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<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

<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

<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

Uber is not restricting itself to a cab provider only and is foraying into bike-taxi service. Uber’s bike-taxi service-UberMOTO, is going to debut in India’s IT hub Bengaluru with fares as low as Rs 3/km. 
 After Bangkok, Bengaluru is the second city where <keyword id="3259663" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="uberMOTO">UberMOTO</keyword> service is getting launched, with an aim to tap two-wheeler riders. The bike-taxi will be launched on pilot basis and if successful, UberMOTO will mean a huge jump in the number of riding options for commuters. 
 
Bengaluru has 3.8 million two-wheelers when compared to 1.1 million cars as of March 2015. 
 
Karnataka’s capital city faces huge traffic congestion and apparently people prefer to travel on two-wheelers. 
 
Meanwhile, the fares have been kept between Rs 3 and Rs 5 per km, cheapest offering by Uber so far. 
 
Neel Ratan, executive director at audit and consultancy firm PwC, told ET that it is a smart move by Uber to tap into an underutilised asset. 
 
"The option may not be completely infeasible for women commuters as they can be opt for women riders on two-wheelers," he said. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Welcome UberMoto to Bengaluru-a brand new bike-taxi service

The <keyword id="6354321" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru" source="Orion">Bengaluru</keyword> <keyword id="6356415" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="metro" source="Orion">metro</keyword> <keyword id="6366234" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rail" source="Orion">rail</keyword> project is on track to complete 175 km of commute by June 2025, a top official said here. Addressing a session on the 'future of mobility' at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022 on Friday, Anjum Parwez, Managing Director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (<keyword id="6367448" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BMRCL" source="Orion">BMRCL</keyword>), said as part of the second and third phase of the project, Bengaluru will have 314 km of metro rail connectivity by 2041. He said construction of metro lines is also progressing well on the airport side. He said the biggest challenge in urban mobility is the integration of multi-modal transport systems and moving people to get into public transport from personalised transport modes. Parwez said urban India was the most neglected area until the 1990s, as urban planning was not in sync with connectivity or mobility issues. He said BMRCL is getting a lot of support from startups in mobility to ensure that commuters have last-mile connectivity. He said the corporation is tying up with mobility providers to get people to reach the nodal point and commute to their workplaces. Parwez said the <keyword id="6367447" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Namma-Metro" source="Orion">Namma Metro</keyword> has recently gone digital with its payment options that include the use of QR code scans and UPI-based payment options which has met with good response from commuters. Also, there is no waiting time for passengers who are in a hurry as there is no need to stand in queues to buy tickets or cards now. He said BMRCL is working on a transit-oriented development where commuters live close to the stations and to the workplace. Besides, the BMRCL also intends to integrate all aggregators by bringing out a mobility card for commuters. He said the corporation is in talks with BMTC to have bus stops at metro stations to help commuters hop on and hop off both modes of transport. He said bike taxis and carpooling should be encouraged although the government of Karnataka had put brakes on their operation. The BMRCL is also working on introducing shopping options for commuters inside and outside the metro stations. He said the BMRCL plans to sell office space in metro stations and provide end-to-end solutions to all the stakeholders. Amit Bhatt, Managing Director of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), said urbanisation in India is 33 per cent while it is about 80-85 per cent in European and American countries. He said about 66 per cent of urban infrastructure is yet to be built in India as the country is set to see a number of cities being built. The biggest challenge is to ensure zero emission, zero exclusion and zero accidents in urban transport, he said. Vadiraj Krishnamurthy, Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Bosch Global Software Technologies, said the future is software-defined fully programmable vehicles. "The key enablers of urban transport are personalised multi-modal mobility, automated mobility, electrified and connected mobility. Connecting vehicles using technology is an engineering challenge of the future," he said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/alstom-bags-rs-2643-crore-order-to-design-manufacture-312-metro-cars-for-delhi-metro-phase-iv/articleshow/95582764.cms">Alstom bags Rs 2,643 crore order to design, manufacture 312 metro cars for Delhi Metro Phase IV</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/2022-jeep-grand-cherokee-is-a-luxury-4x4-adventurer-at-77-5-lakh-heres-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/95595383.cms">2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a luxury 4x4 adventurer at ₹77.5 lakh</a>

Bengaluru metro rail on track to complete 175 km of commute by June 2025: BMRCL MD

Much like the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Flipkart&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Flipkart</a>-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Amazon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Amazon</a> tussle in India’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=e-commerce&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">e-commerce</a> space, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a>-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> battle in the online cab aggregation sector is also heating up. 
 
