. This will bring relief to drivers on our platform whose livelihood had been impacted by the ban as also to the hundreds and thousands of riders who choose to ride on Moto for affordability and last mile connectivity. We are committed to serving the city and being the platform of choice for riders and drivers alike," said Uber in a statement. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/is-whatsapp-secretly-listening-to-your-private-conversations-heres-how-to-check/articleshow/100155980.cms">Is WhatsApp secretly listening to your private conversations? Here’s how to check</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-pixel-6a-vs-pixel-7a-smartphone-comparison-with-price-and-features/articleshow/100177889.cms">Google Pixel 6a vs Pixel 7a: Is Google's latest mid-ranger worth the extra ₹12,000?</a>

Relief for ride-sharing platforms as Delhi HC put stays on Transport Department notice

New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) Bike-taxi service provider Rapido on Monday said it has resumed normal operations in close to 100 cities in India following the new guidelines announced by the government for unlock 1.0. Resuming these operations will bring relief to driver partners who are solely dependent on the bike taxi service for their daily income and livelihood, the company said in a statement. "Being the most affordable, convenient and accessible last-mile connectivity option for millions of users, we are geared up to ensure the safety and protection of our customers as well as our Captains (driver partners). We will be closely monitoring the adherence of all mandatory and hygiene guidelines issued by the authorities by all our stakeholders," the company said in a statement. Captains or drivers need to install the Aarogya Setu app before they go on-duty to start accepting orders and have been asked to wear a mask at all times as well as carry sanitizers, hair net in addition to the mandatory helmets. Captains are also asked to maintain personal hygiene and sanitise their bikes at regular intervals, especially sanitise the pillion seat before on boarding customers. Meanwhile, after every ride, customers can give feedback about wearing a mask or captains not using sanitizer. --IANS wh/na

Bike taxi booking app Rapido resumes operations in 100 cities

<div type="image" msid="51741571" hostid="261"></div>



Just before Delhi’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=odd-even+policy&amp;sortorder=effectivedate" data-type="tilCustomLink">odd-even policy</a> stages a comeback, the nation’s capital has got its first ever eco-friendly electric two-wheeler taxi service. 
 Looking to solve the problem of last mile connectivity, <keyword id="3309408" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Promto">Promto</keyword> has started its service last week and is doing close to 200 rides every day. That’s not too much given the volume of traffic in the city, but it’s a good start nonetheless. 
 
The Delhi based company was started by Nikhil Malik, Karan Chadha, Pawneesh Rampal and Romesh Kumar who came up with the idea of having a battery operated two-wheeler taxi service network. The battery operated bikes are equipped with in-built <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=GPS+systems&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">GPS systems</a>. 
 
The company currently has 20 such scooters, and the service is available from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Connaught+Place&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Connaught Place</a> (<keyword id="6356415" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Metro">Metro</keyword> station gate no. 7) to offer rides within a radius of 5 kms. While reach is an issue currently, affordability isn’t, as the two wheeler service is available for a mere Rs 5/kms. 
 
The taxi can be booked by calling on 82528-82528 or by hailing one from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Connaught+Place&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Connaught Place</a> metro station, gate number 7. 
 
Nikhil Malik, Promoter of Promto said, “Promto will help single office goers, students and general commuters experience the advantages of switching over to zero polluting electric mobility and reach last mile destinations from a public point such as metro stations or a busy bus terminal.” 
 
“Our battery operated bikes will be a visible alternative to immediately cut the emission as one electric bike is equivalent to reducing 1 ton of carbon dioxide emission in 3 years,” added Nikhil. 
 
Much like the Olas and Ubers of the transportation industry, Promto has a comprehensive insurance policy worth up to Rs 1 lakh for the drivers as well as the passenger for the duration of the bike ride. The company also claims all drivers go through stringent background verification and training before they’re put on the road. 
 
