Uber, a San Fransisco-based company that created a mobile application to connect passengers with drivers of luxury vehicles for hire, has launched in India. Uber has started its operations in Bangalore from October 1st.
The Basics
The base fare starts at Rs. 80 and the rider is supposed to pay Rs. 2 per minute and Rs. 18 per km per minute.
The luxury cars include Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord among others. Most of Uber’s growth globally comes from word-of-mouth — passionate riders who love the Uber experience.
To harness that, Uber has launched Give 250 Get 250 promotion: you can invite your friends to use Uber; they each get Rs. 250 in credit and you get Rs. 250 to spend on Uber once they ride. In addition to this, they also partner with local events in cities to encourage more people to try the service.
Uber is currently 30-40% more expensive than the taxi services, but is still very competitively priced for the reliability, safety, ease of use and higher quality vehicles and drivers. Uber has been exploring all major cities in India to decide on the next cities to launch. There are currently few local players who also provide Luxury vehicles for rent, and it is a major chunk of revenue for them. With the launch of Uber, customer now has more choices to pick from.
The Growth
In just three years, Uber’s mobile app has made 44 cities (in nearly 18 countries around the globe) more accessible to residents and visitors alike while helping tens of thousands of partner drivers grow their small businesses. In the last few weeks,the company has debuted in Bangalore, Dubai, Cape Town and Shanghai with many more to come.
For TTP Readers
To celebrate Uber’s launch in Bangalore, the team has decided to give promo code for all our readers:
We’d love for you, dear TheTechPanda readers, to take advantage of the Uber experience! Use the promo code “BLRlaunch” and enjoy Rs. 250 of Uber credits on us to try Uber in Bangalore! Insert the code under “Promotion” in your Uber app. Download the Uber app for iPhone or Android, or you can redeem the discount directly at uber.com/go/BLRlaunch.
