• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechConnected Logistics

Uber Says Didi Deal Frees Resources for Key Indian Market

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 7, 2016, 12:28 PM ET
Coatue Hedge Fund Bets on Didi, China's Apple-Backed Uber Rival
The icon for Didi Chuxing application, left, is displayed on a smartphone screen in this arranged photograph taken in Shanghai, China, on Sunday, May 22, 2016. Philippe Laffont's Coatue Management LLC, which manages more than $7 billion, has backed China's biggest ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing as it competes with Uber Technologies Inc. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesQilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

U.S. ride-hailing firm Uber said that the recent deal to fold its China operations into local rival Didi Chuxing would allow it to invest more in India, where it has recorded rapid growth this year, according to a letter to investors obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

Three years after it launched in India, Uber (UBER) says it now operates in 28 cities and is completing 5.5 million passenger car trips per week.

That compares with just 65,000 per week in January, 2015, and marks an increase of more than threefold from the 1.6 million trips a week in India in January of this year, the three-page investor note said.

Didi’s acquisition of Uber’s Chinese business last month ended a cutthroat battle there, allowing the San Francisco-based company to redirect its efforts at challenging homegrown Indian competitor Ola.

“Some of our fastest growth is in India, and the merger with Didi frees up resources for additional investment in our customer experience and technology there,” said the letter dated Sept. 7.

The stakes for ride-hailing firms are particularly high in India, already one of the world’s fastest growing taxi markets, as choking cities leave fewer Indians the room or appetite to buy their own cars.

Uber insiders said at the time that the Didi deal would allow it to double down on resources, staffing, and technology in the Indian market.

Uber declined to comment when asked about the letter.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Uber, co-founded in 2009 by Travis Kalanick, has gone on to become the world’s most valuable startup worth $70 billion.

The details of Uber’s operating performance in India have not been previously reported. Uber now completes more than one million car trips per week in the Indian capital New Delhi and in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru.

“India is now our largest market outside of the United States and accounts for 12% of all Uber trips globally,” the letter said.

Uber hosts 400,000 drivers on its platform in India, around half of which are active. It also has more than five million monthly active riders, which is the second-largest outside the United States.

India, a nation of 1.3 billion whose population is set to overtake China’s by 2022 according to the United Nations, poses a unique set of challenges to ride-hailing firms.

In Delhi, Uber faced a regulatory backlash against its so-called “surge” pricing model that ramps up fares at busy times.

It has also just launched a “dial an Uber” feature in some cities with patchy network coverage that makes it easier to order a cab for someone else.

Commenting on Uber’s broader strategy, the letter said the company would focus on ride-sharing service UberPOOL, food delivery app UberEATS, and self-driving cars that will undergo first pilot tests this month in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh.

UberPOOL is now available in 30 cities around the world and accounts for approximately 20% of all trips globally, the letter said. That compares with a share of 25% in the six Indian cities where UberPOOL is now available.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

AIchief executive officer (CEO)
Microsoft AI boss Suleyman opens up about his peers and calls Elon Musk a ‘bulldozer’ with ‘superhuman capabilities to bend reality to his will’
By Jason MaDecember 13, 2025
8 hours ago
InvestingStock
There have been head fakes before, but this time may be different as the latest stock rotation out of AI is just getting started, analysts say
By Jason MaDecember 13, 2025
14 hours ago
Politicsdavid sacks
Can there be competency without conflict in Washington?
By Alyson ShontellDecember 13, 2025
14 hours ago
InnovationRobots
Even in Silicon Valley, skepticism looms over robots, while ‘China has certainly a lot more momentum on humanoids’
By Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressDecember 13, 2025
16 hours ago
Sarandos
Arts & EntertainmentM&A
It’s a sequel, it’s a remake, it’s a reboot: Lawyers grow wistful for old corporate rumbles as Paramount, Netflix fight for Warner
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 13, 2025
20 hours ago
Oracle chairman of the board and chief technology officer Larry Ellison delivers a keynote address during the 2019 Oracle OpenWorld on September 16, 2019 in San Francisco, California.
AIOracle
Oracle’s collapsing stock shows the AI boom is running into two hard limits: physics and debt markets
By Eva RoytburgDecember 13, 2025
21 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs are taxes and they were used to finance the federal government until the 1913 income tax. A top economist breaks it down
By Kent JonesDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
40% of Stanford undergrads receive disability accommodations—but it’s become a college-wide phenomenon as Gen Z try to succeed in the current climate
By Preston ForeDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The Fed just ‘Trump-proofed’ itself with a unanimous move to preempt a potential leadership shake-up
By Jason MaDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Apple CEO Tim Cook out-earns the average American’s salary in just 7 hours—to put that into context, he could buy a new $439,000 home in just 2 days
By Emma BurleighDecember 12, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
For the first time since Trump’s tariff rollout, import tax revenue has fallen, threatening his lofty plans to slash the $38 trillion national debt
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 12, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.