They are beginning with this pilot with Maruti Suzuki and will extend this going ahead", said an executive in know of developments.As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed on Thursday, to begin with Maruti Suzuki will assess and train 30,000 commercial drivers for Uber over the next three years. Ola has previously announced to add 100,000 drivers to its existing base of 450,000 partners by the end of December.As per the arrangement with Maruti Suzuki, Uber will provide qualified leads of potential driver-partners to Maruti Suzuki for facilitating them with commercial driver training. Under the specialized training module developed by Maruti Suzuki, the drivers will undergo pre-assessment tests, theoretical training, practical training and post-training assessments for a period of 30 days.Industry experts said Uber's association with Maruti Suzuki could lead to deeper ties going ahead. Maruti Suzuki has a widespread network of driving schools and Uber needs skilled drivers for growth, especially beyond metroes. "Uber already has a partnership with the Tata Group for comprehensive vehicle purchasing and financing solutions which aims at enabling 20,000 Uber drivers to start their own business over the next year.

Source: Economic Times September 15, 2016 03:56 UTC