1. Introduction to the
Company
UpGrad Product Management
Competitor Analysis
Student Name: Vipul Gaur
Email: Vipul.gaur@gmail.com

2. Competition Analysis – Competition Identification
Established in 2007, Meru cab has been a trusted brand in the organized taxi space in highly competitive
market and has been steadily expanding its footprint in India. Currently operating in 24 cities and offering 5
different product based on every changing customer requirements our goal is to establish themselves as
Premier Ride Hailing Service In India which is known for his reliability, transparent fares and safety. To
understand the competetion we will be comparing Meru with:
Direct
Competitors
• Other companies in organized taxi
space with similar business models
Indirect
Competitors
• Self drive car rental companies
• Share commute service companies
Source: https://www.meru.in Google

3. Competition Analysis – Background | Direct Competitors
Source: Google
Goal Strategy Founded By
Establish as Premier Ride Hailing Service
In India which is known for his reliability,
transparent fares and safety.
Focused on ownership model for growth
for better control on experience. Recently
moved to Hybrid model to meet demand.
Neeraj Gupta
Nilesh Sangoi
Redefining Mobility in India by providing
a common platform for drivers and
customers to give a consistent
experience and earning opportunity.
Relied on aggregator model and
discounting backed by technology to
expand into many cities. Moved to hybrid
to ensure driver loyalty.
Bhavish Aggarwal
Ankit Bhati
Company Websites
“Our intention is to make Uber so
efficient, cars so highly utilized that
for most people it is cheaper than
owning a car.” Ref: 1
Relying on aggregator model and
discounting backed by technology. Focused
on integration with other platforms (google
maps ) to expand customer base.
Travis Kalanick
Amit Jain (President Uber India)
Ref 1: Business Insider
Aims at constantly innovating
practices for online cab booking to
provide best value for money.
Focused on ownership model with focus in
on intercity transfers between non-metro
cities to metro cities near Delhi.
Kunal Lalani

4. Competition Analysis – Background | Direct Competitors Cont.
Established Funding Presence In Cities Fleet Size
2007 Investor: Truenoth
Invt. 75 mill. $
24 Cities 20,000 $ 42 M
2010 Investor: Tiger Global,
Softbank..
Invt. Approx. 2.9 bill $
102 Cities 8,00,000 $ 150 M
2013 India inv. Not
available
29 Cities 20,000 $ 6.5 B (global)
2001 Privately Owned 5 Cities 3,500 $ 7.2 M (Estimate)
Revenue
Source: Google Company Websites Owler: Mega Cabs

5. Competition Analysis – Background | Indirect Competitors
Source: Google
Goal Strategy Founded By
Establish themselves as leading player
in self –driven market in India.
Focuses on self-drive car rental service
that allows users to rent cars by the hour,
day, week or month.
Greg Moran
David Back
Simplify daily commute by allowing daily
commuters to book on-demand AC bus
service for you daily commute.
Focused on metros, it focuses on providing
a cost effective and comfortable transport
in every increasing traffic in big cities.
Jitender Sharma
Gaurav Agarwal
Neeraj Paliwal
Pritesh Gupta
Company Websites
“BlaBlaCar is making travel social,
money-saving and more efficient for
millions of members.” Ref: 1
It focuses on filling in empty seats within a
car to passengers looking for ride during
intercity transport.
Frédéric Mazzella
Francis Nappez

6. Competition Analysis – Background | Indirect Competitors Cont.
Established Funding Presence In Cities Fleet Size
2013
Investor: Sequoia Capital. Empire
Angels, Ford, Reliance Ventures..
Invt. 44 mill. $
27 Cities 2,700 $ 1.8 M
2015 Privately Held 5 Cities NA NA
2006
2015
(India Launch)
Privately Held
NA NA $ 18.5 M (global)
Revenue
Source: Google Zipgo: YourStory Zoomcar: Livemint Inc42.com Bla Bla Car: Owler

