Grocery and autos: Uber's biggest moat in India

Uber is banking on autos to increase the number of rides and build a successful groceries business

Two weeks ago, employees in Uber looked at their screens in dismay as the interface that recorded the number of rides showed no upward movement. Cab drivers were on strike in the National Capital Region and Mumbai. The apps were being opened and then consequently shut. But it didn’t mean there were zero rides being initiated on Uber. Never would have senior Uber executives said, “Thank god for those autos.”

When Uber came to India five years ago, it urged customers to upgrade from unreliable autos to air-conditioned cabs. Five years later, Uber needs autos not just to prevent unions from