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|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

The world’s largest ride-sharing company, Uber, hit yet another milestone in the India and South Asia region as they rolled past the 1 Billion mark. The billionth trip took place in the city where Uber took its first trip in India, five years ago – Bengaluru. Six other trips started at the same time – one in Mumbai and two in Hyderabad, three in Delhi.

Image Source – Uber One Billion

Speaking about the milestone, Pradeep Parameswaran, Uber India and South Asia’s newly appointed President of Rides,  said

This is a very exciting and significant milestone not just for the India & South Asia region but for Uber as a whole. This 1 billion mark is a testament to the impact that technologies like Uber can make towards redefining the future of urban mobility.

As we gear up to deliver the next 10 billion rides in the region, this will continue to inspire our efforts to provide a convenient and affordable ride to millions of riders and stable earning opportunities to millions of driver partners, across multiple modes of transportation.

Interestingly, Uber hit another milestone recently as it completed 10 billion trips globally on June 10. Two trips, one in Ahmedabad and one in Delhi NCR, were part of the 173 simultaneous trips that marked this milestone. Reinforcing the pace of growth that Uber is witnessing in the region, the 1 billion number comes within a year of the company completing 500 million trips in India & South Asia.

Fun facts about Uber’s 1 billion milestone

  • Billionth trip happened in the city where it all started – Bengaluru. An Uber Premier was requested at 1:16 AM
  • Six other trips started at the same second on Uber Go [1 in Mumbai and 2 in Hyderabad and 3 in Delhi]
  • 480 million of the 670 million rated trips have been 5-star trips.
  • The billion trips have covered a cumulative distance of 11.1 billion kilometers – that’s 37 times to the sun and back!
  • So far, since launch uberPOOL has helped avoid over 200 million kms of independent travel [219,797,766 kms] which have helped prevent over 36,537 tonnes [36,537,000 kg] of CO2 emissions
  • 75% of the billion trips have been requested on an Android device, 24% on iPhone and 1% on Windows device.
  • With over 19,923 trips taken so far [the highest in the region], Jaswinder Singh from Chandigarh has been driving with Uber since March 2015 and has an overall rating of 4.81

Fun Facts about the 7 simultaneous 1 billionth trips

  • Of the 7 simultaneous trips, the longest trip covered a distance of 17.4 km and the shortest covered a distance of 1.4 kms
  • Amongst the 7 driver partners on these simultaneous trips, Bala Raju K from Hyderabad has been driving since Feb 2016 with an overall rating of 4.78
  • Pavankumar S also from Hyderabad, was the 1 billionth driver partner with the shortest tenure, driving with Uber since 30th June, 2018 with an overall rating of 4.73
  • The driver partners on the 7 simultaneous trips received an average rating of 4.0, 75% of ratings were 5-star
  • Riders on these 7 simultaneous trips received an average rating of 4.48, 71% of ratings were 5-star

This milestone and plans for the next 10 billion reiterates Uber’s continuing commitment to India and South Asia. As mentioned by both Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO and Barney Harford, Chief Operating Officer in their visits to the region in the past months, India continues to be central to Uber’s growth story and Uber’s success as a ride-sharing company is hard-coded to its success in India.

|In: Entrepreneurship|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Uber announced UberEXCHANGE finalists at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017. As a part of this program, ten startups won an-all-expense-paid trip to San Francisco, where they will visit Uber’s headquarters to meet the executive leadership team and be introduced to potential investors.

Image Source – UberExchange

UberEXCHANGE was launched in 2016 as a part of Uber’s mission to create a startup ecosystem in partnership with Invest India. Since then, over 150 startups have been mentored by Uber’s senior leadership team. The finalists have been chosen through a rigorous selection process anchored by T-Hub, Telangana’s flagship startup incubator and accelerator. Among the winning startups, 5 startups are based in Hyderabad – Anytimeloan, Docturnal, Imaginate, Ekincare and Carengrow.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri. K.T.Ramarao, IT Minister, Government of Telangana said

Many compliments and congratulations to Uber and the startups that have been selected for the trip to San Francisco. T-Hub will continue to guide the startups and Uber is an exceptional partner who can really take them places. I hope the startups do extremely well going forward.

Amit Jain, President, Uber India & SA said

We are very excited to announce UberEXCHANGE finalists at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017. We launched this program in partnership with T-hub last year  to support the Prime Minister’s Startup India vision. Since then, we have had the opportunity to mentor over 150 starups and be a part of their entrepreneurial journey. We thank the Government of Telangana and T-hub for their continued support in helping us bring this initiative to life.