7. Competition Analysis – Background | Direct Competitors
Products and Services Offered
City Taxi City Rental Out Station
City Taxi City Rental Out Station
Ola Select Ola Money Share Pass
Source: Company Websites and blogs
City Taxi
Uber X Uber Go Uber Moto Uber Share Uber Hire XL Uber BlackUber Intercity
City Taxi Intercity
AUTO
Genie cabs

8. Competition Analysis – Background | Indirect Competitors
Source: Google Company Websites Owler: Mega Cabs
Products and Services Offered
Zoom Lite Zoom Classic Zoom XL
• Different product offering based on car size and free KMs
• All can be rented from 4 hrs to 3 weeks
AC Shuttle Monthly Passes
Real Time Tracking
• More savings on monthly passes
• Cost effective for daily commuting
Women Only Shuttles
Car Sharing Network Passenger and car owner rating
Ladies only Rides Verified travelers
Zoom PEDL

9. Competition Analysis – Social Media Analysis| Direct Competitors
Source: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Pages
Followers: 19.7K
Likes:2.13K
Followers: 185K
Likes:186K
Followers: 1.14K
Posts:423
Followers: 185K
Likes:11.7K
Followers: 941K
Likes:936K
Followers: 27K
Posts:261
Followers: 204K
Likes:1.15K
Followers: 749K
Likes: NA (India)
Followers: 7.2K
Posts:165
Followers: 1.29K
Likes: 757
Followers: 25.3K
Likes:25.4K
Followers: 2.14K
Posts:153
 Ola Cabs has the maximum reach and engagements
among all the operations in Indian taxi market.
 Hashtag campaigns has helped Ola in reaching out to
more customers. Ref1
 Uber gets ranked higher on app Usage and driver
behaviour.
 Concerns have been raised by customers on safety and
driver behaviour for Meru resulting in negative market
sentiment. Ref2

10. Competition Analysis – Social Media Analysis| Indirect Competitors
Source: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Pages
Followers: 13.3K
Likes:39.5K
Followers: 185K
Likes:186K
Followers: 17.1K
Posts:841
Followers: 346
Likes:243
Followers: 7.76K
Likes:7.78K
NA
Followers: 4.84K
Likes:638
Followers: 4.5M
Likes: 4.5M
(Global)
Followers: 448
Posts:141
 Zoomcar and BlaBlaCar have a decent
social media strategy in place and have
been promoting there products very
effectively on major social media
channels.
 On Zipgo social profile there is not
much activity and is not managed
effectively.

11. Competition Analysis – Pricing| Direct Competitors
Base Fare Per Km Ride/Wait Charges Cancellation
City Taxi  Rs. 49
Outstation  Rs. 69
Rs. 8 / Km
Rs. 16/Km
Rs 1.50/ min
Rs. 30 / Hr
None
None
Source: Google Company Fare sheets
 Ola with “Micro”( company’s most
compact car category) becomes
the cheapest option within city to
travel for individual bookings.
 In Shared shorter distances Ola is
marginally cheaper compared to
Uber but at flat 99 Rs. Up to 19 km
covers larger customer base in
metros.
 For outstation journeys Ola will be
a more cost effective option as it is
undercutting most of the radio taxi
service providers.
 For Airport pickups Meru and
Mega cabs have an advantage due
to dedicated stands and zero
waiting period.
*All Comparisons are on cheapest available 4 wheeler vehicle type for Delhi
City Taxi  Rs. 40
Shared  Rs. 35+
OutstationRs.2.2K
(250 Km)
Rs. 6 / Km
Rs. 6/ Km
Rs. 9/Km
Rs 1.50/ min
Rs 1.50/min
Rs. 30 / Hr
Rs. 50
Rs. 25
Rs. 150
City Taxi  Rs. 40
Shared  Rs. 39
Outstation  Rs. 69
Rs. 6 / Km
NA
Rs. 16/Km
Rs 1.50/ min
NA
Rs. 30 / Hr
Rs. 60
Rs. 60
None
City Taxi  Rs. 23
Outstation  Rs. 3.2K
(230 Km)
Rs. 23 / Km
Rs. 10/Km
NA
Rs. 2 / min
None
None

