Why is Uber India President Prabhjeet Singh bullish on three-wheelers?

Even as businesses were recovering after the first Covid wave last year, the second one struck India earlier this year and hit all businesses, including ride-sharing platforms, as well as the broader economy. Now that the coronavirus situation is getting better and the economy is on a recovery path, how is the ride-sharing business faring? In an exclusive interview with Business Standard’s Surajeet Das Gupta, Uber president for India and South Asia, Prabhjeet Singh, seemed upbeat about the business recovery.

He said he was bullish on segments like autorickshaw and also spoke about his company’s India R&D work, and the implementation of social security benefits for gig workers.

Listen to the full Q&A in this podcast. Here are the highlights of the interview:

Is the worst over for the car-sharing business?

• Significant recovery and acceleartion in ride sharing
• Business back to pre-Covid level in multiple categories
• Auto, moto, rental segments performing well
• Already present in over 90 Indian cities and expanding

What’s the target by the end of the year?

• Definitely more than 100 cities across India
• Overall recovery to be very encouraging by year-end
• All hands on deck to support increased demand

Where are you in your auto business?

• Product market fit is spectacular
• Low-cost solution, overcomes the challenge of hail
• Benefits of digital payments and safety
• Win-win for drivers, riders and Uber

How’s your India R&D helping you globally?

• India important not just for mobility but also talent
• Building tech centres here for the world
• Have two centres — in Hyderabad and Bengaluru
• Tech teams already 700-strong, to be 1,000 by year-end

Will you support startups in this space by taking minority stakes in them?

• They need tech expertise & mentorship, opportunity to experiment, and funding
• We are committed to supporting them in all three fronts

Where are you at present in implementation of India’s gig worker policy?

• Policy for gig workers’ welfare a visionary code
• Contribution to this is the number one priority for us
• Waiting the policy to be implemented, in active dialogue with the govt

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