Pursuits
Uber, Ola Open New Rickshaw Battlefront in Smaller Indian Cities
- Indian startup expanding three-wheeled services to 24 cities
- Uber, Ola move deeper into the hinterland in quest for growth
CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA - 2015/12/30: A busy street in Chennai. Life gets back to normalcy after the heavy floods.
Photographer: Subhendu Sarkar/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Ola and Uber Technologies Inc. are squaring off across yet another battlefront: three-wheeled auto-rickshaws in India’s poorer second-tier cities.
India’s largest ride-hailing startup began offering rickshaw rides in a dozen cities across the less-affluent hinterland on Wednesday. Its U.S.-based rival started a service just last week using the iconic three-wheeled vehicles, popular in smaller cities for their ability to squeeze through jam-packed streets.