Ola and Uber launch bike taxi services in Bengaluru

March 3, 2016

Bengaluru, Mar 3: On demand transportation providers Ola and Uber have announced the launch of bike taxi pilots in Bengaluru on the same day, starting at a minimum fare of Rs. 15, for UberMoto, and Rs. 30 for Ola Bikes.

olabikeUberMoto has been launched at Rs. 3 per kilometre, and Rs. 1 per minute of trip time, while Ola bikes are available at an introductory fare of Rs. 2 per km and Re. 1 per minute of trip time.

Ola app lists Bikes as the first option on its app, though we weren't able to find any available bike taxis in the vicinity. The UberMoto option wasn't available on the app at the time of filing, and the company said that will go live on Thursday.

In an emailed statement, Ola said that bike taxis will offer the same features as its cab service, including includes driver details displayed upfront, SOS, live tracking and seamless payment using Ola Money. Additionally, all pillion riders will be provided with helmets as mandated for their safety.

Uber said that it offers GPS tracking, 2-way feedback, and the ability to share trip details with family and friends. It is also taking registrations from people who own motorbikes and scooters to become drivers on the platform and recoup the costs of their trips.

Uber had launched its first motorcycle scheme in Thailand's capital Bangkok a week ago, where it competes with GrabTaxi, which already lets users book motorcycle taxis in some South East Asian countries.

"This will help users get to where they want to be within minutes, especially in traffic prone cities like ours," said Pranay Jivrajka, Chief Operating Officer at Ola. "We expect significant demand in the pilot phase and we will continue to scale this service up in the coming weeks to cover more areas in the city and serve more users."

"Enabling transportation at the push of a button, UberMoto will offer another affordable mobility option that will help people save time and money while helping cut congestion in our cities over time," said Amit Jain, President, Uber India.

Other startups operating in the two-wheeler on-demand taxi space include Baxi and M-taxi, which operate in Haryana, the second state in India to allow bike taxis as a mode of public transport.

HeyTaxi, which operates as a ride share and on demand delivery service in Mumbai and Bengaluru was reportedly told by the Mumbai's RTO division to shut down as it lacks government sanction, but is currently operational all across Mumbai, said Vikram Lakhotia, in an email to Gadgets 360. The app was functional and accepting bookings at the time of writing.

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Priyanka Sharma
 - 
Thursday, 3 Mar 2016

for bike tax also need to put two helmets, it wont run with helmet.

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News Network
April 29,2020

New Delhi, Apr 29: WhatsApp on Tuesday said it will now allow up to eight people to connect on a group video call as an increasing number of people turn to digital platforms to connect with friends and family amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Facebook-owned company said over the last month, people on average are spending over 15 billion minutes talking each day on WhatsApp calls, well above a typical day before the pandemic.

"...we see that people all over the world are turning to voice and video calling on WhatsApp more than ever before. Group calling has been particularly useful and our users have asked to connect with more people at once," WhatsApp said in a blogpost.

Starting Tuesday, the company is doubling the number of participants one can have on a WhatsApp video or voice call from 4 to 8 people at a time, it added.

WhatsApp emphasised that like written messages, all calls on its platform are protected with end-to-end encryption.

"We have built group calling in a way that makes it available for as many users as possible, including people on lower-end devices and slow network conditions," it added.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

WhatsApp said that to access the new, higher participant limit on WhatsApp calls, all participants in a call need to update to the latest version of WhatsApp available on iPhone or Android.

Video calling tools like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and others have also seen a significant jump in userbase and traffic as people connect while maintaining social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Last week, Facebook had introduced Messenger Rooms that will soon hold up to 50 people with no time limit.

It had added that the company will also add ways to create rooms from Instagram Direct, WhatsApp and Portal.

Noting that between WhatsApp and Messenger, more than 700 million accounts participate in calls every day, Facebook had said, adding that video calling on Messenger and WhatsApp more than doubled in many countries.

Also, views of Facebook Live and Instagram Live videos have also increased significantly in March, it said.

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News Network
July 9,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 9: Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Wednesday said the private hospitals in the state have joined hands with the state government in the fight against COVID-19 and will provide 3,500 beds for patients.

"The meeting with managements of private hospitals has been successful and they have agreed to provide 3,500 beds for COVID-19 treatment," he said while addressing a press conference.

Pointing out that the step would help in providing more beds for COVID-19 patients, he added, "The state government is thankful to the private sector for joining hands with the government in this fight against the pandemic. Apart from beds, private hospitals will also run COVID-19 care centres in collaboration with hotels to treat asymptomatic and people with mild symptoms. Together with beds and COVID-19 care centres, private hospitals will add 6,000 to 7,000 beds in coming days," he said while addressing a press conference.

The minister while clarifying on JJM Medical College stipend issue said he had a number of meetings with the college as also the CM. "Held several meetings with the college management in this regard. I also discussed the same with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. He already asked the college management to release the stipend of Resident Doctors and PG Medicos immediately. Now it is up to the college management to act.

Urging the residents of the state to fight the pandemic with honesty, the minister said, "We should be honest about the virus and get tested ourselves without hiding it. Wearing masks, social distancing and following government guidelines are the weapon against COVID-19, which would help us to win this war."

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News Network
January 19,2020

Chikkamagaluru, Jan 19: A Chikkamagaluru court on Saturday were sentenced to death two persons convicted of rape and murder 18-year-old girl in 2016.

Pradeep M, 32, and Santhosh, 24, of Vykuntapura in Sringeri taluk raped a 18-year-old girl while she was returning home from college on Februrary 16, 2016.

The crime in which a first year B.Com student who was walking towards her home in a footway was stopped, raped and murdered by the duo. The killers then had dumped her body in a discarded well.

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