Looking to dominate India’s $9 billion industry, both taxi-hailing apps are promising hundreds of millions in new investment, and are willing to go that extra mile to offer Indians a ride, and more. The battle for the Indian market has even been dragged from the streets to the Court. 
 
Here are a few grounds where <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> locked horns, just to get a bigger piece of the Indian pie: 
 
Raw Money Power: 
Looking at the lack of adequate public transport in Indian cities, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> have together promised an hefty investment of over $2.25 billion in India. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> reportedly plans to pump over $500 million by June in India. This is over and above the $1 billion already committed over the past nine months. That is some serious money. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> hasn’t been left wanting either. It has promised to add another 2,000 cars to its existing fleet of 26,000 in the nation’s capital. It is backed by the likes of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=SoftBank&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">SoftBank</a>, and some of the most cash-rich VCs in the world. 
 
WiFi in Autos? 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> both began offering in-car WiFi last year. 
 
However, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> has been pulling out all its stock to go up against <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>. The company plans to launch WiFi services in the budget cab segment, and even its auto-rickshaws. 
 
Some wonder how that's humanly possible at the current cost. 
 
Legal Battles: 
Interestingly, both taxi aggregators have been in legal wrangles. 
 
In October 2015, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> filed a legal petition, accusing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> of flouting a Supreme Court order demanding app-based taxis in New Delhi switch from running on diesel to using CNG (compressed natural gas). 
 
A few months on, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> recently sued <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> for allegedly creating 93,000 fake <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> accounts, and tampering its businesses. The company has been seeking around $7.4 million in damages. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> claims <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> employees used bogus accounts to book and cancel a whopping 400,000 rides over the last six months. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> allegedly had to pay high cancellation charges to drivers due to this. It claims around 20,000 drivers quit the platform in frustration. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> officials 'categorically deny’ <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>'s allegations of fraud. Senior officials Anand Subramanian and Rahul Maroli told Business Insider they 'stand by' their statement. 
 
Accusations: Both <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> and <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> have been accused of wrong-doing. 
 
Recently, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Paytm&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Paytm</a>-backed online transportation app <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Jugnoo&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jugnoo</a> alleged Ola has adopted unethical practices against it. In a blog post, the company claims Ola employees made fake bookings, and tried to hamper its operations. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Jugnoo&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jugnoo</a> CEO Samar Singla has said his team saw a sudden surge in bookings and cancelations. According to him, around 20,000 cancelations were made through 800 accounts over a 10-day period earlier this month. In December, the auto-rickshaw aggregator had accused Ola of poaching employees and driver database in Chandigarh. 
 
Uber has made similar claims against Ola. Ola spokesperson <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Anand+Subramanian&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Anand Subramanian</a> maintains this to be Uber’s way of ‘payback’ for the legal petition Ola filed, accusing Uber of flouting a Supreme Court order. 
 
Interestingly, Uber’s rivals <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Lyft&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Lyft</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Gett&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Gett</a> had in 2014 complained against the aggregator of making false bookings, and recruiting Lyft and Gett driver partners for its own service. 
 
Experiments gone wrong: 
In an attempt to find new battlegrounds, Ola and Uber both launched their bike-taxi services in India’s Bengaluru on the very same day. 
 It seems both knew of each other’s plans and neither wanted to be left behind. However, neither was fully ready. Several users claimed not a single <keyword id="3149752" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bike-taxi">bike taxi</keyword> was visible. 
 
Both were offering extremely competitive rates. Ola has a per km rate of Rs 2, and a minimum fare of Rs 30. Uber has a per km rate of Rs 3 and a minimum fare of Rs 15. 
 
