Earlier today, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Automative Skills Development Council (ASDC) to train and certify over 100,000 individuals as commercially licensed drivers onto the Uber platform over the next 3 years, in the presence of Shri Ambuj Sharma, Hon’ble Addl. Secretary, Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise.

The ASDC is a body set up and promoted by stakeholders including the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and the Government of India represented by the Department of Heavy Industry and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

In less than two years since our launch in India, we have already created opportunities for well over 165,000 Indians as driver entrepreneurs in over 22 cities, on our platform. As part of this first-of-its-kind agreement:

ASDC will:

  • provide driver skills training to candidates along and in accordance with the relevant Qualification Standards certification prescribed by the ASDC, through its network of over 400 certified affiliated training partners pan-India.

Uber will:

  • provide driver-entrepreneurship opportunities on its platform to candidates that have successfully received the requisite government documentation and relevant Qualification Standards certification by ASDC.
  • provide access to attractive vehicle financing programs to purchase their own vehicles.

Amit Jain, President of Uber, said: “Uber has always been deeply committed to creating hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs from all corners of India and from all sections of society. We are thrilled to enter into this groundbreaking partnership with the ASDC which will go a long way in supporting quality skills training and development, certification and access to fair and equitable livelihood opportunities for men and women as driver-partners on the Uber platform.”

Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Jayant Davar, Chairman of ASDC, said, “This partnership earmarks an institutionalised emphasis on holistic technical and soft skill training for drivers operating on aggregator platforms. It will help standardise the quality of drivers in a largely unorganised market increasing the overall quality and safety of urban mobility for millions of commuters in India.”

We are excited to realise Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India and Skill India mission and have a long-term commitment to create hundreds of thousands of micro-entrepreneurship opportunities, bringing greater efficiency and safer transportation choices for people in India. The future is exciting, full of opportunities and we are thrilled that the ASDC along with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Heavy Industry shares the same excitement to join us on the ride ahead.