Uber commences motor-bike taxis in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Jan 30 (IANS) International transportation network company Uber Monday commenced its motor-bike taxi service here.

Driver partners of uberMOTO were taken through a training session on various road safety related topics by representatives from the Road Transport Organisation (RTO) before the starting their first trip.

The launch of the service was announced last month here by Travis Kalanick, Founder and CEO, Uber.

Hyderabad is be the third city in India, after Bengaluru and Gurgaon to get the two-wheeler taxi service.

The fares for the bike-taxi will be Rs 20 for the first 3 km and Rs 5 per km thereafter, the company had announced last month.

"It's a quick, easy and affordable way to get around the city. And it's great to be working with a progressive, forward thinking government like Telangana on smart mobility solutions that can help reduce congestion in urban areas," Kalanick had said.

Uber officials said their two-wheeler taxi service was available in the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Vietnam. According to them it is especially well-suited for first mile/last mile connectivity, getting people from their homes or offices to metro stations and vice-versa.

Both the driver and rider of the motor-bike taxi have to wear helmets.

Uber and Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited have also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to help extend the reach of the metro using UberMOTO for last-minute connectivity.