Coronavirus Impact: Uber India Follows In Ola's Footsteps, Lays Off Around 600 Employees

Following cab aggregator Ola, its competitor Uber India is laying off around 600 employees after being hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

The affected employees would be from across driver and rider support among other functions, said Pradeep Parameswaran, President for Uber's India and South Asia businesses.

The development comes just days after the OLA announced to lay off 1,400 employees as revenues fell 95 per cent in two months.

"The impact of Covid-19 and the unpredictable nature of the recovery has left Uber IndiaSA with no choice but to reduce the size of its workforce. Around 600 full-time positions across driver and rider support, as well as other functions, are being impacted," Parameswaran said in a statement.

"Today is an incredibly sad day for colleagues leaving the Uber family and all of us at the company. We made the decision now so that we can look to the future with confidence. I want to apologise to departing colleagues and extend my heartfelt thanks to them for their contributions to Uber, the riders, and the driver-partners we serve in India," he said.

According to the company's statement, the employees would be paid a minimum of 10 weeks worth of salary, along with medical insurance coverage for the next six months and outplacement support.

So far, Uber has globally laid off over 6,700 employees, news agency IANS reported.