The company looks to expand its fleet to 500 battery-operated bikes in the next 6 months and over 10,000 electric bikes in the coming 3 years. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Delhi gets its first Bike taxi service before Odd-Even makesa comeback

<ul><li>Uber asked the Delhi government to allow them to use 5,000 bike-taxis during the odd-even scheme. </li><li>As of now, regulations do not allow bike-taxis to operate in Delhi. </li><li>The company also proposed to re-deploy 2,500 bikes from its food delivery network (UberEats) to work as bike-taxis. </li></ul> US-based ride hailing platform Uber has made a submission to the Delhi government offering use of 5,000 bike-taxis to improve first and last mile connectivity during the odd-even scheme to be implemented next month, according to sources. Currently, regulations do not allow bike-taxis to operate in Delhi. According to sources, Uber has made the submission to the Delhi government proposing to deploy 5,000 bike-taxis to help ferry one lakh commuters to and from Metro stations every week. The service is proposed to be offered for a fee of Rs 5 per ride, they added. The company, which competes with Bengaluru-based Ola, has also proposed to re-deploy 2,500 bikes from its food delivery network (UberEats) to work as bike-taxis during the odd-even scheme that will be implemented from November 4-15. Uber did not respond to e-mailed queries on the matter. A Delhi government official said a proposal was received from the cab aggregator but no decision has been taken on it as yet. One of the persons aware of the development said bike-sharing provides a huge opportunity to unlock the potential of shared mobility through optimal utilisation of existing vehicles on the road. The person said Uber, in its submission, has cited data that one out of two UberMOTO trips in Gurugram began or ended at a Metro station, while one in four such trips in Noida began or ended near a Metro station. The odd-even scheme has been proposed as part of a slew of measures to combat high level of air pollution in Delhi caused due to stubble burning in neighbouring states during winters. During the 12-day scheme, vehicles will ply alternately on odd and even dates as per their registration numbers. In the previous two experiments in January and April in 2016, a fine of Rs 2,000 was imposed on violators of the rule. In the past, two-wheelers and female commuters were exempted from the rule.

