Taxi aggregation Uber is looking to make India the hub of its South Asian operations as it expands into other parts of the region, The Economic Times reported on Monday. The company, which launched in Bangladesh’s Dhaka in November, is also planning the launch of new features for the Indian market – its second largest after the United States.
The company’s South Asia president Amit Jain said Uber was investing “in all aspects” of its business in India. “We are also building a product and engineering team in Bengaluru that will over the next six months or so go to a size of 100 people,” he said. “The team in the country has grown significantly from 100 people 12 months ago to 800 people now.”
Some of the features planned for the Indian market include the integration of the company’s apps with people’s digital calendars, users searching for acquaintances via their contacts list and booking rides in advance. Head of Strategy and Planning for the company Prabhajeet Singh said the new features are being introduced based on feedback from riders and drivers associated with the company, The Indian Express reported. “Many of the features are unique to India,” he said.
The company has also opened its programming interface to developers and is partnering with third-party aggregators to provide Uber rides in bulk to people planning their weddings. Uber has made strategic moves in India following its exit from China after the sale of its operations there to local competitor Didi Chuxing.
In August, the California-based company introduced its “Dial an Uber” allowing potential riders to book a taxi through a mobile website. It also announced a new feature allowing the users of its mobile applications to book a cab for a person in a different location.
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