However, Ola was forced to roll back its service a few days later after the Karnataka state government said that India’s Motor Vehicle Act doesn’t have a provision for two wheelers to be used as taxis. Simply put, the bike taxi services were illegal. 
 
When asked about the same, Ola COO Pranay Jivrajka refused to comment on the issue. 
 
However, Uber bike taxis continue to ply on Bengaluru’s (earlier Bangalore) roads. 
 
This isn’t the first time this has happened. As rival Uber was turning up the heat, Ola started experimenting with hyper-local food and grocery delivery. 
 
It was later forced to shut these and focus on serving its core business. Although, it went on an overdrive, introducing new categories like Micro, Prime, a shuttle bus service and carpooling in a very short span. 
 
Regulatory hassles: 
While Uber has been facing regulatory hassles worldwide, and has the muscle to lobby for friendlier policies, Ola is still pretty new to such complications in business. 
 
Recently, Indian state Karnataka stood firm on not allowing surge pricing for app-based ride hailing services such as Ola and Uber. In the state, online taxi aggregators operate as ride-hailing service under a license obtained under the Radio Taxi Scheme, 1988. 
 
The policy says the charged fare cannot be higher than the fare fixed by the government. That means transport apps have to charge within a band where the upper limit is capped. Ola COO <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pranay+Jivrajka&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Pranay Jivrajka</a> told BI the company's 'working together' with the state government to find a feasible solution. 
 
Way back in August, in a major setback to Ola Cabs, the Delhi High Court dismissed its plea challenging a single-judge order upholding Delhi government's ban on such taxi services. 
 
While Ola argued that non-app based taxi organizations also come under the Radio Taxi Scheme, and that Ola doesn’t own these vehicles anyway, the Delhi government had said the All India Tourist Permit (AITP) vehicles that operate under Ola brand are meant for tourist destinations and not point-to-point service in city. 
 
Online taxi aggregators were finally legalized. 
 
Chest Thumping 
Ola and Uber have both thrown around numbers that hardly make sense if put together. 
 
In a recent interview, Ola’s Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Categories Raghuvesh Sarup said, "In three weeks, we have put up a category (Ola Micro) which is already 50% of all of Uber's daily bookings in the country. The rate at which Micro is growing, it will be larger than their entire brand within a month." 
 
On the other hand, Eric Alexander, President of Uber's Asia business, in an interview said his company was on the verge of overtaking Ola in India. "In January last year, we were at five per cent market share. Now, we are right at the edge of 50 per cent. Within next 30 days, we would beat them (Ola). We will surpass them very, very shortly." 
 
The statistics are even more confusing. Ola claims it holds 75% of the Indian app-based taxi-hailing market, with over 350,000 driver partners on its platform across the country, while Uber claims otherwise. 
 
As the cut-throat fight between Uber and Ola continues, some say it’s reminiscent of Uber’s tussle with Lyft in the U.S. The two San Francisco-based rivals were constantly undercutting each other’s tariffs, poaching each other’s drivers and duplicating services. 
 
Let’s just say its the same war, but with some Indian masala.

The Ola-Uber rivalry in India – when
competition became ridiculous

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

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

Plans of world domination don’t come cheap. As a company present in 460 cities in 69 countries, ride-sharing business <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a> recently raised another $3.5 billion from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Uber-just-got-3-5-billion-from-Saudi-Arabia/articleshow/52544814.cms">Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund</a>, the largest single investment ever made in a private company, and a significant part of this is coming to India. 
 Amidst growing and fierce competition in a market that has grown in significance and importance to startups and tech companies world around, India is now commonly considered the battle-ground for the giants, be it <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Apple&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Apple</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=facebook&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Facebook</a>, or <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=microsoft&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Microsoft</a>. And, not without reason, with a population of 1.2 billion and counting and a smart phone penetration of over 220 mn and rapidly growing, this is what all sweet dreams are made of for any tech-based, consumer focused company. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Exclusive-Uber-India-Head-says-additional-investments-to-bemade-in-India-this-year/articleshow/52553142.cms">Exclusive: Uber India Head says additional investments to be made in India this year</a> 
 
Uber entered the Indian market in 2013 and is currently present in 27 cities. It’s aggressive pricing and convenience of anywhere-anytime mobility has wooed Indian users. The country has also emerged as a major strategic market after the US and China. 
 Business Insider sat down with <keyword id="3389350" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber-India-head-Amit-Jain">Uber India Head Amit Jain</keyword> as he opened up for the very first time about not only what India means to Uber’s global scheme of things, but also about the numerous challenges the company’s been facing dealing with the several State Governments, the deep learnings out of each of these challenges and the conversations he has with each Uber driver during his daily trips to office and back home. 
 
