Uber CEO calls Rapido its toughest rival in India, overtaking Ola
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi named Rapido as Uber’s toughest rival in India, overtaking Ola, crediting its aggressive subscription-led bike-taxi model while stressing India’s critical role in Uber’s global growth.
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Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said that Rapido has displaced Ola as the company’s fiercest competitor in India, citing the bike-taxi startup’s aggressive two- and three-wheeler push backed by a zero-commission subscription model.
“Ola used to be our main competition. I’d say now the tougher competition in India is Rapido. They got into two-wheelers and three-wheelers really aggressively with a zero-commission subscription model. Very scrappy as well. Ola is now kind of a distant third,” Khosrowshahi said on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast released Sunday.
The Uber chief stressed that India is a “must-win” market for the company, calling it Uber’s third-largest globally with 1.4 million drivers across autos, bikes, three-wheelers and cars. “India is a must-win for Uber, not just tomorrow, but ten years from now,” he said.
Khosrowshahi acknowledged that Rapido’s driver-friendly model gave it early traction but questioned its sustainability. “They’re not making money yet. The real test is whether they can grow profitably. We have a lot of respect for them and intend to compete really hard,” he added.
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He also touched on Uber’s broader strategy, describing the platform as a “local operating system for everyday life” spanning rides, food, grocery, and retail deliveries. On autonomous vehicles, Khosrowshahi predicted a 20-year horizon for India, citing high costs and infrastructure gaps.
Despite Uber’s global scale, Khosrowshahi said he pushes to keep a startup mindset. “Within these walls, we want to act like a startup. Outside, we have to recognise we are a big company, and that comes with responsibility,” he noted.
