Uber launches SPEEDBOAT service in Mumbai to help commuters avoid congested roads 

Uber launches SPEEDBOAT service in Mumbai to help commuters avoid congested roads

  • The scheme – already operating in Turkey and Croatia – launched on Sunday 
  • Customers can travel between three coastal destinations and avoid traffic jams
  • But riders cannot yet book individual seats, only entire boats starting at $80  

Uber has launched a new speedboat service in Mumbai to help passengers avoid log-jammed roads and busy public transport. 

The ride-hailing app debuted its first boat taxi on Sunday, and customers can travel between three coastal destinations – Gateway of India, Elephanta Islands and Mandwa Jetty.

Uber will only accept bookings for an entire boat, and prices start at INR 5,700 (80$) for a boat that can accommodate up to eight people.

An Uber boat swims in the Adriatic sea near the island of Solta, Croatia. Uber has brought its speedboat service to Mumbai, India – one of the most heavily congested cities in the world

Larger vessels seating up to 10 passengers are available for about INR 9,500 ($132).

Although the company plans to expand the programme in the coming weeks, it is not clear whether this would mean more boats, destinations, or the chance to book individual seats. 

Prabhjeet Singh, head of cities for Uber India and South Asia, said Uber wants to create multi-modal platform to serve riders better

Prabhjeet Singh, head of cities for Uber India and South Asia, said Uber wants to create multi-modal platform to serve riders better

India’s financial capital is home to around 20 million people and commuters are forced to endure long traffic jams. Residents spend 135 per cent more time on Mumbai’s roads than in any other Asian city, according to a Boston Consulting Group study published last year.       

Prabhjeet Singh, Uber’s Head of Cities for India and South Asia said in a statement: ‘As pioneers in the organized on-demand transport system, Uber’s vision is to create a multi-modal platform to better serve riders and the cities we operate in.

‘With UberBOAT, we will tap the vast potential of the city’s waterways transport system. 

We aim to provide efficient and easily accessible services to riders who are looking at navigating through these specific routes. With this service, boat operators will be able to gain access to Uber’s highly engaged rider base and enhance their earning opportunity.’ 

This is the first time that the speedboat service, which has already been rolled out in Turkey and Croatia, is being trialed in India. But if successful it could reap huge rewards as the country is Uber’s biggest Asian market.

The San-Francisco-headquartered company operates in at least 29 cities in India and controls almost 50 per cent of the market, which is the world’s third-biggest.    

Uber's Mumbai speedboat service will only accept bookings for an entire boat, and prices start at INR 5,700 (80$) for a boat that can accommodate up to eight people

Uber’s Mumbai speedboat service will only accept bookings for an entire boat, and prices start at INR 5,700 (80$) for a boat that can accommodate up to eight people

A motor boat operated through the UberBOAT taxi service sails past a bridge filled with heavy traffic on the Bosporus strait in Istanbul

A motor boat operated through the UberBOAT taxi service sails past a bridge filled with heavy traffic on the Bosporus strait in Istanbul

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