What % of the $3.5 bn raised by Uber from the Saudi Arabic Public Investment Fund comes to India? 
There is no specific number. We committed a billion dollars to India last year, and our commitment to India is absolute. We’ll do whatever it takes to invest and grow in India. It’s a strategic market for Uber globally. 
 
The $3.5 bn is testament to the strength of our business globally. The war-chest we have is $11 bn, that’s more than all our competitors combined. You could see additional funds being deployed. The whole premise is we’ll invest as much is needed. 
 
Highlights from your 1 year stint at Uber? 
 
A year back, our business looked very different from what it is today. We were in 11 cities then, now its 27 cities. The number of driver partners has also grown exponentially - we have over 3,50,000 plus driver partners with Uber in India. The team size has grown a lot. We've invested and built an Engineering Centre in Bangalore to tap into the deep talent pool in India. We have set up our Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad which has over 200 employees currently. 
 
On the impact side, the expected time of arrival for an Uber has gone down significantly, and is often less than 5 minutes in most cities. The flexibility and money that working with Uber provides to our driver partners is phenomenal. 
 
Uber Pool wasn't there back then. Today we've launched it in multiple cities globally. Today 25% Uber rides in Delhi and Bengaluru are on UberPOOL. 
 
In the last one year we've also customized the app to suite the demands of the Indian market. We launched cash in India and taken it to multiple new markets across the world. We've also launched bikes and autos in India. From a product perspective we believe our product and technology is far superior to any competitor, be it a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=didi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Didi</a>,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> or Lyft. 
 
What were your initial thoughts about the company’s operability in India? 
I was working in the US for over 17 years and when my wife and I were in India on a vacation - Uber was a life saver for me. I was sold on how easy it was for me to get around the cities in India using Uber. 
 
That point has been proven with phenomenal number of riders joining the Uber platform because it's affordable, safe and more convenient. What I didn't have a view before I joined Uber was the phenomenal impact this product and service had on the driver community and how it has fundamentally changed the lives of hundred of thousands of drivers in India. 
 
How do you build a core business function keeping in mind the requirements of each state govt.? 
We continue to educate governments help understand our point-of-view and tell people why the service is better for the driver-base. If something is beneficial to society, a progressive govt. will embrace it. 
 
We’re in conversation with various governments to help frame regulation for the space. 
 
Have they been receptive, in understanding some of the laws dating back to 1988 need bits of tweaking? 
More than tweaking it’s about the policy you create. We’re talking about a new policy for a new space. All our interactions have been inputs about what the new policy should look like. 
 
These discussions take time. The central govt. has created a set of guidelines. We’re working with each state government to make those guidelines into regulations. 
 
What are your core leadership values? 
For us it’s about believing you’re doing the right thing. We’re a company of smart people who hire the smartest and let builders build. It’s about creating an environment where everyone has a mission and vision, and a measurable outcome that they’re working towards. We don’t believe in hierarchy, and believe in elimination of bureaucracy at every level. 
 
What is the learning that you want to apply to Indian market? 
It’s all about increasing efficiency. If a car’s not being utilized, or has to drive a longer distance to pick up a rider, you’re low on efficiency. That will win in the long term. 
 
Take on the Indian startup ecosystem? 
You’re seeing more innovation and people taking risks to become entrepreneurs. That’s very necessary for the country. 
 
You may have seen come changes in valuation in the bigger companies, but overall it’s a healthy ecosystem that has attracted much investment and enthusiasm. 
 
