Uber to bring its food delivery service UberEATS to India

Uber is all geared up to launch its food delivery service, UberEATS in India, three years after it piloted in Los Angeles., the company said in a blog post on Monday.

“I am incredibly excited about bringing UberEATS to India. This is a significant investment, it spans multiple cities and regions, and it has the potential to change the food industry—with the push of a button—in one of the most vibrant food cultures in the world,” Allen Penn, the Asia-Pacific head of UberEATS, said in the blog post.

UberEATS was launched as a delivery pilot in Los Angeles in 2014. Since then, it has expanded to 58 cities including Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taipei.

Uber’s foray into the Indian food delivery segment comes at a time when most food start-ups are having a tough time with poor unit economics, while some have shut shop because of a dearth of funds. Ola too launched an in-app food delivery service, Ola Café in April 2015, but shut down a year later because of tough competition from standalone food delivery apps.

“UberEATS is powered by the same technology that makes its transport mobile app efficient and cost-effective, getting great food delivered to you is now as easy as requesting a ride,” the blog post noted. The company has invited individuals to sign up for the delivery service in cities including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Uber is yet to provide a launch date for the new service in India or divulge more details about the operations.