12. Zoomcar
• 5 Free Km
• Rs. 65/hr
• Rs 12 /Km
• Sharing of car
gives further
savings
ZipGo
• Fixed fare 29 Rs
• 150 Rs. Credit on
sign-up
• Non-refundable
BlaBlaCar
• Partial cost of
travel
• Pricing ceiling
ensures that
drivers do not
make profit
Competition Analysis – Pricing| Indirect Competitors
Source: Google Company Fare sheets
*All Comparisons are on cheapest available vehicle type for Delhi
 Comparing with organized
taxi providers both Zipgo
and BlaBlaCar are much
more cost efficient options
within the city and intra city
travel if customer is not
looking for point to point
delivery.
 Flexibly of multiple
packages at Zoomcar gives a
better cost option to inter
city travellers.

13. Competition Analysis – Business Models| Direct Competitors
Source: Google
Original Model Changes In Model Reasons For Shift
• Started with the capital intensive and asset
heavy inventory model for better control
over availability and drivers from metro
cities.
• Continues to work with fixed fare with lot of
focus on transparent pricing.
• Initial target customers were airport and
railway station travellers who book in
advance which is still it’s strongest point.
• Focus on solo women travellers looking for
reliable public transport
• Still focus on non-tech savvy customer base.
• Earning revenue through “Cabvertisements”
• Better driver policies with features like
loans, minimum fixed income and less
workload.
• Expanded to Tier 2/3 cities at a
sturdy pace organically.
• Moved to hybrid model by adopting
asset- light fleet aggregation model
working on commission with the aim
of “Making every city profitable”.
• Launched flagship product “Geni” a
more economical city cabs product
to improve market share for last
minute app bookings.
• “Aims to grow its revenues by 10
times in the next six years to
become a USD 1 billion company.”
• Reduction of charges to win
customers.
• Loss of market share to fleet
aggregator companies like Ola
and Uber due to better usage of
available technology and online
marketing.
• Heavy discounting by new
players and extra benefits to
drivers resulting in loss of
trained drivers.
• To meet the extra demand
sustain high growth rate to meet
the target.
• Increased internet penetration
and cheap smartphones helped
in expanding customer base in
Tier2/3 cities.
Financial Express

14. Competition Analysis – Business Models| Direct Competitors
Ref 1: Livemint Google
Original Model Changes In Model Reasons For Shift
• Started with the asset- light fleet
aggregation model by tying up
with local taxi firms and induvial
drivers.
• Ola would charge commission
from total fare based on city and
car type.
• With strong focus on technology
target customer is young working
class with smart phone users in
metros.
• Heavy discounting to gain market
share and lot of innovative
• Better driver incentives for
increased driver sign-up.
• Opted for inorganic growth by
acquiring TaxiFoSure in 2015 and
fully integrating it into Ola in 2016.
• Moved to hybrid model by
investing in pre-buying vehicles and
leasing it to drivers with no
commissions. Ref 1
• Anticipating the customer demand
increased its products like Autos,
bike and reduce the costs for
customers launched sharing a cab.
• Expended rapidly in non metro
cities to increase customer base.
• Launched mobile wallet for
improving cash flow and customer
retention.
• Increasing customer base in a short
period of time and acquiring a large
customer and pool of drivers and
vehicles.
• To ensure better driver retention for a
longer periods and get better control
on customer experience.
• To engage customers at various price
points resulted in launching products
from Auto – Luxury cars.
• Demand for better facility like wifi and
comfort resulted in product launches
like Ola select.

