UberEATS goes live in India, starting with Mumbai

Four months after announcing the launch of the service in India, UberEATS has finally started its food delivery service in Mumbai.

"Mumbai is home to a booming food industry with a vibrant food culture offering both global and local cuisines. The introduction of UberEats in India, with Mumbai as the first city, is a major step in our global expansion and showcases our commitment to the region," said Bhavik Rathod, Head of UberEats India in a statement.

The food-delivery app has apparently partnered with 200 restaurants to help bring food to consumers in a convenient and reliable manner anytime, anywhere. It allows consumers to schedule orders, smartly curate restaurants, personalise taste preferences and dietary restrictions, and track the delivery on the app.

At launch, it'll be available in Powai, Bandra East, Bandra Kurla Complex, and the west-lying regions from Lower Parel uptown to Andheri. Though there is no minimum order size, a delivery fee of Rs. 15 will be levied on each order.

The company said it plans to expand the reach of UberEats in India to six cities before the end of the year, but it did not disclose which cities it will hit. Uber’s entry into food delivery in India comes at a time when home-grown food start-ups, barring a few, are cash starved and have put expansion on hold. Ola, too dabbled in food, but its program was closed down last year after less than 12 months of operations.

UberEATS will primarily compete with Swiggy, FoodPanda and Zomato in the segment.

EATS first began as a pilot project in 2014 in Los Angeles, initially inside the core Uber app but it later got a standalone app. It entered Asia through a launch in Singapore back in March of last year, and across the region it is also available in Tokyo, Japan, and Bangkok, Thailand.