BluSmart starts EV ride-hailing service in U.A.E.

Homegrown electric ride-hailing startup BluSmart today announced its entry into the United Arab Emirates (UAE), marking the company's first international foray.

BluSmart’s chauffeur-driven luxury service in Dubai will start with a fleet of Audi e-tron cars. Some of the features offered by BluSmart include zero driver cancellations, flat and transparent upfront pricing, on-time arrivals and a CO2 tracker that shows the amount of CO2 saved after every ride taken by the user.

BluSmart will offer city rides, airport rides, hourly rental bookings within the city as well as drop-off to other Emirates, the EV fleet startup says in a statement.

BluSmart, which currently operates in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru, runs around 7,500 EVs in India currently. Its fleet mostly comprises Tata Motors Tigor EV and a few units of MG Motor's ZS EV and BYD's e6. To augment its growing fleet of EVs, the company recently signed an agreement with Citroën to onboard 4,000 units of Stellantis-owned French automaker's ë-C3 over the next 12 months.

Unlike Uber and homegrown rival Ola, the electric-taxi operator follows a pre-booking model that ensures on-time pick up of passengers and leads to zero cancellations. On average, a BluSmart cab does about 8 trips per day with average revenue per trip at around ₹400, Anmol Jaggi, co-founder of BluSmart, told Fortune India last year. A majority of cars in BluSmart’s fleet are new compared to its rivals whose fleet has gotten older.

"The UAE has truly been a game changer for mobility and sustainable solutions, setting a remarkable precedent for innovative urban development. We are thrilled to bring BluSmart's sustainable business model and customer centric offerings to the UAE's mobility market,” says Jaggi.

“Future of transportation is electric, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this EV revolution by launching our service with ultra-premium EVs - Audi e-tron. While the UAE is our first step in the Middle East, we also aim to expand to other parts of this region by partnering with governments, businesses, corporate, brands, and consumers, to build a greener, more sustainable future for all,” says Jaggi.

In India, BluSmart with over 7,500 EV fleet, largest in South Asia, has completed more than 15.1 million emission-free trips since inception in 2019. BluSmart’s 50 EV Charging hubs, span over 1.8 million sq. ft. area with over 5,000 (fast and slow) EV charging stations powered by green energy. On May 27, BluSmart opened its charging hubs to all EV owners by launching the BluSmart Charge app.