Yulu confirms partnership with Uber; starts pilot operations in Bengaluru

Putting media speculation to rest, Bengaluru-based bicycle sharing platform Yulu on Thursday officially confirmed its partnership with Uber.

This partnership is aimed at making urban commute efficient and eco-friendly as it enables users to use the e-bike to ride to a certain traffic congestion point and then take public transport.

Also read: WATCH: Yulu will continue to focus on growth in Bengaluru, says Co-founder Amit Gupta

The Yulu application will not be integrated into Uber, instead the Uber app will redirect users to the registration page of Yulu. The user just needs to tap on the ‘Try Yulu’ option on the Uber app and follow the prompts.

Uber will also help locate and unlock the bike. For this, the user just have to give Uber permission to access the location and camera.

Last year, Uber's rival Ola had partnered with VOGO to enable micro-mobility rides on its platform. 

According to media reports, Uber has made the first three rides free and has already started notifying its Bengaluru riders about the partnership. In the last few days, numerous users claimed to have received the notification too.

Yulu was launched in 2017 by InMobi Cofounder Amit Gupta, RK Mishra, Hemant Gupta, and Naveen Dachuri. Initially started as a bicycle sharing platform, Yulu is aimed at providing an efficient and green solution for the first mile, last mile, short distance commute, and also reduce traffic congestion.

The startup launched its electric scooter, Yulu Miracle, in Bengaluru in the last week of February to provide a scalable, affordable, and green solution for first and last-mile, short-distance commutes.

As of today, Yulu has raised $7 million in a seed funding round. The startup is backed by investors including Blume Ventures, Binny Bansal, Naveen Tewari and Girish Mathrubootham.

Also read: Ola invests $100 M in bike-sharing platform Vogo; to supply 100K scooters