15. Competition Analysis – Business Models| Direct Competitors
Source: Google
Original Model Changes In Model Reasons
• Launched with app only pure
credit card only cab aggregation
model.
• Partnered with financiers for low
interest rates to create driver
base.
• Like Ola, targeted middle class
customer base with smart phone
users living in Metros.
• Focused on customer experience
while booking and driver behavior.
• Partnered with Google maps and
gave discounts to acquire more
traffic.
• Introduced COD model for the first
time to expand customer base.
• Launched new products like Uber X
and Uber Share.
• Introduced Uber Auto to capture
more customer base.
• Partnered with mobile wallets to
increase customer base.
• Introduced surge pricing during
peak hours to maximize return on
acquired customers.
• Stiff completion from Ola forced Uber
to launch Uber X a more economical
option for customers.
• Customer behavior of using cash as
primary mode of payment in India
especially in Tier 2/Tier 3 towns.

16. Competition Analysis – Business Models| Indirect Competitors
Zoomcar: inc42.com ZipGo: Yourstory Bla Bla Car: Company website
Business Models Reasons For Success
• Self help drive rental car that provides rental cars to its
customers on many flexible plans based on distance and time.
• Focus on high repeat customers (60%) and organic growth
keeping marketing costs low.
• Strategic partnerships with suppliers Ford and Mahindra to keep
the costs low.
• Fuel inclusive costs and point to point transportation
with no waiting time.
• Keeping the costs competitive with taxi operators.
• Ability to switch cars based on need without worrying
about maintenance cost.
• ZipGo is trying to provide a comfortable, cost effective and
safe mode of transport in overcrowded metro on fixed routes.
• Booking a shuttle on app with a fixed price and credits at sign-
up.
• All bookings are non-refundable.
• Cost effective and convenient.
• Options like lady only shuttles gives safer options for
women.
• Sign-up bonus helps in repeat customer.
• Focusing on filling up the empty seats of car owners when
travelling inter city.
• Keeping the cost at a level which only covers the partial cost o
of travel ensure savings for both driver and passanger.
• Cost effective and convenient.
• Options like lady only shuttles gives safer options for
women.

17. Competition Analysis – Strengths and Weakness| Direct Competitors
Ref1: Livemint Ref 2: Economic times Google
Strengths Weakness
• Reliability for advance bookings
• fixed fare no surge pricing
• Fixed stands at airports
• High driver retention rates
• Flexible cancellation polices
• Integration with major mobile wallets
• Better balance sheet as some of the big metros are already
profitable. Ref1
• More expensive
• Less products to increase customer base
• Later adaptor of new technologies
• Present in less number of cities
• Lack of security features like number masking
• Instant availability
• Product offerings for every pocket
• Introduction of mobile wallet Ola money and wider acceptance
of the wallet on other products
• Credits policy for frequent users
• Presence in maximum number of cities
• Less accurate maps
• Lack of training to drivers resulting in negative
publicity.
• High surge pricing
• Earnings to loss ratio is very high. Ref 2
• Very high cash burn rate

18. Competition Analysis – Strengths and Weakness| Direct Competitors Cont.
Ref 1: Yourstory Google
Strengths Weakness
• Fixed stands at the airport
• Good service for inter city transport near NCR
• Fixed price
• Lack of technology support
• Very small presence in other cities
• Small network of vehicles
• Very small market share
• International brand
• Competitive pricing hence gaining market share rapidly
• Better driver incentive programs like Rs. 3000 for 12 hour login
• Product offering for every pocket
• Higher customer satisfaction ratings (59%). Ref 1
• Present in less number of cities
• High surge pricing
• Does not allow advance bookings
• High cash burn rate
• Lesser number of products compared to Ola

