Can Uber Really Bring The Ride-Hailing Wave To Indian Waters?

On a cold winter evening in Paris in 2008, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp couldn’t get a ride. That’s when the idea for Uber was born: tap a button and get a ride wherever you are. A couple of years later, Uber, also, enabled riders to have ice cream delivered to them. This was before Uber Eats was a thing, having been launched in 2014. Of course, in India, in 2020, Uber sold its Indian Uber Eats business to Zomato, exiting India’s food delivery market. Uber, also, introduced a delivery option, where people could have packages delivered, amongst other features and ideas.

So, what’s new and what’s next for Uber in India?

In December 2024, Uber launched “Uber Shikara”, which is said to be Asia’s first water transport service, which would be available on Dal Lake. A shikara’s a wooden boat. So, for anyone potentially interested in the romance or tranquility of a boat ride, it might be a tap away. Available between 10 am to 5 pm, this is said to be able to accommodate up to 4 passengers and people can book these rides as early as 15 days in advance. 

This might be similar to Kerala’s water metro in Kochi, but, maybe the water metro might be for a large number of passengers in electric or hybrid form. Interestingly, it’s said that shikaras help aerate lakes by circulating water and improving water ecology, so this might be a way for commerce to help with the environment.

So far, those who have cars or those who are drivers might have flirted with the gig economy using Uber, so this might provide that momentum for boatpersons or boat operators. Right now, there aren’t commissions that Uber would take and it would go directly to the boat operators, but would that change in the future?

If Uber Shikara is successful on Dal Lake, it may lead to opportunities for boatpersons in Kerala or Goa or other places. Of course, when it comes to more urban rivers, there could be heavy traffic from fishing or pollution issues. An Uber on the road could mean that a person can request a stop anywhere, but with waterways, what’s the state of India’s docking infrastructure for getting on and getting off? Could Uber mean that this kind of infrastructure gets augmented over time? That could mean a business creating positive change and innovation around them.

And just like how there’s been a ride-hailing platform vs cab friction, could that situation lead to murky waters for Uber Shikara vs traditional boat operators? Because at some point, the odds are that Uber will go back to paying attention to their bottom line and the altruism towards boat operators in terms of commissions may change. Plus, since the ecological component might be of some interest, would large-scale water transport services do anything harmful to water ecosystems? 

Interestingly, in the US, there’s something called Uber Copter, where people could book helicopters for short rides in congested urban areas. While helicopters are seen as something for the super-rich, is this something that could work for India? Is this the next Sarfira to democratize helicopter ride services for the everyday person? Or would it just be for HNIs in gridlocked areas? Would price sensitivity be an issue or would Uber Copter in India potentially have the iPhone effect? Would India create that many heliports for this service?

So, with Uber Shikara, will boat operators be the hunters or the hunted? The next innovation is 5 minutes away from your location.