How Uber is tackling the Indian market

Across most of the world, Uber is seen as a private car-hailing app. Click a button, get a car, and get on your way.

In India, Uber is taking a slightly different approach... and it's starting to seep through the rest of the world.

Hailing the Uber Shuttle

Traffic in India is bad. Really bad. Like, two Indian cities in the top 10 worst congested cities in the world -bad.

In this environment, adding a bunch of extra private cars seems like adding fuel to the fire. Thankfully, Uber's president of India Prabhjeet Singh has a much better idea: buses.

In 2019, Uber launched the Uber Shuttle in Cairo, Egypt. Now, the Shuttle is available in Delhi and Kolkata, and looking to launch further across India. The Shuttle has even exported its success to the US, transporting customers to and from concert and sports venues.

In total, Uber Shuttle has completed nearly 30 million trips globally.

More work to do

Uber Shuttle is far from perfect yet.

First, the revenue share between Uber and the Shuttle drivers is unclear. The buses that make up the fleet are owned and operated by private companies, in much the same way 'normal' Uber drivers operate.

Second, the service doesn't seem incredibly reliable just yet. One customer estimated the odds of reaching her destination using the Shuttle in India is a "60-40 toss-up".

Seems like a bit of a gamble!