Srinivas Kollipara, COO, T-Hub said

We aim to create opportunities for the startups in India to benefit from the global ecosystem through exchange of knowledge, access to mentors and investors. Through UberEXCHANGE, several startups  in India have benefited from hands-on mentorship sessions by Uber’s global leadership team. We are looking forward to continuing this partnership to provide a platform that will help many more Indian startup succeed in their entrepreneurial journey.

Gayam Raja, Founder, Gayam Motor Works said

We signed up UberEATS as our first customer for limitless e-bike in Singapore, Hongkong and San Francisco through UberEXCHANGE. Thanks to UberEXCHANGE and T-Hub for the kickstart.

UberEXCHANGE Delegation to San Francisco include:

  • Anytimeloan.in is a P2P platform for anyone who is in need of an instant loan or for people looking to leverage their savings by lending in a proven and scientific ecosystem, in a paperless and contactless environment.
  • carenGrow monitors complete physical, psychological and behavioural health profile of children in school through objective and non-invasive decision based intelligent monitoring system.
  • Docturnal, a non-Invasive point of care screening and diagnostics for tuberculosis & diabetes related ailments leveraging real time machine learning results.
  • Preva Systems offers end-to-end solutions in the area of real time identification, location and mobility of things/assets using its IoT platform enriched with analytics for superior business results.
  • eKincare is a patent pending wellness platform that integrates medical records, healthcare services and leverages predictive analytics to design wellness initiatives & reduce healthcare costs
  • AlgoSurg is a cloud-based software platform  for ‘X-ray based 3D surgery planning and patient specific instrument (PSI) design’ for deformity correction and replacement surgeries.
  • Imaginate Software Labs is a renowned augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) based technology enterprise, that offers innovative visualization products and services. Through its strong and proven technology expertise, it offers experiential solutions in the fields of retail, defense, enterprise, finance, entertainment and healthcare sectors.
  • JioVio HealthCare aims to provide home based predictive maternal care ecosystem in both urban and rural areas. Inspired by beauty, JioVio helps create a better, healthier lifestyle by bringing IOT base medical devices to pregnant women, encouraging them to take care of their health and to be informed.
  • Gayam Motor Works manufactures electric bikes and smart autos – the first EV in India with automatic battery swapping system.
  • Gray Routes Technology Pvt. Ltd is a leading provider of location analytics and field automation software. They aim to transforms the way the world’s leading brands use data to solve their toughest distribution problems.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Uber, the world’s largest ride-sharing company, announced a collaboration with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., part of the US$ 19 billion Mahindra Group, which will explore the deployment of electric vehicles [EVs] on the Uber platform in several cities across India.

To begin with, the companies will deploy hundreds of electric vehicles in Delhi and Hyderabad. Mahindra’s electric vehicles on the Uber platform will include the e2oPlus hatch and the eVerito sedan. As part of this collaboration, both the companies will also explore deployment of Mahindra electric vehicles to other cities. The joint deployment of electric vehicles will further reinforce the strong relationship between Mahindra and Uber. Over the years, there has been a strong deployment of Mahindra vehicles on Uber’s platform and Mahindra is also a key financier for Uber’s driver partner through Mahindra Finance.

According to Madhu Kannan, Chief Business Officer, Uber India & Emerging Markets

We are extremely excited about our collaboration with the Mahindra Group to deploy this electric vehicles pilot in India. Aligned with the government’s vision, we aim to build a more sustainable future of mobility, moving more people needing on-demand services with fewer, fuller, and more efficient vehicle trips. We see a key role for high efficiency vehicle technologies, and therefore believe that this collaboration with Mahindra, the pioneers in the electric vehicles space, will be truly beneficial not just for Uber but for our driver partners, riders and the cities we operate in.

Speaking on the collaboration, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said

Electric vehicle adoption is clearly gaining momentum in India. As the pioneers of electric vehicles in the country we would like to be at the forefront, leading this change toward smart and sustainable mobility.  Our collaboration with Uber is an important next step to help accelerate the large scale adoption of electric vehicles on shared mobility platforms, and meet the nation’s vision for EVs.

Through this collaboration, driver partners on the Uber app can avail of a package which will include Mahindra electric vehicles at competitive prices, attractive financing and insurance premiums as well as comprehensive maintenance packages from Mahindra and its associates. Further, to make this model sustainable, Mahindra and Uber will work closely with public and private players who are in the process of setting-up a common use charging ecosystem across multiple locations in the cities.

Mahindra will also support with driver education and training related to various aspects of electric vehicles. Going forward, electric vehicles will play a major role in reducing urban pollution plaguing several Indian cities and resulting in health hazards. With the increased penetration of EVs and eventual 100% transition, the country and its citizens stand to benefit tremendously.

