Uber to launch bus service in Hyderabad, Mumbai; Bengaluru launch soon
While Bengaluru isn't currently on the list, Uber India's President Prabhjeet Singh expressed keen interest in bringing the service to the city, pending regulatory approval.
After Kolkata and Delhi, ride-hailing platform Uber is set to pilot its bus (shuttle) service in Hyderabad and Mumbai and is now in active dialogue with multiple stakeholders here to get a green light to launch it in the country's IT capital.
Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India and South Asia, told reporters: "We already have two cities live with Uber bus and two more cities (Hyderabad and Mumbai) are going live and unfortunately, Bengaluru is not yet one of them."
"It's my passion project to make sure that we are able to bring Uber bus to Bengaluru assuming the regulators allow us but that shows the journey of localisation that we are turning up the way the consumers want," he said.
Uber, Singh said, is in active dialogue with different stakeholders to start bus service in Bengaluru.
"We need regulatory go ahead to be able to launch a service like this and we have not been able to receive that. We are in active dialogues with multiple stakeholders and we are hoping to able to get a green light to do that but right now we don't have visibility of it," he said.
Singh also urged people in civil society and policy-making to open up to "such innovations."
"I would urge many people in the civil society. There are many companies which are keen for Uber shuttle to be launched. You could run a shuttle from Hebbal and ORR (Outer Ring Road). Shuttles which are air conditioned, pre-booked, you will get a seat running every two-three minutes. These are cases which could co-exist with alternative public transportation options which are there in the city. I am hoping that the policymakers, are far more open to innovations like this," he added.
Edited by Megha Reddy