India development centres driving global innovations, says Uber

US-based ride hailing app Uber is betting big on its development centres in India in Bengaluru and Hyderabad for driving innovation, especially in areas like ride booking and vehicle telematics to enhance rider and driver experience globally. The company, which has about 150 people across its development teams in the two Indian cities, is also looking to scale up its operations here.

“India is one of our key development centres and we have a strong commitment here. We have lots of innovation coming out of here (India) for the Indian market but also for the entire world, the most prominent one being cash. Cash is used (to pay for rides) in many countries now,” Uber Global Head of Product Daniel Graf told PTI. Uber has development centres across the US, Amsterdam and Denmark.

“In markets like India, we are still in hyper-growth mode, we put in investments to get to a sustainable phase. In India, we are investing in technology, people,” he said. India is one of the largest markets for Uber, especially after it exited its China business last year. Uber is locked in an intense battle for market leadership in the Indian market with SoftBank-backed Ola. Talking about the India development centres, Graf said the company is exploring several avenues to enhance the rider experience.