Uber to launch UberPOOL in India

The product, already popular in cities like New York, Boston and Paris, helps commuters going in the same direction, share a ride and save money.

Uber, the cab hailing operator, has announced a new car-pooling service called UberPOOL. Starting from Bengaluru, UberPOOL will be available in its beta version in the coming weeks. UberPOOL is already a favourite in places like San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Austin and Paris.

Uber's decision to introduce UberPOOL in India follows the recent car-pooling initiative by the Bengaluru Traffic Police to increase the utilisation of cars on roads. With this service, commuters can share a ride and split the cost with another person who happens to be requesting a ride along a similar route. Riders can save up to 50 per cent while adding only a few minutes of time per trip. The company hopes that, with the lower prices, people can move past car ownership, as using Uber becomes less expensive than using and maintaining a personal vehicle.

Bhavik Rathod, GM, Bengaluru, Uber, says, "India is a top global priority for Uber along with China. We're thrilled to announce that we'll be bringing Uber's ground-breaking product UberPOOL to India very soon. Our vision for UberPOOL means helping solve some of the toughest problems cities are facing today, whether it's congestion, pollution, or lack of access to transportation. With UberPOOL we'll aim to achieve this vision, one we share with policy makers, to make Bengaluru a city of the future - a whole lot greener, cleaner and more efficient thanks to fewer cars and more shared rides. We know UberPOOL has the ability to help us achieve this and Bengaluru, our first city in India, will serve as the ideal proving ground."

UberPOOL will launch soon in beta in select cities in India to gain insights from commuter adoption and usage. Uber launched in India less than two years ago. Today, the service is available in 22 Indian cities - more than in any other country outside United States. With its current base of over 165,000 driver entrepreneurs and continued robust growth, Uber has quickly gained significant market share in India.