Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick and K T Rama Rao perform the mannequin challenge at the launch of UberMoto

Uber says that it’ll be officially launching its UberMoto bike taxi service in Hyderabad by January next year . This is the second time that Uber is attempting to get its bike taxi service running and hopefully, they’ll have the requisite permits at the time of launch. Speaking to journalists at the launch event, Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick claimed that the launch of uberMoto is meant to coincide with the eventual launch of Hyderabad’s metro rail services. In keeping with the times, Uber announced the launch of the service with an oddly appropriate #MannequinChallenge with none other than Uber’s CEO and co-founder, Travis Kalanick and Telangana’s IT Minister, K.T. Rama Rao! Check out the video below.

Kalanick hopes that the uberMoto will provide “last-mile-connectivity” to commuters using Hyderabad Metro Rail. He’s also signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the rail service to that effect. Kalanick and Rao held up signs that read “Namaskaram Hyderabad” while a bunch of UberMoto riders help up signs saying “Your UberMoto is coming soon.” Rao expressed his support for Uber and the MoU, saying that the “best strategic services” have been made available to lakhs of Hyderabad’s residents. UberMoto will cost you Rs 20 for the first three kilometres and Rs 5 per kilometre thereafter. In an extremely congested city like Hyderabad, one can see why a bike taxi service will have value. Uber and its rival, Ola have experimented with the same service in Bengaluru in the past, but had to shut down the service when it came to light that both companies had failed to obtain requisite permits. The Hindu reports that Uber aims to place electric cars, two-wheelers and regular cars at stations so that people will have a ride waiting for them the moment they get off a train.