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N. Akhtar and P. N. Kuriakose
3.1.3 Disruptive Mobility in India
On-demand mobility is no longer a foreign concept to India. Uber crossed 500 million
rides in Indian cities in August 2017. In four years, the company outreached 29
cities and achieved this mark [38]. Ola cabs, the homegrown competitor of Uber, is
growing just as rapidly. World Resources Institute (WRI), India found that impacts
of disruptive/new mobility companies can be classified into four categories [41].
The term ‘new mobility’ refers to those companies which utilize technology to
provide transportation services in new ways. The disruptions focus on re-inventing
delivery, ownership, utilizing connectivity and data in different ways and even
decreasing or eliminating the exploitation of non-renewable resources. WRI India,
after interviewing representatives from the 60 companies, classified them into 21
categories based on Business models, Target audience, and Services offered. These
21 categories were then grouped on the basis of additional factors like technology
employed, potential impact, and area of disruption. This created four major areas of
activity and this categorization further helps us to understand the ways in which this
new mobility is impacting urban transportation.
Shared mobility describes the transportation models wherein options are shared
among its customers. This includes the Transit Network Companies (TNCs) like
Uber, Ola, and Lyft. Though all mass transit and public transit modes come under the
category of shared modes, the term ‘shared mobility’ is used for those models which
accelerate their market presence and accessibility by utilizing mobile technology,
especially GPS and smartphone applications. There are further three varieties of
shared mobility models:
• Ridesharing is the mutual sharing of transportation facilities for passengers
moving in the same direction at the same time. It includes carpool, auto-rickshaw
sharing, taxi sharing, and bus aggregator.
• Ridehailing or drive procurement applies to Internet-based for-hire vehicles used
consecutively by travelers, like taxis, road taxis, and auto-rickshaws and are
referred to as aggregators and on-demand firms.
• Vehicle sharing is a constant usage of properties without possession. Such versions
provide riders with exposure to automobiles such as motorcycles, cars, and
motorbikes for limited periods of time.
Commuter experience applies to models that often promote increased accessibility
environment for commuters, mostly by information exchange that lets consumers
make smarter decisions. There are two sectors in India in which private enterprises
have emerged:
• Seamless payments and technology include models that provide consumers with
transit routing/ scheduling, trip planning and traffic flow (congestion) details
across modes and the opportunity to pay directly for public transport as well
as privately provided transportation services.
N. Akhtar and P. N. Kuriakose
3.1.3 Disruptive Mobility in India
On-demand mobility is no longer a foreign concept to India. Uber crossed 500 million
rides in Indian cities in August 2017. In four years, the company outreached 29
cities and achieved this mark [38]. Ola cabs, the homegrown competitor of Uber, is
growing just as rapidly. World Resources Institute (WRI), India found that impacts
of disruptive/new mobility companies can be classified into four categories [41].
The term ‘new mobility’ refers to those companies which utilize technology to
provide transportation services in new ways. The disruptions focus on re-inventing
delivery, ownership, utilizing connectivity and data in different ways and even
decreasing or eliminating the exploitation of non-renewable resources. WRI India,
after interviewing representatives from the 60 companies, classified them into 21
categories based on Business models, Target audience, and Services offered. These
21 categories were then grouped on the basis of additional factors like technology
employed, potential impact, and area of disruption. This created four major areas of
activity and this categorization further helps us to understand the ways in which this
new mobility is impacting urban transportation.
Shared mobility describes the transportation models wherein options are shared
among its customers. This includes the Transit Network Companies (TNCs) like
Uber, Ola, and Lyft. Though all mass transit and public transit modes come under the
category of shared modes, the term ‘shared mobility’ is used for those models which
accelerate their market presence and accessibility by utilizing mobile technology,
especially GPS and smartphone applications. There are further three varieties of
shared mobility models:
• Ridesharing is the mutual sharing of transportation facilities for passengers
moving in the same direction at the same time. It includes carpool, auto-rickshaw
sharing, taxi sharing, and bus aggregator.
• Ridehailing or drive procurement applies to Internet-based for-hire vehicles used
consecutively by travelers, like taxis, road taxis, and auto-rickshaws and are
referred to as aggregators and on-demand firms.
• Vehicle sharing is a constant usage of properties without possession. Such versions
provide riders with exposure to automobiles such as motorcycles, cars, and
motorbikes for limited periods of time.
Commuter experience applies to models that often promote increased accessibility
environment for commuters, mostly by information exchange that lets consumers
make smarter decisions. There are two sectors in India in which private enterprises
have emerged:
• Seamless payments and technology include models that provide consumers with
transit routing/ scheduling, trip planning and traffic flow (congestion) details
across modes and the opportunity to pay directly for public transport as well
as privately provided transportation services.