What does it take to land a job in Uber? 
You have got to have a passion for the company and what it's trying to solve. You've got to be a hustler, someone who's going to get more done with less. You've got to be optimistic and super-charged, and that's the only way to achieve more than what you expect from yourself. 
And of course you need skills that'll help you with the job.

Exclusive: Uber’s product and technology is superior
than any competitor, be it a Didi, Ola or Lyft, says Uber India Head Amit Jain

This summer, commuters in the NCR, willing to ditch metros and buses, will have several choices to book their cabs. Apart from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/heres-who-is-benefitting-from-ola-uber-drivers-strike/articleshow/57187851.cms">Ola and Uber</a>, they will have two new cab aggregator apps. This would also benefit them in terms of money, owing to the price war between these apps. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/these-women-ola-auto-drivers-are-changing-Indian-roads/articleshow/57539709.cms">These Women Ola Auto drivers are changing Indian roads</a> 
 
Cabby, the cab aggregator app to be launched today, has been developed by Sahil Arora, a seventeen-year-old school dropout from Gurgaon. The app will have 25,000 operational cabs in NCR, following which it would move to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/bengaluru-feel-relieved-as-ola-anduber-drivers-call-off-strike/articleshow/57221582.cms">Bengaluru</a>. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/online-cab-players-in-2016-completed-nearly-half-a-billion-rides-with-250-y-o-y-growth-in-india/articleshow/57273938.cms">Online cab players in 2016 completed nearly half a billion rides with 250% y-o-y growth in India</a> 
 Cabby would charge a base fare of Rs 37.50 for the first 2 km, followed by Rs 12.5 per km. Arora told ET that this is actually very competitive, and the fare would be lesser than what <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> and Uber charge. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/are-ola-and-uber-actually-tryingto-prove-poor-people-should-never-think-big/articleshow/57475233.cms">Are Ola and Uber actually trying to prove “poor people should never think big”?</a> 
 
The second cab-aggregator app to be launched today is from 74 BC Technologies, operational from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/UberMOTO-enters-Gurgaon/articleshow/51603369.cms">Gurgaon</a> where it is known for the bike taxi aggregator Baxi. 
 
Baxi is now launching cab services in seven cities including Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and Bengaluru. Acting as a technology provider for the app, it will be available free of cost for cab drivers. 
 
"Baxi will not take any commission from the drivers to use their technology platform," said Ashutosh Johri, co-founder of Baxi and an IIT Delhi alumnus. It would charge a base fare of Rs 50, followed by Rs 9 per km. Having around 1,000 cabs in its fleet, it would also have Re 1/minute wait charges. 
 
(Image source: Level Nine Services)

Two new apps to take on Ola and Uber in NCR

<keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>, India's largest app-based cab aggregator has stood in favour of Karnataka's new regulations that ask for governing tech-based cab hailing services. It has also accused its arch rival, the multinational cab-aggregator company <keyword id="2502101" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber-India">Uber India</keyword>, of flouting all Indian norms and working in India only for its profit. 
 Ola has also said that it is the only cab aggregator that has been issued a license under the new regulations, and it’s because it satisfies all the conditions laid down by the government. On <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> challenging the laws, it said that the petition was "motivated and has been filed in an attempt to bypass the laws of the land by foreign companies who run their operations in this country for profit without due regard for the applicable laws." 
 
It added that Karnataka government has framed the rules with the primary object "to promote and ensure the safety of the user-riders availing the services of aggregators... The rules emphasize the need to provide safety and security to the user-riders." 
 As per Additional Advocate General <keyword id="3449750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="A-S-Ponnanna">A.S.Ponnanna</keyword>’s submissions before Justice Aravind Kumar, the Karnataka government will not allow any aggregator to offer white-board (non-passenger) vehicles on their platforms. To this, Ola, in the affidavit that it filed, said that it does not operate any private vehicles on its platform, but also accused Uber of offering such services in the form of bike-taxies in Gurgaon and car-pooling in Bengaluru. 
 
It added that Uber has been allowing private vehicles without valid contracts and permits on its platform, under the name of car-pooling. 
 
<a href="http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/2015/03/23/rtr4rwgx.jpg">Image source</a>

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