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Reuters

Uber launched a water transport hailing service on scenic Dal Lake in India’s Kashmir region this week, offering rides on boats popular with tourists.
Users of the service can book trips on the lake’s traditional wooden shikaras if they make reservations at least 12 hours and up to 15 days in advance, Uber officials said.
The ride-hailing app already offers water transport services in London and some other cities but this is its first in India.
Around 4,000 shikaras, often ornately decorated and canopied, operate on Dal Lake and are popular with locals as well as tourists.

Uber will match customers with shikara operators but will not charge a fee on rides booked through its app. All the money paid by passengers would go to the Shikara operator, it said.
“Uber Shikara is our humble attempt to blend technology and tradition to give a seamless experience to travellers for their shikara ride,” said Prabhjeet Singh, president of Uber India and South Asia.
Shikara operators were divided on Uber’s entry to their sector, with some saying it would boost their business now that tourists can book rides well in advance, while others insisted it would make little difference.
“It will boost our business. There will be fixed rates, no cheating, and no scope for bargaining,” said Wali Mohammad Bhatt, president of the Shikara Owners Association.

Shikara operator Shabir Ahmed was sceptical, saying operators would not be affected.
“We have our own customer base,” he said.
Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by India and Pakistan. The part under India’s control – the country’s only mainland Muslim-majority region – has been marred by violence for decades as militants fight security forces.
However, tensions have lessened in recent years and the Kashmir Valley has seen a gradual rise in the number of tourists.


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Uber launches boat-hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake

A view of Dal Lake in winter, and the beautiful mountain range in the background in the city of Srinagar, Kashmir, India.

Uber signs on shikaras  after Uber launched its first water transport service on the waters of Dal Lake, one of Kashmir’s main tourist attractions, in Srinagar, India. Photo: Reuters

Shikaras are popular with tourists and locals in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir state, India. Photo: Shutterstock

A shikara crosses Srinagar’s Dal Lake during the winter, with houseboats and the Himalayas in the background. Photo: Shutterstock

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Dal Lake’s popular shikaras can now be hailed by phone, as tourism returns to India’s northernmost region


Dal Lake’s popular shikaras can now be hailed by phone, as tourism returns to India’s northernmost region.


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