All these initiatives align perfectly with Mahindra’s Rise philosophy of empowering people with the right products and services to enhance the quality of their lives and earnings.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Uber, the ride-sharing app that is redefining urban mobility across the world, have announced a new Uber for Business, enabling new use cases like daily commute, late-night rides home from work, between-office transportation and much more.

When Uber for Business was introduced in India, the underlying mission was to give organizations a more efficient way to manage their business travel and improve employees’ experience. Uber soon realized that organizations needed much more than features like monthly billing and reporting. Whether it’s helping employees stay safe when they travel from work late at night, enhancing customer experience with pick-up and drop facilities, or seamless inter-office travel, organizations wanted Uber to solve some of their most pressing business challenges.

Arjun Nohwar, APAC Head – Uber for Business said

At Uber for Business we are continuously striving to make Uber a one-stop solution for all ground transportation needs of businesses. With the launch of our revamped Uber for Business platform, our technology makes it possible to create specialized solutions that help businesses have access to reliable transportation options for all their needs. Companies can now configure and use our platform to manage transportation requirements for all, while reducing costs, increasing operational efficiency and improving compliance.

The Uber for Business delivers new tools with the simplicity and magic that makes Uber what it is today. The product updates include the following-

Set-and-forget travel programs – New tools allow managers to set up automated programs for commuting, business travel, airport rides, and any other mobility need. For example, if employees are working late, they could use a comfortable ride home. Managers can be the hero by setting up a ‘late night rides’ policy that only works for trips taken between work and home after 8 PM. The company can choose how much to fund per trip, and if employees need to take longer trips, it’s no problem, everything over the spend allowance will be charged to their payment method of choice.

New permissions – Companies can set rules for employees, customers, and clients around the type of car that they can use, how much they can spend, and the location from which a trip needs to begin or end. They can mix and match these rules in the way that works best for their company.

Different access for different groups – Businesses can provide customized levels of Uber access depending on each person’s needs. For example, you can give all of your employees INR 500 [or more] for their daily commute, while giving recruiters special access to call rides for candidates via Uber Central. By segmenting the organization by team, level, or location, they can take transportation policies out of the back office and easily bring them to life.

A fresh User Interface – The Uber for Business dashboard has been re-designed from the ground up to feature a cleaner, more seamless experience. A streamlined account setup flow makes it easy to get riding with as few or as many travel programs as needed. Plus, access to Uber Central is easily controlled, enabling employees who interact with customers, guests, or recruits to call a ride for them on demand.

What does this mean for businesses? This means cost savings, because they can ensure that employees travel within company policy. It means time savings for admins and managers, who can now build set-and-forget travel programs for the whole company. And it means happier employees & customers since Uber can eliminate the stress of driving and parking and give people more time to catch up on emails, enjoy their morning coffee or take a few minutes to just relax.

Rajeev Prakash, National Head of Administration, Team Computers said

Uber for Business has changed the way our employees travel around the world. We have done away with the inconvenience of pre-booking through vendors, eliminating administrative hassles completely. The dashboard gives company administrators flexibility and easy billing with cost savings is an added advantage.

With the new Uber for Business, every member of the organization – travel managers, finance, HR, and executive leadership – can deliver solutions that improve the business, whether it’s through cost savings, employee productivity or scaling the business. For more information, please visit Uber for Business

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Uber, the ridesharing app that is redefining urban mobility across the world announced the launch of its integrated marketing campaign in India. With the idea of Apnapan as its core theme, the campaign aims to build everyday brand relevance and re-frame personal mobility. This also marks the launch of Uber’s first TVC in India.

Sanjay Gupta, Head of Marketing, Uber India, said

At our scale, there are millions of amazing stories that we hear each week – stories of heart-warming experiences that take place between riders and driver-partners across the country. It’s these stories that keep people coming back to ride and drive with us. Over the last four months, we’ve spent hours listening to our riders and driver partners across the country to co-create our communication strategy, and build out the idea of Apnapan in the truest sense. We’re super excited to launch this campaign, as it’s our first step towards reframing the narrative around personal mobility and freedom for millions in India. So when you use Uber next, Isey Apni hi Gaadi Samjho.

Reinforcing that Uber is everyday, for everyone, the campaign conceptualized by Taproot aims to build a deeper brand connect. Inspired by real rider and driver partner stories, the simple narrative highlights experiences that every Uber rider can relate to. With Apnapan being the umbrella theme, it brings to life the underlying emotional connect between Uber, its riders and driver partners by reinforcing that it’s a service one can rely on as if it were their own – true to the tagline Isey Apni Hi Gaadi Samjho.

Speaking about the campaign, Pallavi Chakravarti, Executive Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu said

Being a regular Uber user, I can vouch for the fact that it’s changed my life. It’s rare to work on a campaign where the idea is true to the brand and the service, where you don’t have to create a story because the real thing IS the story. The Uber experience is as good as having your own car, and sometimes even better. And this experience is something we think everyone should enjoy. So we’ve attempted to capture the Uber way of life through a simple thought around Apnapan.