19. Competition Analysis – Strengths and Weakness| Indirect Competitors
Source :Google
Strengths Weakness
• Focus on organic growth keeping marketing costs low
• Effective partnerships with suppliers like Ford and Mahindra to
keep costs in check.
• Very high repeat customer rate of 60%.
• Turned EBITA profitable in 4 years.
• Low cash burn rate
• Limited pickup points for vehicles
• Limited brand awareness
• Cost effective and comfortable
• Focus on passenger safety like tracking and women only shuttles
• Good option for crowded metros.
• Rapid growth and good customer feedback
• Lacks point to point transport
• All bookings are non-refundable
• Limited brand awareness
• Limited product offerings
• Slow expansion to newer cities
• Globally trusted brand
• Successful business model across multiple geographies
• Cheaper and convenient option for inter state transport
• Potential safety issues in vehicles in which passenger is
travelling as they do not have the same safety standard
• Limited customer support and capability of company to
help in case of crisis
Zoomcar: inc42.com ZipGo: Yourstory Bla Bla Car: Company website

20. Competition Analysis – Product Analysis| Direct Competitors
Source: Google Playstore Itunes
Matrices Meru Ola Uber
App Downloads Android: ~1 – 5 million
IOS: NA
Windows: NA
Android: ~50-100 million
IOS: NA
Windows: NA
Android: ~100-500 million
IOS: NA
Windows: NA
App Rating Android: 3.8 stars
IOS: NA
Windows: 4 stars
Android: 4.1 stars
IOS: 2.7 starts
Windows: 3.8 stars
Android: 4.2 stars
IOS: 4.7 starts
Windows: 3 stars
App Reviews Android: 44% reviews are 5* Android: 57% reviews are 5* Android: 66% reviews are 5*
Avg. Ride Per Month NA ~2.7 Ref 1 NA
Repeat Customers % NA 50- 55% Ref 1 55-60% Ref 1
Drivers Logging Daily NA Metro: 80% Others: 60% Ref 1 NA
Avg. Ticket Size NA Rs. 255 Ref 1 Rs. 235 Ref 1
User Experience Availability with last min bookings
Random cancellation
High prices
Issues with GPS location
Long delays while sharing
Longer wait time after bookings
Issues with fare estimates
Tech issues with app
Longer wait time after bookings
Microsoft Store Ref1 Redseer.com

21. Competition Analysis – Product Analysis| Direct Competitors Cont.
Source: Google Playstore Itunes
Matrices Meru Ola Uber
Key Features
• Multi wallet integration
• Cab tracking
• Single touch booking
• Location detection
• Advance Booking
• Spot Booking
• ICE (In Case of
Emergency)
• Ola Money
• Cab tracking
• Location detection
• Advance booking
• Spot booking
• SOS button
• Shared Cab
• Surge pricing
• Wifi in cabs
• Credit to frequent
users
• Ride verification
• Cancellation reason
• Number masking to
drivers
• Cash payment
• Cab tracking
• Location detection
• Spot booking
• Panic button
• Surge pricing
• Number masking to
drivers
• Share Trip for drivers
and passengers
• Request for Guest
Ride
• Call to Ride
• Offline search
Microsoft Store
 With new features and
partnerships with wallets
and Google map, Meru cabs
is fighting hard to gain its
market share.
 Meru cabs still enjoys better
market share for advanced
bookings.
 Customers have higher
customer satisfaction ratings
for Uber compared to Ola
and daily rides have been
growing steadily.
 Ola is still the largest player
and offering maximum
products to its customer
base.
 Drivers in Meru have less
load and have high brand
loyalty due to fatigue.

22. Competition Analysis – Product Analysis| Indirect Competitors
Matrices Zoomcar Zipgo BlaBlaCar
App Downloads
Android: ~1 – 5 million
IOS: NA
Android: ~1 – 5 million
IOS: NA
Android: ~1 – 5 million
IOS: NA
App Rating
Android: 4.3 stars
IOS: 3.8
Android: 3.9 stars
IOS: NA
Android: 4.3 stars
IOS: 4.6
App Reviews Android: 63% reviews are 5* Android: 54% reviews are 5* Android: 61% reviews are 5*
User Experience
Car drop off complains
Car condition issues
App issues for car unlocking
Bus Timing issues
Bus driver contact info not proper
Not many complains in
Indian market
Key Features
• Car unlock through app
• Cycle sharing
• Flexible pricing
• Unique referral code
• View Routes
• View timing and seat availability
• Check ETA
• Track bus movement
• Verified passengers and
car owners
• Ratings for owners and
passengers
• Ladies only options
Source: Google Playstore Itunes Microsoft Store

