Technology has penetrated lives far and wide. Today, every Smartphone is loaded with mobile applications that help an individual to accomplish daily tasks easily. Be it as complex as monitoring business activities, or as simple as hailing a cab, mobile apps seem to be the answer to almost every challenge thrown at us by life’s modern day dilemmas.
Uber’s USP
Uber is one such popular multi-platform mobile app for booking taxis and cabs. Uber has completely disrupted the taxi booking industry by bringing in its highly effective taxi software integrated into a mobile app.
Uber’s competitive tariffs and customer friendly services have helped them grab a majority of the market share, so much so that, people prefer using Uber in place of their own vehicle or public transport. As a matter of fact, in India, Uber’s per km charges are even lower than those of auto rickshaws! Following the massive gains made by Uber, many new taxi booking services are going for an Uber app clone for their own business ventures.
Uber’s Working Strategy
After its stupendous success in western countries, Uber forayed into the Asia Pacific region with an ultra-aggressive approach. Their job advertisement looked like they are trying to hire covert agents called Launchers and asking them to find out everything about who and what makes the particular city run. This helps them to build a market for Uber from scratch within weeks, in a city where they have no presence.
But with this ultra-aggressive approach, Uber has raised a very serious question What is Uber’s ultimate goal? According to some conspiracy theorists, they have cash rich coffers, strong lobbying, and aggressive expansion plans. So are they trying to become a Superpower and privatize the city organization? In this article, let’s explore the possible future plans of Uber.
- Anti-Establishment Tactics
Using its financial muscle and aggressive lobbying, Uber has managed to alter the government rules and regulations to its liking and has even managed to operate out of the ambit of directives of the state and central governments. Uber seems more interested in having a big say in the city planning and development.
Uber is seen as an anti-establishment player, who wants to operate outside the defined framework of policies and does not want to own any responsibility for owning the cabs or hiring the drivers as employees. Giving the customers a perception that they have the control, Uber has been integrating data-driven services into daily lives. By empowering the customers with on-demand services, it has created a platform that will outlast even Uber itself.
- Technological Politics
Whereas traditional politics is played as an Ideological battle, what Uber and other similar players with Uber clone app, are indulging in, is the Technological Battle. They are getting the users to become dependent on them and become their pawns in outwitting the competition.
- App Based Governance
Many experts have observed that the way Uber is redesigning its taxi software operations; soon it would replace the existing public transport systems and emerge as a better alternative, thereby becoming a Private Utility company. It is being speculated that from a taxi operator, it would become an infrastructure operator by offering better and optimized mode of transportation.
But these speculations seem to be too grim. Though Uber is clearly interested in becoming an alternative to public transportation, it won’t be willing to manage and regulate the entire fleet of vehicles on the road. It would emerge as a disruptive force, it intentions seems more likely tilted towards becoming a power player who plays a major role in city governance and uses its database to impact urban development policies.
Parting Thoughts
Uber is looking to shape the way we live, travel and work. much like the rules and regulations of the government. The major difference being us following these players dictums voluntarily, as compared to those laid down by the government. They are laying down a blueprint of Technological Politics to control the transportation landscape.
The way Uber has designed its taxi software to capture as much user data as possible and then use it to offer targeted services, it seems that they have much bigger plans than just become the biggest taxi booking service provider. Following its success, many other operators have developed their own Uber Clone App to be able to fight out this battle for data.
The way it is panning out, things are headed towards Networked Urbanization, a term brought on by behemoths like Uber and Didi Cabs. They will seek to utilize big data analytics systems and integrate it with the machines running the transportation business. As an end outcome, there will be more data to churn and new insights to unravel – a sign that things are going in the right direction when it comes to enhancing technological prowess for making lives better.
Ritesh
