Uber signs MoU with ONDC to expand its mobility offerings
The agreement with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) stands to strengthen Uber's mission of bringing safe, affordable and reliable rides to all Indians
PTI
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Uber's global CEO Dara Khosrowshahi
Bengaluru, 22 Feb
Uber, one of India's leading ridesharing platforms, on Thursday signed an Memorandum of Understanding with Open Network for Digital Commerce to explore an integration with the network to expand the range of mobility offerings on the Uber app.
The agreement with Open Network for
Digital Commerce (ONDC), a private non-profit organisation established by the
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade of Government of India,
stands to strengthen Uber's mission of bringing safe, affordable and reliable
rides to all Indians.
At an event in Bengaluru, Uber's
global CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who is in India currently, spoke with Infosys
Chairman Nandan Nilekani on the subject of 'Building Population Scale
Technology.' Khosrowshahi said companies and governments around the world can
learn from the scale and ambition of India's Digital Public Infrastructure.
He also said that as a technology
company, Uber views open source tech stacks with a lot of interest and
recognises the opportunities they bring for everyone.
On the sidelines of the
interaction, when Nilekani asked Uber's global CEO about what is so exciting
about Uber in India, Khosrowshahi said, "I think India is one of the
toughest markets out there. You know the Indian customer is so demanding and doesn't
want to pay for anything. If Uber can make it in India, then I would say our
team is really making it.....India is the toughest market to succeed in and if
we can succeed here, then we can succeed anywhere else." He also said how
Uber is also planning to expand its low-cost service segments, particularly
two-wheeler and three-wheeler services in India and that they were also getting
into bus in some countries. "One of the strategic single biggest
opportunity is low-cost products like two-wheeler and three-wheeler..We are
also getting into bus in some countries," Khosrowshahi said.
Speaking on the MoU signing,
Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India and South Asia, said, "Our vision
for Uber in India is to serve the mobility needs of all Indians. This is in
line with ONDC’s objective of democratizing digital commerce." "We
are excited to take our first step through this MoU with ONDC to explore how we
can accelerate our ambition to make Uber a platform for every Indian’s daily
mobility needs. We are committed to play our part in helping speed up and
strengthen India’s digital transformation." Meanwhile, T Koshy, MD and CEO
of ONDC, said, "As the Open Network is continuously evolving, MTT
(Mobility, Transport and Travel) is certainly a critical sector for us.
Different players together on the Network foster innovation and newer business
models. Today's MoU is a major step forward, and one we hope will enable a
diverse range of mobility solutions to benefit every Indian."
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