23. Competition Analysis – Future Initiatives| Direct Competitors
Ola:
https://www.olacabs.com/media
• Partnering with Google Maps
• Partnering with mobile wallets
• Restructuring and launching newer products
• Launching Eve in new cities
• By partnering with Google Maps and Mobile wallets Meru intends to
increase its booking through referral.
• Offing different deals and discounts to mobile wallet helps in
reducing the marketing spends.
• By launching different products like Eva and Genie, Meru is trying to
gain the lost market share by offering products which can compete
with aggregator taxi players on price point without surge changes.
• Entering to new market – Australia
• MOU with Assam govt. to pilot app based river
taxis
• MOU with West Bengal government to create
5000 jobs
• Introduce electric vehicles in the top cities in
partnership with Mahindra
• Partnering with car manufacturing firms to leasing
and financing of firms
• Initiatives like government MOUs have been initiated to expand and
consolidate it’s presence in Tier 2 and rural areas before competition.
• With the help of government Ola intends to avoid any potential policy
and legal roadblocks.
• With new investors (Didi)and successfully competing with Uber in India,
Ola has decided to move to Australia to grab a market share which is
dominated by Uber.
• Intent of partnering with Mahindra is to reduce running and capital costs
while trying to meet the ever increasing demand for vehicle.
Initiatives Reasons

24. Competition Analysis – Future Initiatives| Direct Competitors
Ref 1: UberSafe Gadget360
• Launching new safety features as a part of UberSafe campaign
Ref 1
• Share Trip Details for passengers and drivers
• Integration with “Himmant” Delhi Police safety app
• launches initiative 'Decongest India' aimed at curbing
congestion and pollution in partnership with government. Ref 2
• New Features specific to Indian market needs Ref 3
• Call to Ride
• Request for Guest Ride
• Offline search
• Launch of Uber Access/Uber Assist in Oct 2017
• Improve on the safety concerns highlighted by the
media in the last couple of years.
• Solve the ever growing traffic issues of metros and
promoting and incentivizing the UberPOOL along the
way by listing out its benefits.
• These features were launched to customize the app
based on market and environment needs to cover the
gap between Uber and Ola features.
• Cabs for physically disabled persons with wheelchair
and ramp availability.
• Expanding into 20 cities in next 3 years Ref 4 • To regain the lost market against cab aggregator
companies and new product offerings by Meru cabs
Initiatives Reasons
Ref 2: Decongest India TOI Ref 3: New Features Ref 4: Economictimes

25. Competition Analysis – Future Initiatives| Indirect Competitors
• Launch of “PEDL”
• Plans to expand into international markets in Asia
and Africa and partnership with Airasia.
Ref 2 Ref 3
• “At its core, PEDL imbibes the principle of hyper-local urban mobility
by offering cycles at multiple pickup points across various
neighborhoods in a city. At scale PEDL will be present every 50-100
meters in a city.” Ref 1
• Airasia partnership will help the customers from newer markets to
hire transport facility when they visit the countries where Zoomcar is
already present.
• Verification of IDs • Safety being one of the major risks in these situations, this feature
was introduced only in India to create a based on trusted
community. Ref 4
Ref 1: “PEDL” economictimes Ref 1: Expansion economictimes Ref 3: Airasia partnership
Ref 4: User Verification economic times
• Expanding into new cities and add more routes • Successfully running this metros in like Bangalore and Delhi NCR ,
company has decided to expand in Tier 2 cities like Jaipur.