Uber is the world’s largest cab aggregator which has invested heavily into running their service in multiple countries in the world. To get a stronger foothold, the firm had launched uberMOTO in few cities of India and Thailand on a pilot basis. “uberMOTO enables riders to tap a button and get a motorbike ride in minutes. It’s a great way for people to save time and money on short trips and provides last mile connectivity at the most affordable price”.

Now, they are working to strike a chord with the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, and start a full-fledged bike-taxis in three metro cities in their home country, India. With prices starting at just ₹20 for the first 3 kilometers (that is just 30 cents for the first 1.86 miles), they are more affordable than public transports.

Bike taxis are gaining traction despite regulatory hurdles. MotoCorp’s Chairman, Pawan Munjal, has already invested in a Bangalore-based startup knows as Rapido which offers a mobile app platform for users to book rides for travelling solo.

Now, we have fresh information stating Hero and Uber looking at opportunities to strike a strategic alliance aimed at India’s two-wheeler taxi market. As reported by ET NOW, a source said “Things are at a very early stage and the plan is to look at jointly tapping the growing opportunities in the nascent domestic two-wheeler taxi market in India. Currently, the discussions between both parties are preliminary in nature and may not necessarily result in a strategic alliance or tie-up.”

In India, getting a streamlined taxi service throughout the country is much more difficult than in the USA or Europe. The reason being different states having different rules and regulations for such things to exist and operate in their respective states. This may include licensing, fare limits, or obligations for commercial use under the Motor Vehicles Act.

All that said, both the companies are known to handle such different allegations and difficulties as they are the best in their business. Mr. Munjal has also been quoted as saying “Nobody has talked about the Uber in two-wheelers, the two-wheeler taxis. This is something to ponder upon.”

If this takes a fine course, we might also see electric two-wheeled vehicles plying as taxis and help cut congestion in cities by getting people out of cars when they don’t need to use them, and by encouraging motorbike drivers to share their ride. It will also drastically reduce travel time and combat pollution woes.

Uber rides know the fact that India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world and they are confident that if they do tap this market, they can grow exponentially. And with Hero making most of those two-wheelers, it is not very difficult to see why such an alliance is not possible.

Since November last year, uberMoto is operating in three metro cities in India and in Bankok, Thailand, and all one needs is to access the uberMOTO app and book a ride just like you would book an Uber cab. uberMOTO drivers will have one helmet for the rider, and all riders and drivers must wear a helmet, as per the law.

Will it come to the States? I doubt it would be a good idea to implement it here. “In the US, people just need a reason to sue their fellow man. That opportunity will skyrocket when one gets on a back of a motorbike.“ says Armen Barseghyan on a social media site. “In addition to the concern of safety equipment, slapping someone on the back of a bike that has no experience doing so is just a bad idea.” added Chase Ularich.