Delhi metro tickets could be purchased within Uber app in future

What if Uber, a ride-hailing app, can facilitate your public transport in the future? It's completely possible as the US-based ridesharing company is stepping up to partner with cities in order to make public transport more easy and accessible to commuters. And if everything goes right, you can soon expect a feature in Uber that would allow users to purchase metro tickets directly within the app itself. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who is on a five-day trip to India, has launched the 'Public Transport' feature on the Uber app in Delhi. This feature will allow commuters to plan their public trips using the Uber app.

Uber's new public transport feature

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Talking about the partnership with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Uber India and South Asia President Pradeep Parameswaran said 'Public Transport' will provide live transit information about Delhi Metro and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) on the Uber app. This will make travel easier for riders, he added. Uber had won a public bid to offer its mobility services across 210 Delhi Metro stations.

For now, riders can see the fastest and cheapest routes available, as well as real-time schedules and departure time for public transportation. This feature will be rolled out to Uber users in a phased manner. Uber Transit Journey Planning was first launched at the beginning of 2019. Since then, it has been launched in eight cities globally - Denver, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco, London, Paris and Sydney. 

"India is a fundamental part of Uber's growth story. It is a very important market for us. It is among the top 10 market for us and we continue to believe in and invest in India... Our business here is improving," Khosrowshahi told reporters.

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Khosrowshahi noted some products were improving on the profitability scale and Uber would continue to invest towards long-term growth profile of India. He also added India not only offers scale but is also an innovation gateway for Uber to the rest of the developing world.

The expansion plan for India

Khosrowshahi also said he is visiting Uber's centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad that work on various products and features. Features such as cash rides and Uber Lite were developed in India and then extended to other countries. Uber also plans to expand its headcount to 1,000 people in Bengaluru and Hyderabad centres over the course of the next few months. 

(With PTI inputs)