Uber India Strategy Call: Relaunch Pooled Shared Rides or Not?

You are a product manager at Uber. Uber Pool, the option that put riders heading in a similar direction into one car for a lower fare, is not currently offered in India. Leadership asks for your recommendation: should Uber bring it back in India? Give a clear decision and the reasoning behind it. ```hint Ask what has changed Pooling lives or dies on how many riders can be matched and on whether riders will share a car for a discount. Compare the conditions when the product disappeared with today's market, including what Uber already sells at the low end of price. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Which goal should the decision serve: more riders, cheaper car rides, better margins, or less traffic and pollution? - Why was the product withdrawn, and do those reasons still hold? - Must the answer cover all of India, or can it differ by city, corridor or time of day? - Over what time horizon is leadership deciding? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear recommendation with conditions, not only a list of pros and cons - Effects on riders, drivers and Uber's marketplace, including cannibalization of Uber's other low-price options - Pooling economics: rider density, match rate, detours and driver earnings per hour - India-specific factors: price sensitivity, cheaper alternatives such as autos and motorbike taxis, safety concerns about sharing with strangers, and local regulation - A way to test the decision, with success and stop criteria ### Follow-up Questions - Your pilot reaches a healthy match rate, but drivers' hourly earnings fall. What do you change? - How would you tell whether pooled riders are new to Uber or switching from Uber's solo rides? - A competitor launches pooled rides in your pilot city first. Does your recommendation change?