Uber e-rikshaws doing good business in Kolkata suburbs

Uber, which had launched 500 e-rickshaws on the city fringes like Barasat, Madhyamgram, and parts of the northern suburbs of Kolkata in Dum Dum and Baranagar, claimed it had received good response from customers seeking last-mile connectivity.

However, the three-wheeler segment, considered paratransit in transportation parlance, has restrictions as it cannot ply on the main corridors.
This 500 e-rickshaws, the first three-wheeler products on its platform in Kolkata, offer commute solutions, especially over short distances at a time when transportation has been an issue because of pandemic protocols.

Ride-hailing platform Ola, on the other hand, is also foraying into electric scooter manufacturing and plans to hit the market with its first vehicle in January next year, sources said. Ola has been planning electric mobility in Kolkata for a long time. Its layout includes introducing electric cabs, auto-rickshaws, buses, rooftop solar installations, charging stations, and battery-swapping experiments.

Riders are now able to book the micro-mobility product on the Uber app. The service will appear as `Uber Toto` alongside other familiar products like UberGo, Premier, Rentals and are now available in locations across Howrah, Barasat and Madhyamgram in North Kolkata, Rajarhat and Salt Lake in east Kolkata.