Uber eyeing a partnership with Indian Railways to provide cab services at stations

Indian Railways is the lifeline of the country’s transportation sector. In a bid to cash-in this popularity of the trains as the popular mode of transportation, the US ride-hailing giant Uber has approached the government to pitch for integrating its service with Indian Railways app and website and also to provide cab services to passengers to and from stations in various cities, according to an Economic Times report.

Citing a person privy to the matter, the report said the proposed deal would mean additional revenue of Rs 150 crore annually in commissions on cab bookings and leasing of premium space at stations to Uber for pick-ups and drops.

The Indian Railways operate 12,000 trains per day with over 23 million passengers, connecting about 8,000 stations.

Apparently, the US cab aggregator wishes to set up kiosks at stations to assist passengers in booking rides. It has also proposed dedicated pick-up and drop locations at stations and providing technological help to the Indian Railways to upgrade its app.

Uber, however, is yet to specify which cities or which stations it aims at targeting first.

“We are seriously considering this proposal and a decision could be taken soon. The revenue model with Uber is yet to be finalized,” a top rail board official told ET.

Interestingly, Ola has a similar kind of agreement with Mumbai Metro to offer shared rides from stations on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor for Rs 3 per km.