Uber India has launched its first women-exclusive bike taxi service, ‘Uber Moto Women,’ in Bengaluru, offering a safer and more inclusive transportation option for women. This innovative service connects female riders with female drivers and is set to expand to major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad.
Uber Moto Women provides added comfort and safety by ensuring that female passengers are paired with women drivers. Drivers also have the flexibility to choose whether to accept only female riders or all passengers. To enhance security, Uber has introduced several safety features, including real-time trip sharing with up to five trusted contacts, phone number anonymisation, RideCheck to monitor route deviations and unexpected stops, and a dedicated 24/7 safety helpline offering priority support to women users. The bike taxi sector in India is growing rapidly, with over 280 million rides recorded in 2022. Bengaluru, a key market for Uber, generates more than 1 million monthly bike taxi rides. Despite the rise in popularity of bike taxis, they face regulatory challenges, as the Motor Vehicles Act does not yet include motorcycles as eligible vehicles for contract carriage services, leading to bans in some states. However, the Union government has proposed amendments to the Act, which could create a legal framework for bike taxis, allowing them to operate legally across the country. With the launch of Uber Moto Women and the anticipated expansion, the bike taxi industry is poised for significant changes, offering safer and more inclusive travel options for women across India’s major metropolitan cities.
