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Uber releases boat hailing service on Kashmir's picturesque Dal Lake

Uber released a water transport hailing service on beautiful Dal Lake in India's Kashmir region on Monday, providing trips on boats popular with travelers.

Users of the service can book journeys on the lake's. traditional wood Shikara boats if they book at. least 12 hours and up to 15 days in advance, Uber officials. stated.

The ride-hailing app currently provides water transport services. in London and some other cities however this is its first in India.

Around 4,000 Shikaras, often ornately decorated and. canopied, run on Dal Lake and are popular among locals as. well as travelers.

Uber will match clients with Shikara operators however will. not charge a fee on rides scheduled through its app. All of the. boat ticket paid by guests would go to the Shikara operator,. it stated.

Uber Shikara is our modest attempt to blend technology and. tradition to give a seamless experience to travellers for their. Shikara ride, said Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and. South Asia.

Shikara operators were divided on Uber's entry to their. sector, with some stating it would boost their company now that. travelers can book rides well ahead of time, while others insisted. it would make little difference.

It will enhance our company. There will be repaired rates, no. cheating, and no scope for bargaining, stated Wali Mohammad. Bhatt, president of the Shikara Owners Association.

Shikara operator Shabir Ahmed was sceptical, saying. operators would not be impacted.

We have our own client base, he said.

Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by India and. Pakistan. The part under India's control - the nation's just. Muslim-majority area - has actually been roiled by violence for decades. as militants have battled security forces. Nevertheless, violence has. fallen in current years and the Kashmir Valley - called the. Switzerland of India - has actually seen a gradual rise in the variety of. travelers.

(source: Reuters)