Uber launches women-only bike taxi service 'Moto Women' in Bengaluru

Rolled out first in Bengaluru, Uber has plans to scale it up in other top cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad

Ride-hailing firm Uber on Thursday rolled out Uber Moto Women in Bengaluru, a first-of-its-kind service that offers women-only bike rides.

 

The company plans to scale it up in other top cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. The on-demand two-wheeler ride service connects women riders with women drivers and is designed to address women’s safety and mobility needs.

 

“For Uber, this is a global-first initiative. We don’t have such women-only products anywhere else in the world. We started with Bengaluru, as it is the largest market for bike-taxis. The city sees 5 million bike-taxi trips across all the platforms per month and this serves about a million riders and 100,000 drivers,” Abhishek Padhye, Head of Regional Business Operations, Uber India and South Asia, told Business Standard.

 

 

“Last mile transportation is in huge short supply in Bengaluru. What we realised is that 30 per cent of our women riders were already taking bike-taxis. With Uber Moto Women, we’re not just offering a safer and more convenient ride option for women, but also empowering female drivers with the opportunity to earn flexibly in one of India’s fastest-growing mobility segments,” said Padhye.

 

Developed after receiving feedback from women riders and drivers, Uber Moto Women offers a safe, affordable and convenient commute option for women who would prefer to ride with women drivers or riders for their trips. 

Bike taxis have rapidly emerged as one of the fastest-growing transport options in urban India. According to a KPMG report titled ‘Unlocking the Potential of Bike Taxis in India’, over 280 million bike taxi rides were completed across platforms in 2022. Bengaluru alone recorded over 1 million rides monthly, making it one of the country’s largest bike taxi markets. Additionally, 65-70 per cent of bike taxi trips cater to first- and last-mile connectivity, highlighting their importance in complementing public transport.

 

Uber competes with players such as Rapido, Ola and Namma Yatri. It has come up with this service at a time when there are regulatory hurdles for the mobility players in Karnataka as the government has challenged the legality of bike-taxis because two-wheelers with white number plates can't run commercial operations as per the Karnataka Motor Vehicle Rules.

 

In November, Karnataka transport department cracked down on bike-taxis associated with Uber in Bengaluru on grounds that the rules did not allow two-wheeler cabs. Experts said that bike-taxis are operating in Bengaluru under the protection of a High Court stay order.

 

“All the aggregators are actually collectively and very constructively engaging with the regulators to figure out what's the right regulatory framework. About a million riders and 100,000 drivers are using bike-taxis, which is a testimony to the genuine need present in the market and we are engaging with the government,” said Padhye.

 

Women safety

 

Uber Moto Women harnesses the company’s advanced technology-led safety features to provide a safer ride each time. Riders can share their trip details with up to 5 trusted contacts for real-time tracking; while anonymisation of phone numbers and drop-off addresses protects user privacy. RideCheck, Uber’s proactive safety feature, monitors irregularities like long stops, mid-way drops, or route deviations and offers support when needed. Women riders and drivers also have access to Uber’s 24x7 Safety Helpline, which provides priority support for women when they need it.

 

Livelihood

 

According to the KPMG report, bike-taxis have the potential to generate up to 5.4 million livelihood opportunities in India. With women's participation in the ride-hailing space in India continuing to be low, Uber Moto Women can encourage more women to drive. Flexible working hours, short-distance trips, and easy navigation will make it easier for more women drivers to drive on the platform. Offering complete flexibility, Uber Moto Women drivers also have the choice to turn off the option to accept women-only riders, and accept all rides when they want.

 

Similarly, the company said ride-hailing options like ‘Moto Women’ can positively impact women’s workforce participation. According to a study by Oxford Economics titled “Ride Hailing: A platform for women’s economic participation in India”, women’s workforce participation could increase by over 6 per cent by 2028 with greater access to ride-hailing options. The report also found that 75 per cent of women choose ride-hailing for safer commuting compared to alternatives, while almost 1 in 3 women in India use bike-taxis at least once a month.