Commuters in Calcutta would soon have the option to call their own private buses for a shared ride.

Ridesharing App Uber signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state transport department at the Bengal Global Business Summit 2023 on Wednesday to launch ‘Uber Shuttle’, a bus service for daily commute in the city. With a first of its kind partnership, the new service would provide commuters tech-optimized mobility choice using private bus fleets, the company claimed.

As part of this MoU, signed between Saumitra Mohan, transport department secretary and Shiva Shailendran, Director - Operations, Uber India & South Asia, Uber has proposed to invest USD 10 million by 2025 and create approximately 50,000 livelihood opportunities in the city in the next 5 years, the company stated.

Uber signs MoU with Bengal transport department at BGBS 2023 on Wednesday. Sourced by The Telegraph Online.

“The launch of Uber Shuttle will help in tackling road congestion while getting more people to commute in fewer vehicles which, in turn, helps reduce carbon emissions,” a statement from Uber read.

As for the commuters, the services would operate in a mode similar to that of pre-booked cabs from the Uber app, only this time the pre-booking of seats can be done up to a week in advance. All that a passenger would need to do is follow the live location and route of the bus, and know its expected time of arrival (ETA), just like they can do with an Uber cab. “This will bring alive a convenient commute experience with no standing passengers, cashless payments, and round-the-clock safety support from Uber including having access to a 24 by 7 Safety Line,” the company stated.

By March 2024, Uber will run approximately 60 air-conditioned buses on predefined routes, connecting business districts with residential areas of the city, it was learnt. Buses will run on each route from 6 am to 10 pm daily, Uber confirmed. Each shuttle vehicle will have a seating capacity of 19 to 50 persons and the buses will be run by local fleet partners using Uber’s technology, the company added.

“Our partnership with Uber is another step in the government’s commitment to improve public transport services and expand available transport options to make commuting hassle-free,” Mohan said.

“This partnership is special as the first partnership of its kind that will bring the magic of Uber rides to buses. By giving commuters more transport options to choose from, and creating livelihood opportunities for drivers, we are confident that this initiative will set us on a path of collective win,” Shailendran added.