Uber shuts Mumbai office; services for riders to remain unaffected

Ride-hailing platform Uber has shut down its Mumbai office as part of its restructuring efforts, but it will continue to provide services in the city, according to sources.

The company's services in the city, however, would remain unaffected.

When contacted, an Uber spokesperson said, "Uber continues to provide a high level of service to all its riders in Mumbai."

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The sources said the decision to close the Mumbai office was part of the global restructuring exercise. In May, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshai had written to employees informing them of the decision to close 45 offices globally.

One of the persons said many of the employees are expected to continue working from home to support the services, as is being done currently in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It could not be immediately ascertained if the closure of the Mumbai office would include a reduction in jobs as well.

Uber has a large office in Gurugram, and tech centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. It also has smaller support offices in multiple cities.

In May, Uber had said it is laying off about 600 employees (including its driver and rider support operations) in India - about a quarter of its staff in the country - as the business has taken a major hit amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, it had announced a reduction of customer support and recruiting teams by approximately 6,700 full-time employee roles, and attributed the move to lower trip volumes and current hiring freeze.

Uber lost $2.9 billion in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic decimated its overseas investments. Companies that rely on the sharing economy have been hit hard by the pandemic as people stay indoors and shy away from shared services to reduce the spread.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)