Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that Indians are extremely demanding, but unwilling to pay. The Uber top boss was in conversation with Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani in Bengaluru at an interactive session on building population scale technology.
“India is one of the toughest markets out there. If we can succeed here, we can succeed anywhere,” Khosrowshahi said. Uber is also planning to expand to low cost service segments of two and three-wheelers in India. The company will be getting into bus services in some of the geographies. “It is also an extraordinary opportunity for us to expand our services to a wider population. We don’t just want to be an upper-middle-class product. We want to be available to everybody.”
Khosrowshahi said companies and govts around the world can learn from the scale and ambition of India’s digital public infrastructure. He added that as a technology company, Uber views open-source tech stacks with a lot of interest and recognises the opportunities they bring for everyone.
Khosrowshahi highlighted Uber's evolving approach post-pandemic, emphasizing a heightened focus on enhancing the experience for both customers and drivers. Uber has partnered with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to explore integrating with the network and expanding mobility offerings on its app.
Despite facing significant challenges, including an 85% drop in volumes overnight during lockdowns, Uber reported $3 billion in profits during the pandemic. Operating in 125 cities across India, Uber has completed 3 billion trips in the past decade.