Uber launches bike taxi service uberMOTO in Noida

Before starting the trip, Milon handed over a blue surgical cap to be worn by the pillion before wearing the helmet.

Although Milon didn't require a navigation app to reach the destination, there was no provision for the driver to place his smartphone to easily access it.

This might cause riders to constantly instruct the driver which may be opposite of Uber's aim to offer a frictionless experience. GoJek in Indonesia offers the same to its bikers.

However, uberMOTO proved to be reliable as it zoomed past the trafic smoothly where an uberPOOL or uberGo would've gotten stuck.

uberMOTO's launch comes as a precursor to UberEats launch in Noida where bikers are likely to carry food.

Uber's Indian rival Ola piloted its bike taxi service in April 2016 in Gurugram and offered services for Rs 0 during the odd-even trafic experiment by the NoidaDelhi government.

Meanwhile, uberMOTO offer started its operations in Gurugram under the 'car-free Tuesday' initiative at Rs 15. The service then charged Rs 3 per kilometer and Rs 1 per minute for a ride.

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Uber and Ola both launched their services in March 2016 in Bangalore with Ola Bike offering a minimum fare of Rs 30, Rs 2 per km and Re 1 per minute of trip time.

uberMOTO's minimum fare was Rs 15 followed by Rs 3 per km and Re 1 per minute of travel time.

Both Ola and Uber offer bike taxi services in Jaipur and Hyderabad too.

joseph.sebastian@nw18.com