Bloomberg reported that the US-based company was considering selling the Indian business, but “suspended talks after tech startup valuations plummeted.”
In a statement shared with IANS, an Uber spokesperson said the company had never considered leaving India – not even for a minute – and the report was “categorically untrue”.
“India is as important to Uber today as it was when we launched nine years ago. We serve passengers and drivers in more than 100 cities, hire Indian talent aggressively and plan for the next decade and beyond,” the company spokesperson said.
Uber competes with SoftBank
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in April it would expand its product offering and team in India.
“We continue to expand the product offering for the Indian consumer. Whether it’s automobiles, motorcycles or high capacity or rental vehicles, India has always been a very big part of the journey. Uber,” he said at the Virtual i3 summit hosted by Pont des temps.
Uber aims to expand its engineering talent in India to more than 1,000 people from the current 700, he said.
Last month,
To take the frustration out of passengers and drivers, the company also tells drivers about travel destinations before they decide to take the ride.
“Drivers at Uber’s advisory board meeting told us they would like more flexibility around payments. We are now showing drivers how to pay (cash or online) before the trip begins,” the company said.
To make cash or online decision irrelevant, the company has also introduced a daily payment process for drivers.
With these changes, the company said it is also raising its expectations for quality of service with drivers, particularly in areas such as cancellation and guaranteed AC rides.
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