Uber Takes Bike Services To 100 More Cities Amid Intense Competition

Uber has expanded its bike taxi service, Uber Bike, to an additional 100 cities across India, bringing the total number of cities served to 118. The ride-hailing giant asserts its presence in over 220 cities within the country, with a particular focus on small towns to strengthen its position in the two-wheeler mobility market. Currently operational in 18 states and one union territory, Uber Bike is available in cities like Jammu, Tirunelveli, Silchar, and Jamnagar.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, welcomed the service expansion and advocated for the adoption of the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2025 to support bike taxis and other new mobility services. He emphasized the Guidelines' role in providing affordable first- and last-mile connectivity while fostering livelihood creation at scale.

However, bike taxis have been a subject of debate across various states, with only Goa and Uttar Pradesh officially permitting the service. Other states, such as Maharashtra and Karnataka, have not yet adopted bike taxis.

The recent expansion follows Uber's recent equity infusion of approximately ₹2,921 crore into its India business as competition intensifies. Uber Bike's market leader, Rapido, has established a significant presence in around 400 cities and holds nearly 60% market share in the segment. The news of the bike taxi expansion follows Uber's departure of CEO Prabhjeet Singh, who is joining OpenAI as the managing director for India operations in September.

Rishant Ghosh, currently the director of consumer & growth at Uber India and South Asia, will assume leadership of Uber's India business. For the fiscal year 2025 (FY25), Uber India Systems reported a net loss of ₹1,511 crore, more than 15 times the previous year's loss, while gross revenue remained relatively stable at ₹2,604 crore. The company has not yet released its FY26 financial results.