Uber enters India’s bike-sharing space with Yulu tie-up

Uber has announced a partnership with India’s tech-driven bicycle-sharing platform Yulu, marking the US ride-hailing giant’s entry into the country’s e-bikes market.

Photo credit: Yulu

Under the agreement, Uber will provide its users in Bangalore an option to book Yulu e-bikes and bicycles through its app as part of a pilot. Yulu’s app, however, won’t be integrated into Uber’s – users who wish to book e-bikes will instead be redirected to Yulu’s registration page from the Uber app.

Uber, which is set to start publicly trading today, did not disclose any financial details about its tie-up with Yulu.

Bangalore-based Yulu, which also operates in Pune, Mumbai, and Bhubaneswar, was launched by Amit Gupta, co-founder of marketing enterprise platforms provider InMobi. Yulu makes use of internet-of-things technology to create its network of shared dockless bikes.

In late 2018, Uber India’s archrival Ola reportedly invested US$100 million in Vogo, a local scooter-sharing startup. With the strategic investment, Ola was able to add two-wheelers to the range of vehicles it offers through its app.