Uber ties up with Times Internet

The partnership will help Uber expand in India.

Times Internet, the digital arm of The Times of India Group, and Uber have forged a strategic partnership to support Uber's expansion in India. The deal is centered on a commercial marketing arrangement accompanied by a small investment.

This is the largest partnership to date for Times Global Partners, an initiative of Times Internet to support emerging global digital companies' entrance into India.

Satyan Gajwani, CEO of Times Internet, says, "Having spent time with Travis and the Uber team, we are delighted to partner with the fastest growing company in the world, to help bring affordable, convenient and safe transportation to every consumer in India, while developing a real spirit of micro-entrepreneurialism for thousands of drivers. Times Global Partners is a platform we established to help the best companies in the world succeed in India, and we're confident that, together, we can improve lives and create jobs for millions of Indians."

As per an official blog post by the American start-up, India is the second largest and fastest growing market for Uber globally. Uber has a deep long-term commitment to the Indian market and a vision to create an innovative and entrepreneurial society by bringing transformational technology to more Indians from all walks of life. The partnership with Times Internet is in line with Uber's strategy of creating local partnerships in key markets.

Uber has entered into similar global partnerships with Baidu in China, AmericaMovil in LatAm and American Express in the US.

"India is one of our fastest growing markets in the history of Uber and one where we are investing heavily in continued growth," says Travis Kalanick, CEO, Uber Technologies. "Marketing and distribution are a key part to our strategy for success in India, and there is no better partner and platform for this than Times Internet with its print, radio, OOH and digital marketing platforms that reach over 200 million Indians."

Uber currently operates in eleven cities across India - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. Uber was founded in 2009 and it is present in nearly 300 cities in 55 countries today.