Uber wants to run bike taxis to go with Delhi's odd-even scheme

<ul><li><keyword id="3269053" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rapido">Rapido</keyword> is aiming to achieve at least 1.5x growth than last fiscal. It is the only mobility company that is eyeing profits this year. </li><li>Rapido has already seen 25% of its business bouncing back. </li><li>Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder, Rapido, talks to us about the story behind launching the brand, its growth, and mantra behind its road to profitability. </li></ul>The lockdown impacted most businesses across the globe. Some shut down and some learnt how to evolve with the changing tides. Home-grown brand Rapido, a Bike-Taxi service provider, saw its revenue plunge in the first two months after COVID hit the country and people were locked inside the four walls of their houses. With it, mobility came to a complete standstill. However, it soon saw a silver lining in June and July as 25% of its business bounced back. One of the reasons behind this demand was that people started avoiding public places and transport. Although, according to Rapido, 80% of India still doesn’t own private vehicles and due to COVID, they needed a safe and secure commute. This presented an opportunity in adversity for Rapido. Explaining why the brand’s demand came back, Pavan Guntupalli, Co-founder, Rapido, said, “Customers became aware that bike taxi is a more open and personalized way for intra-city travel. The customer has an advantage of less exposure to any infection due to his/her limited interaction with the captain (driver) and less touch points.” People also started renting its bikes for longer commutes. “Our average distance has suddenly changed, earlier people were using us for the last mile 3-5km but suddenly because of unavailability of regular public transport, our average distance has increased to 35% in some cities and overall, we saw 25% increase. Now people are using us for home to home travel and not just for last mile connectivity. Somewhere in December, we are hoping to come back to 100% of our business as before,” said Guntupalli. Shifting gears Rapido was growing at around 15% month-on-month from the last 3 years before the pandemic-infused lockdown hit India. It also doubled its presence from 50 cities to 100 in 6 months. Post lockdown, it had to shift its business model from offering bikes and taxies from consumers to distributors. Around 92% of its business came from bike and taxi model (intra-city mobility) and 8% came from logistics (essential supplies). Now, 30% of its total business comes from logistics and 70% from bike taxis. So, it decided to pivot its focus on accelerating the existing logistics business model by following a few initiatives such as delivering essentials at home, supporting the government to resolve supply-chain challenges, etc. “Rapido has been operating delivery services for e-commerce companies for close to 2 years now namely Zomato, Swiggy, Delhivery.com, Myntra, Eat.Fit. SuprDaily, Mapprr, 24*7 Stores, Kalerya, Bharatpe. During the lockdown, we amped up the existing Rapido-Delivery services to provide for the delivery of essential goods and partnered with major online companies like Big Bazaar, Big Basket and Spencer’s for delivery of essential goods,” shared Guntupalli. Building on the demand for logistics further, Rapido launched Rapido Local, a person-to-person delivery service. “Rapido Store is a convenient tool for offline and online businesses to help them reach out and deliver products to their customers in these challenging times. Rapido Store helps local businesses take care of multiple customer deliveries simultaneously in the most affordable and trusted manner. The service is currently operational in Bangalore &amp; Vijayawada and will scale to all cities Rapido is present in,” explained Guntupalli. Marketing Strategy and Understanding Consumers To gain its consumers' trust in a volatile market, Rapido introduced Safety Shields that helped consumers to maintain a safe distance from the driver or Captain, as Rapido calls them. <div type="image" title="rapido safety shields" msid="78221466" hostid="261"></div> Guntupalli said, “The Shield weighs around 400 gms -- it is a lightweight, PVC board that is attached to the Captain’s back like a rucksack. The shield covers the Captain’s body and makes for a considerable distance between the customer and our Captain. Apart from the usual measures, like using masks, sanitizers and the ArogyaSetu App, that we have taken, we felt the Safety Shields will be an added measure of safety during the rides.” It also tweaked its marketing strategy to increase awareness about the safety measures they followed. Its strategy is multi-lingual and regional. “We are trying to help change consumer behaviour towards safety, by helping them embrace the new norms through best practices when it comes to precautions, like bringing their own helmet, and avoiding stepping out. We also ensure that we leverage push notifications, SMS, emailers, in-app training videos, social media campaigns and marketing campaigns in various languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, to communicate regularly on our company updates and initiatives. We recently launched our first-ever video campaign, #PromiseofProtection, that showcases Rapido’s commitment to the safety and protection of its users, through an understanding of different relationships in our lives. In the initial phase of COVID, we launched a fundraiser for the Captains to provide them with the support they needed to weather the difficult times,” said Guntupalli. Goals for this fiscal As we inch towards normalcy and people have started stepping out, Rapido is aiming to achieve at least 1.5x growth over last fiscal. It is the only mobility company that is eyeing profits this year. According to PGA Labs, bike taxi service is now a $150 million market, growing at 20% month-over-month. In India 300 million people commute every day out of which only 1% happens via apps. It is estimated that bike taxis in India have the potential to create 5+ million livelihood opportunities, generating a revenue of $10 billion. With rapid urbanisation and smart status of cities, bike-taxi is becoming the future of intra-city transport. Due to COVID, they are also avoiding public transport. As a result, Rapido has become the third largest ride sharing platform in the country that sees around 10 million transactions in a month. Now, after securing a leadership position in the Bike Taxi ecosystem across cities, Rapido’s next focus area is to use technology to propel newer models that will help serve end users as well as businesses in the post COVID world. However, vehicle ownership in India is less. Hardly 18-20% people own a vehicle, that means 80% people still don’t have their own vehicle. When the pandemic hit, a huge problem statement was the need for a safe and secure commute. This became an opportunity in adversity for Rapido, as it saw a 25% spike in the month of June and July. Where it all began Rapido introduced bike sharing in our country in 2015. The product was built to bridge the last mile connectivity gaps. People in Tier II, III and beyond towns and cities have limited public transport solutions, some are not even available late in the evenings, making it difficult to look for an affordable option to travel within the city and getting shared autos are a hassle especially if you are a woman. However, being a first mover has its own set of challenges. Rapido was dealing with both cultural and social challenges. People did not feel comfortable sitting behind a stranger. So to woo consumers, Rapido took a quirky route. Guntupalli said, “We took a multilingual approach for our consumer outreach. The idea was to reach larger sets of audiences across Tier I, II and III cities and build affinity with the message. We worked on short, quirky videos that are a trend among tech-savvy millennials. We introduced the brand in a fun and different way to them through 7 videos with themes such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgGQYrlpRHA">Don’t be late, Save Your Date</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMOxf64njqE">KabhiBhiKahinBhi</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXPThvwLKSo">Don’t’ Get Crushed Away In Traffic</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbvxRnLayYI"> Late for Exam, Just Stay Calm</a>.” It also partnered with traffic police in cities like Vijayawada, Mangalore, Mysore, Kota to name a few, to drive awareness about road safety with helmet distribution campaigns. To make its women customers feel safer, Rapido masks their phone numbers from its captains. It was also the first bike taxi company in India to introduce insurance for both customers and Captains from Day 1. Rapido is now present in 100 cities serving over 10 million customers with 15 lakh+ registered Captains. It is the 3rd largest ride sharing platform in the country with 10 million transactions a month and has recorded over 25 million app downloads.

