Uber now brings UberEATs to India, a food-requesting app

After receiving a crackling response to the on-demand taxi aggregator services Uber brought to India from USA, they're all set to replicate another LA success story on Indian territory. UberEATS, started in 2014 as a small delivery pilot in Los Angeles, is now all set to take on India. UberEATs is an on-demand food delivery app powered by Uber, wherein they partner with the best local restaurants to get you the food you want, delivered faster.

Uber claims that it has "grown incredibly fast," in the United States, and went on to get its own stand-alone app, which was then scaled to cover 58 cities around the globe. A statement released by Uber says that India will be a major step in their regional expansion, following the launch in Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taipei.

A blog post detailing this launch says that their standalone app will make "getting great food as easy as pushing a button" and "requesting a ride."

“I am incredibly excited about bringing UberEATS to India. This is a significant investment, it spans multiple cities and regions, and it has the potential to change the food industry - with the push of a button - in one of the most vibrant food cultures in the world,” says Allen Penn, the Asia Pacific Head of UberEATS.

UberEATs is powered by the same technology that makes its transport mobile app efficient and cost-effective. Their model to help everyone discover great food is 'through the perfect pairing of amazing restaurant partners, (their) technology, and the Uber delivery network.'

Restaurants, on the other hand, can expand their businesses and can tap into the Uber delivery network by reaching new potential customers. And their delivery partners now get access to flexible earning. UberEATs will give consumers, restaurant partners, and delivery partners more options across India.

Their request forms for restaurant and delivery partners state the names of six cities - Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai, so, one can safely assume that they have set their sails for these major Indian cities for their pilot here. The post also invites customers to pitch in and "shape UberEATs India," by listing their favourite restaurants. 

UberEATs is poised to take on a $78 billion dollar market opportunity that’s growing 16 percent yearly. Its key competitor, India-born-and-bred cab aggregator Ola, had also tried to test the waters in hyperlocal grocery and food delivery services with Ola Cafe and Ola Store in three cities - Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Gurgaon. Ola Cafe exhibited only a few items from a select few restaurants in a consumer’s vicinity, to be able to offer quick delivery more than discovery. They shut shop for both verticals after crumbling under the competition provided by market leaders like Swiggy.