After a long delay, Bajaj had launched its Qute quadricycle in India in February this year. Now, new reports confirm that this vehicle is soon going to join the Uber fleet in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The cab rental service has come out with a new booking category -- “UberXS” -- for its Bangalore users wherein only Qute quadricycles will be offered to the users.
To begin with, this quadricycle will only be available for Uber users in areas such as HSR Layout, Koramangala, Indiranagar, and parts of the outer ring road in the city. And although Bajaj launched its Qute with both petrol and CNG option in the country, only the CNG variant will be used by the Uber for now. At the time of launch, Bajaj had claimed that Qute can churn out the mileage of 43 km/kg of CNG making it very affordable to operate.
Nandini Maheshwari, Head of Business Development, Uber India and South Asia said:
“We are delighted to partner with one of India’s most trusted names, Bajaj Auto, to launch Bajaj Qute on UberXS in Bengaluru. At Uber, we constantly work towards transforming the mobility landscape of cities, with technology at the heart of our solutions. This partnership is an extension of Uber’s commitment towards lowering transportation costs, enhancing asset utilization and improving rider convenience.”
Coming to Qute, this quadricycle was launched at a price of Rs 2.48 lakh in Maharashtra. It was presented as a viable and safe alternative to three-wheeler autorickshaws that are prone to massive damage during accidents. Despite not being classified as a car, Qute comes with almost all the features of a modern-day car and can seat four people. It comes with a single-cylinder, 216-cc, 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. This DTS-i engine generates a maximum power of 13 Bhp and peak torque of 18.9 Nm on petrol. The CNG variant clocks a maximum of 10 Bhp power and 16 Nm torque. Both variants come with a five-speed sequential transmission gearbox. As expected, you do not get air-conditioner or power steering wheel in this quadricycle. However, it gets manual windows and doors as added safety features.
We believe that Qute is a perfect vehicle for congested city roads. It can well prove to be a boon in a city like Bangalore that is infamous for its traffic. It has a small turning radius of 3.5 meters making it easily maneuverable through narrow spaces.
Uber has not yet confirmed the rollout of Qute in any other city of India. However, given the maneuverability of Qute, it is expected that other cab-hailing services will soon start using this vehicle in other cities of the country.