Rapido shifts focus to logistics; sees 25% business recovery and aims for 1.5x growth next year over FY20

<keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> and <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>, the two leading cab service providers in the country, have been in a constant battle because of their intense competition in the once fast-growing industry, and now, they have decided to further heat up the competition by launching specific services that target the value-conscious customers. 
 
Uber will be further investing in low-cost riding options like carpooling, bike taxis and auto rickshaw services so that he can appeal to a larger section of the society. "We want to make transportation available for everyone and cabs may not always be the most affordable option for all segments," said Amit Jain, VP, Uber India, about its decision to launch bikes and ricks for its customers. 
 In reply of this, Ola has come up with cheapest taxi-hailing service, called <keyword id="3291107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola-Micro">Ola Micro</keyword>, which provides smaller hatchbacks at minimum prices. "(It) will be the most pocket friendly mode of intra-city cab travel," said Pranay Jivrajka, Chief Operating Officer at Ola. 
 
One area where these companies are constantly facing regulatory pressure is surge pricing, their commonly used tool where cost of a cab ride increases during peak hours. It was only last week that the Karnataka state government declared that surge pricing for app-based ride-hailing services would not be allowed. 
 
This has happened because surge pricing makes the fare and other charges higher than the fare fixed by the government, which is against the rules. 
 
The competition has intensified also because of the demand for taxis going down, forcing the taxi app companies to increase the customer base for other products. "In order to tap customers who use public transport, there is a need to give economical and faster option for shorter distances," Jaspal Singh, founder of transportation consulting firm Valoriser Consultants, told ET.

Demand for taxis go down, forcing Uber and Ola to launch innovative services to remain relevant

<ul><li>Rapido’s latest campaign poses questions to users to choose between essential and expendable needs.</li><li>#ZarooriHaiKya campaign aims to drive mindfulness towards the essential services workers at risk during the pandemic.</li></ul>Rapido, bike taxi platform, today announced the launch of its new digital marketing campaign #ZarooriHaiKya. The social good campaign takes the consumers through different scenarios of customers using delivery, ride sharing or home services during the pandemic in a witty format. The campaign aims to drive awareness on how essential services like home deliveries, ride-sharing and home services should be used responsibly in the pandemic. It is built as a homage to the efforts of various driving, delivery, and service partners who have been working tirelessly to make sure that people like us survive through the lockdown, even at the cost of their lives. The #ZarooriHaiKya campaign takes a dig at the times people celebrate expendable days, prodding them to rethink their decisions. Roz ki roses wali anniversary manana, #ZaroorihaiKya, calling for a home salon service or ordering unnecessary items like footwear, work pants when you are working from home, or visiting the gym at this time, etc. is all that important, to risk a driver or delivery partner’s life, as he sets out during the pandemic. As unlocking begins in most of the cities, Rapido takes a bold stance asking people to step out only when necessary, despite being the largest bike taxi player in the country. <div type="Youtube" id="52KSqOG673A" title="Zaroori Hai Kya?" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/52KSqOG673A/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Announcing the campaign, Amit Verma, Head of Marketing, Rapido, said, “The idea to do such a responsible marketing campaign stemmed from the consumer behavior seen across the country during the pandemic. Accelerating our delivery service or promoting our bike taxi services may be beneficial to us, but at Rapido, we also feel responsible for the lives of our Captains and essential delivery partners. As the nation prepares for unlock, we want to urge everyone to act responsibly and think about the frontline warriors. Through #ZarooriHaiKya, we would like to plead to the sensibilities of our users to not book that ride, to not ask your friend to deliver that item, to not call home services guys to fix a thing that you do not need at the moment, and thereby saving someone’s life.” The campaign and storyline were conceptualized in-house, the script was written by <keyword id="2949725" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Enormous-Brands">Enormous Brands</keyword> and brought to life by a budding production house with new and aspiring talent. The company will also be driving two more shoulder campaigns like a Bahana generator, to generate curiosity and engagement with the users on their social media platforms. Rapido has announced a $20Mn budget for this year’s bullish focus on its marketing efforts. With the second wave of the pandemic continuing to wreak havoc in the country, Rapido wants to do every bit to break the chain, in their own way and help professionals who are putting themselves in harm’s way so that people can lead a comfortable life at home. It could be the driver partners, home service executives, delivery executives, etc. The company recently started a Captain Vaccination Drive in the country where the first camp was held in Chennai through a collaboration with the Chennai City Corporation. It hopes to expand to all the 100 cities Rapido is present in, through more such partnerships soon.

