Uber had thus far had been providing customers all manner of ways to travel on roads through cars and bikes, but it’ll now allow them to ride the waves too.
Uber has launched a boat hailing service on Kashmir’s Dal lake. Called Uber Shikara, it’ll allow customers to book a traditional Shikara in Dal lake in Srinagar. Uber already offers water transportation services in some areas like London, but this is the first time that it’s launching a boat service in India.
Under Uber Shikara, users will be able to book Shikaras through their Uber apps, much like they’d book a cab. The shikaras, though, have to be booked between 12 hours to 15 days before a ride. Unlike with cabs, Uber will not charge any commission from the boat operators, and transfer the entire amount customers pay directly to them. “Uber Shikara is our humble attempt to blend technology and tradition to give a seamless experience to travellers for their Shikara ride,” said Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and South Asia.
The shikaras in Kashmir are usually not used for transportation, but are popular among tourists for taking boat rides in the scenic waters of the lake. Since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, relative peace has returned to the Kashmir valley, which has also led to a greater inflow of tourists in the area. Kashmir has also seen a resurgence in other areas, with cinema theatres and malls opening since after 2019, and golf and cricket tournaments now being held in the valley.
Uber’s Shikara rides seem to be another example of the normalization. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time a water taxi has been mooted in India — in 2015, Ola had signed an MoU with the government of Assam to operate a water taxi on the Brahmaputra river. And with a government-operated water metro already running in Kerala, there might end up being more moves in the water sector among India’s ride-hailing apps.