Uber recently partnered with Madison to execute the media strategy. A multi-platform campaign, Uber’s digital-first approach will see Facebook and Youtube as primary channels, television for broader air cover and radio to communicate with the commuting audience. Given the scale and geographic footprint that the business has achieved, the TVC and radio campaigns will be available in multiple languages like Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.

Vikram Sakhuja, CEO, Madison added

With the launch of this campaign, we expect more people to connect and use the convenience provided by Uber in the Indian context –  just like it it is being appreciated and used by people in various countries across the world.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Uber celebrated the first anniversary of UberMOTO, Uber’s bikesharing product, in the country. This month also marks the completion of 2 million trips on uberMOTO, a key milestone for the company and testament to the potential of bike sharing to improve last and first mile connectivity.

Prabhjeet Singh, GM, Uber Delhi and North India said

uberMOTO gives riders the option to book a motorbike ride via the Uber app, a mode of transport that has long been the preferred way to get around cities in India. Currently available in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, the success of uberMOTO reflects how Uber easily blends into the fabric of the cities, providing multiple commute options at the push of a button.

To celebrate the success of uberMOTO, Uber introduced a Zip Zap Zoom Index, a round up on how bike sharing has touched riders, driver partner and the cities in the last 12 months.

Fun facts about uberMOTO

  • Riders from 181 cities across the world booked a ride on uberMOTO in India
  • A female rider in Gurgaon took the highest number of rides, accounting for 1393 trips in one year
  • A single driver partner in Gurgaon has taken 5573 trips in the last one year
  • Every 18 seconds an uberMOTO ride is requested in Hyderabad
  • Kalupur Railway Station is the top destination for uberMOTO in Ahmedabad  
  • In Jaipur, no new vehicles have been added ensuring better asset utilization of existing two-wheelers, in an effort to reduce congestion in the city
  • One out of every four trips on uberMOTO are to/from metro stations in Gurgaon

UberMOTO is a step forward in Uber’s commitment to help the address the first and last mile connectivity transportation needs. By integrating Uber’s on-demand technology platform with motorbikes, the objective is to use today’s transportation infrastructure more efficiently and effectively.

Five reasons that make uberMOTO a must-have for all cities

  1. Expands access to public transport: Public transit is the mobility backbone of cities. uberMOTO promotes the use of public transport as people now have an affordable and efficient transport option for their last mile connectivity. Today, one out of every four trips on uberMOTO are to/from metro and railway stations.
  2. Saves time: With uberMOTO, commuters can ride and swiftly maneuver through traffic. It is the quickest way to get anywhere, anytime of the day. Riders can save time traveling by motorbike when and where it makes sense, such as for short trips in heterogeneous traffic that’s more easily navigated via small vehicle, or along routes where public transport isn’t easily accessible or convenient.
  3. Affordability: uberMOTO rides are one of the most affordable commute options in the city. Several studies have also explored the correlation between access to transportation and essential opportunities including education and employment.
  4. Empowering a dignified living: The positive impact of ride sharing on congestion, safety and cities are real and important, but it’s also important to note the economic activity generated by the people who drive on Uber. Owning a motorbike is much more affordable than owning a car. The lower cost barrier of uberMOTO makes it even easier for more people to pursue this micro-entrepreneurship opportunity.
  5. Hop on, hop off commute: Whether you are riding to the office for an early morning meeting, catching the metro at the nearest station or heading to the mall for a fun-filled evening, travelling in a city on uberMOTO is the smartest hop on, hop off option.

Have you tried uberMOTO, do leave your experience in the comments section…

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Uber, the world’s largest ride-sharing app that connects riders with drivers to provide convenient, reliable and affordable rides at the push of a button, announced the launch of the Driver Compliments feature. Through this feature Uber aims to make it possible for riders to positively reinforce good behaviour and in the process humanize the relationship between the riders and driver partners.

Pradeep Parameswaran, Head, Central Operation, Uber India said

Last month, we launched community guidelines with the objective of encouraging mutual respect, and we are now excited to introduce ‘Compliments’. Our driver partners deliver millions of safe rides everyday and in many instances go beyond their call of duty. We hope our riders take a moment to express their appreciation by using this feature. It will encourage our driver partners to do even better!

Once a rider leaves a compliment, drivers will get a notification in app, taking them to the message and the compliments badge they have collected – whether that’s for expert navigation, great music choice or excellent service – because sometimes the little things make all the difference, and 5 stars are not enough.

For more information, please visit the Uber Blog on Driver Compliments