As unlocking begins in most cities, Rapido urges people to step out only when necessary

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

<ul class="summary-list"><li>For an international bucket list getaway, plan a trip to <keyword id="12593595" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dublin" source="Orion">Dublin</keyword>, <keyword id="11956100" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ireland" source="Orion">Ireland</keyword>.</li><li>One of the easternmost capitals in Europe, Dublin is a short flight from the East Coast.</li></ul>One of the easternmost capitals in Europe, Dublin is well-positioned as a transport hub served by many major airlines with direct flights to an array of cities in the US and Europe.Once you've arrived, reliable buses, trams, and taxis will all help overcome any transit or traffic problems.Here are the best options for getting to and around Dublin.<h2>Getting to Dublin</h2>Dublin AirportSet a 30-minute drive north of the city center, Dublin Airport is the best place to fly into for any visit to the capital. Most major airlines serve it, and once you land, you can pick up a metered taxi at the rank, or shuttle into town using the <a href="https://dodublin.ie/airport-transfers/airlink-express/timetables/747routemap" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">747 bus</a> or the <a href="https://www.aircoach.ie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Aircoach</a> services.FerryLower your carbon footprint and <a href="https://www.directferries.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">take a ferry into Dublin</a>. Ferry routes run between Dublin and Holyhead in Wales, Liverpool in England, and Douglas on the Isle of Man.<div type="image" title="Dublin." height="666" width="888" msid="87874192" hostid="261"></div><h2>Getting around Dublin</h2>LuasThe <a href="https://www.luas.ie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Luas</a> tram system is the easiest way to <keyword id="11896628" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="travel" source="Orion">travel</keyword> around Dublin, once you work out the map. <a href="https://leapcard.ie/Home/index.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Buy a Leap Card</a>, load it up with money, and tap to get on and off the tram.Dublin Bus<a href="https://dublinbus.ie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Buses in Dublin are frequent</a>, and you can use a Leap Card. Download the app for routes, timetables, and a real-time map.Dublin BikesThere are plenty of <a href="https://www.dublinbikes.ie/en/home" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">bike stations</a> in Dublin and visitors can <a href="https://www.dublinbikes.ie/en/offers/groups" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">buy a three-day pass</a> for unlimited journeys up to 30 minutes (extra rental charges apply after that). In the heart of the city, some cycle lanes are also tram lanes. Be very careful when using these.TaxisTaxis are abundant in Dublin's city center. Hail one or make a beeline to one of the many taxi ranks.App-based ride share car servicesUse <a href="https://www.uber.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Uber</a> or <a href="https://free-now.com/ie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">Free Now</a> to order a car.<a href="https://www.insider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-traveling-to-dublin-ireland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View Insider's comprehensive guide to visiting Dublin</a>.

