Uber Joins Hands With IPO-Bound Shadowfax To Fuel Bike Taxi Offering

In an effort to fuel its two wheeler rides, Uber has joined hands with IPO-bound logistics services provider ShadowFax to integrate the latters’ two wheeler fleet with the ride-hailing majors’ UberMoto bike taxi offering.

The riders who drive for Shadowfax will now be able to switch during less hours of work and provide bike-taxi services for UberMoto.

The move will further allow Uber to bolster its bike taxi services with additional two wheelers and launch operations in towns where Shadowfax is present.

“This partnership with a third party logistics provider will materially unlock the supply of two wheelers on Uber while creating additional earning opportunities for drivers on the Shadowfax platform,” Arnab Kumar, director of business development, Uber India and South Asia said in a statement.

“This integration is in line with our ambition to truly become the operating system for multiple form factors and we are incredibly excited about the potential of this partnership for Uber Moto’s growth,” Kumar added.

This development comes weeks after Uber announced the relaunch of its high-end Uber Black service in India, starting with Mumbai, after a gap of almost a decade.

The competition amid ride hailing service providers is getting stronger with new players entering the industry with unique offerings to broaden its customer base. 

For instance, a few weeks ago, Bengaluru-based unicorn Rapido was reportedly looking to place a bet on fully electrifying its bike taxi fleet in Delhi by next year.

Meanwhile, in late August, ride hailing startup Namma Yatri was also in initial talks with multiple American taxi unions to foray into the US cab market to compete with platforms such as Lyft and Uber, as per reports.

Founded in 2015 by Vaibhav Khandelwal and Abhishek Bansal, Shadowfax provides hyper-local and on-demand deliveries to businesses. Notably, the startup works with ecommerce platforms like Flipkart and Meesho. 

Praharsh Chandra, cofounder and chief business officer at Shadowfax said, “At Shadowfax, we are committed to driving innovation and adding value for our drivers and delivery partners. Our ‘One app, all opportunities’ platform will empower our partners to tap into new streams of income, whether through last-mile deliveries or mobility solutions like UberMoto.”

Additionally, Shadowfax is reportedly planning to raise INR 2,500 – 3,000 Cr through an IPO at a valuation of INR 5,000 – 8,000 Cr.

Updated at 02:38 PM