Uber, the transportation giant, is all set to take the expand the footprint of Indian-made autorickshaws and bank on their success globally too!
Uber India saw an increase in users opting for Uber autos while the pandemic was in full swing. Thus, now the company is strategising to not only expand the availability of Uber autos to all serviceable Indian cities but also several global locations as well.
In India, as of now, Uber Autos are currently present in 38 cities out of 89 cities wherein Uber operates with the latest additions being – Vizag, Agartala, Lucknow, Gwalior, Vijaywada, and Jabalpur.
Prabhjeet Singh who currently helms the position of President at both Uber India and South Asia said that they want to ramp up their auto service product in India not only because of the buoyancy of users during the pandemic but also because Uber autos showed uptake of 80-100% amid during pre-pandemic time as well.
Apart from this, he also revealed that Uber would be introducing Uber autos in Bangladesh wherein 90% of their operation autos will be made in India and also launch it in other emerging markets such as West Asia, Nigeria and Egypt.
Now, here the question arrives – Can the same auto service product that seems to be working for India, be replicated in international markets as well?
Uber Auto-Rental: Can The Success Be Replicated?
Well, according to Uber, yes it can be done! The same game plan to innovate autorickshaw transportation in India can be replicated in other global emerging markets as well. Economical travel options such as auto-rental which wherein consumers can hire an auto for several hours and for multiple routes are is something that Uber is betting on big.
Also, according to an Uber India study, the auto business has shown a lot of promise in terms of driver earnings. The study found Uber helps auto drivers utilise their vehicles close to 15%-20% more which allows them to earn more as they are making more trips during non-peak hours as well. This is something the transportation giant believes will act as a perfect incentive when approaching global markets as well.
Back on the Indian front, Singh said that their driver-partners have been reporting that people are willing to step out and use rideshare which according to Uber hints at the assumption that soon airport travel and leisure travel will return to normal.
Uber India will be entering Jabalpur and Gwalior on the coming Tuesday with both taxis as well as auto-share services as a part of their domestic expansion plan. It has already started operating in Gorakhpur and Agartala and now hopes to dominate more frontiers in the country before it takes auto-service products global.
Singh mentioned that while strategising on expansion, they are also very much focused on safety as it has now become a key driver of their business model. Uber India has put 100,000 safety screens in both their cars as well as autos in order to help maintain social distancing between the rider and the driver.
It now remains to be seen how consumers in the emerging global markets react to Uber autos hailing their streets. Currently, it’s anybody’s guess if Uber has actually cracked to code to economical road transportation which works irrespective of geographic borders. We will keep you updated on all future developments. Until then, stay tuned.