If Dublin is on your bucket list, these are the best ways to get to and around the Irish capital

<ul><li>In 2020, despite the pandemic-induced lockdown bringing mobility services to a complete standstill, homegrown bike-taxi platform <keyword id="3269053" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rapido">Rapido</keyword> shifted its gears to focus on what’s important. </li><li>It was quick to bounce back as it continued to engage with its customers through digital mediums and by accelerating its logistics business towards providing essential services. </li><li>For 2021, Rapido has earmarked $20M in marketing spends. We caught up with Amit Verma, Head of Marketing, Rapido to further discuss the company's plans for FY22 and how it will go about spending its marketing monnies. </li></ul>Tapping on the scope of growth in the mobility category, Rapido, India’s first and the largest Bike-Taxi platform has earmarked USD 20 million for its marketing activities in 2021. According to PGA Labs, bike taxi service is now a $150 million market, growing at 20% month-over-month. In India, 300 million people commute every day out of which only 1% of bookings happen via apps and only 20% of India owns private vehicles today. It is estimated that bike taxis in India have the potential to create 5+ million livelihood opportunities, generating a revenue of $10 billion. In 2020, after the nation-wide lockdown was lifted and consumers were still concerned about stepping out and using public vehicles, they turned to private vehicle providers like Rapido for safe and secure commutes. Now, as the market has started limping towards normalcy, Rapido is putting its best foot forward to increase brand awareness and acquire new users. Amit Verma, Head of Marketing, Rapido said, “The market is now opening up and the overall number of COVID-19 cases are going down, so we thought now this is the right time that we can increase our spends. We also want to grow 100% maybe in the next 12-13 months. And we have set aside $20 million for marketing in FY22, which will mostly be spent to acquire new users and spread awareness of Rapido as a brand.” Verma said that it was because of Rapido’s marketing efforts that it continued to acquire new users despite a recession. It also decided to pivot its focus on accelerating the existing logistics business model such as delivering essentials at home, supporting the government to resolve supply-chain challenges, etc. As a result, 25% of its business bounced back in June 2020. He said, “Unfortunately, the last financial year started with the COVID-19. The operations came to a halt during those few months and post that, when we started our operations, we were really frugal and trying to optimize our marketing spends. And just because of that, we are focusing on marketing well this year.” From the $20 million marketing budget, Rapido has decided to spend 50% on digital media. “Our lion’s share of the $20 million, around 50-60%, will be spent on digital. A major share within digital will go on performance marketing. Post that, we are going to spend a lot on traditional mediums as well which includes TV, radio and outdoor media because our TG spends a significant amount of time on these mediums. Apart from that, we are putting a lot of focus on improving user experience. So we might do more activities to enhance in-app user experience through brand campaigns and digital activities,” explained Verma. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Winning consumers with a bullish marketing campaign" text="Winning consumers with a bullish marketing campaign">Winning consumers with a bullish marketing campaign</cmsannotation> From a rap jingle to partnering with celebrities and other media houses, Rapido tried to woo its customers with one message across all platforms - how Rapido is ensuring safe commutes, which is affordable and accessible in every nook of top 100 cities. Its strategy was multilingual and regional. After securing a leadership position in the Bike-Taxi ecosystem across cities, it is hoping to increase its user base and brand recognition. Walking us through Rapido’s future marketing plans, Verma shared, “There are two things we are planning for next year. First, there will be a few brand campaigns which will focus on polishing the upper funnel, that is, increasing brand awareness and making our brand top of the mind (whether it be aided or unaided recall). That is our first objective. We might do two to three brand campaigns followed by some sustenance campaigns. And apart from that, we're also planning to do quite a few content integrations with content partners like TVF, Pocket Aces, Pocket Media, so that we can keep a continuity alive, and we can engage with our user base as well.” Currently, Rapido’s Creative agency-on-record is Enormous Brands, GroupM will be handling its TV, print and radio and Laqshya Media Group has been awarded brand’s OOH duties. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Goals for FY22" text="Goals for FY22">Goals for FY22</cmsannotation> Rapido was growing at around 15% month-on-month for the last 3 years before the pandemic-infused lockdown hit India. It also doubled its presence from 50 cities to 100 in the second half of 2020. Now, it is eyeing to grow by 100%. “If you compare it with pre-Corona, we were doing 10 million rides per month. So for the next 12 to 13 months, we are again aiming 100% growth on that base,” said Verma. Rapido has recorded over 20 million app downloads so far and Verma said that the company will try to double its downloads by the end of FY22.

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