BluSmart leverages Uber to stay on road; drivers to operate on both platforms

The deal is expected to enable BluSmart drivers access a larger pool of ride opportunities

EV ride-hailing firm BluSmart is transitioning to a hybrid model in partnership with Uber, allowing its drivers to accept ride requests from both platforms, according to sources familiar with the development.

The move is expected to help Uber expand the fleet for its electric vehicle (EV) service, Uber Green, while enabling BluSmart drivers to access a larger pool of ride opportunities, added sources.

This comes at a time when BluSmart is struggling with cash crunch with high cash burn — in excess of ₹20 crore every month.

About the deal

Uber launched its EV service Green in 2023 with an aim to have 25,000 electric cars on its platform deployed by fleet partners such as Everest Fleet, Lithium Urban Technologies and Moove.

BluSmart, which has an all-EV fleet, has around 8,700 cars with more than 5,000 owned by Gensol Engineering, while the remaining are either owned by the start-up itself or are leased to it by third-party owners.

The deal in the working is that cars, either owned or leased by BluSmart, will be listed on the Uber platform, BluSmart will get a portion of the fares earned by the vehicles. Uber will keep its commissions from these fares as it does with other drivers or fleet owners.

A mobility expert who did not wished to be named said, “Any platform to run an EV-based ride-hailing service, it would require a fleet size of 30,000-40,000 vehicles per State.” This deal will help boost Uber’s EV fleet.

Hit by Gensol

BluSmart, launched in 2019 by Anmol Singh Jaggi and Puneet Singh Jaggi, has had its foundersinject large sums of funds into the company, along with external funding rounds. However, with a massive debt crisis at Gensol Engineering, also promoted by the Jaggi brothers, cash is no longer easily available to invest in the start-up.

Published on April 15, 2025