Meru Cabs
An Indian taxi and mobility-services brand providing city rides, airport transfers, rentals, and outstation travel.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Meru Cabs is an Indian taxi-hailing and mobility-services brand founded by entrepreneur Neeraj Gupta in 2006 and headquartered in Mumbai. It originated from the staff-transportation activities of V-Link Group, which Gupta had established in 2000. V-Link initially focused on transporting employees for business-process-outsourcing companies and expanded its managed fleet substantially before entering the consumer taxi market. Meru was formed during a major restructuring of Mumbai's taxi market. In 2006, the Maharashtra government invited bids for operating a large fleet of taxis intended to modernize urban cab services and provide an alternative to the city's traditional black-and-yellow taxis. V-Link partnered with the venture-capital firm True North, then known as India Value Fund, to establish Meru. The business began with reported funding of INR 500 million and launched air-conditioned taxis equipped with electronic meters and GPS/GPRS technology. At the time, its telephone-booking model, vehicle tracking, and metered pricing differentiated it from much of the informal taxi market. The company expanded beyond Mumbai into other major Indian cities. By 2010, it reportedly operated about 5,000 cabs across four leading markets. By 2015, its fleet had reached approximately 9,000 vehicles and its network included metropolitan areas as well as selected tier-two and tier-three cities. Meru also entered airport transportation through arrangements with five major Indian airports, positioning itself as an organized provider of pre-booked and airport-transfer services. Its offer subsequently broadened from conventional city trips to city rentals and outstation travel. Meru's business serves both individual passengers and corporate customers. Its service model has included telephone booking, website and app-based reservations, scheduled rides, airport transfers, local rentals, and intercity journeys. The brand has generally been positioned around reliability, safety, transparent metering, professional operations, and the convenience of an organized fleet rather than the informal street-hail model traditionally associated with Indian taxis. The ownership structure changed significantly in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Mahindra & Mahindra acquired a 55 percent stake in Meru Cabs in 2019, bringing the company into the Mahindra Group and supporting an expansion of its mobility and electric-vehicle capabilities. Mahindra later increased its holding to 100 percent in May 2021. In December 2021, Mahindra Logistics acquired full ownership of Meru Cabs from Mahindra & Mahindra. Meru also worked with Mahindra Electric on electric mobility services and conducted a pilot involving 200 electric cars in Mumbai and Delhi. Meru is therefore best understood as an Indian corporate mobility brand operating within the broader Mahindra ecosystem. Its historical identity is rooted in managed taxi fleets and airport transportation, while its later service portfolio has incorporated app-based bookings, rentals, outstation travel, corporate mobility, and electric vehicles. Publicly available reference material identifies operations in 24 Indian cities, although the precise current city footprint and fleet size are not consistently disclosed.
History
Meru Cabs developed from V-Link Group, an Indian staff-transportation business founded by Neeraj Gupta in 2000. V-Link initially provided employee transportation for corporate clients, including businesses in the business-process-outsourcing sector. Over its first several years, the company expanded its managed vehicle operations and built the operational base that later supported a consumer-facing taxi business. The immediate catalyst for Meru was a 2006 Maharashtra government initiative to modernize Mumbai's taxi services. The state invited tenders for a large fleet intended to supplement or replace portions of the traditional black-and-yellow taxi system. V-Link joined with True North, an investment firm formerly known as India Value Fund, to create Meru. The new company reportedly began with INR 500 million in funding and introduced air-conditioned taxis fitted with electronic meters and GPS/GPRS systems. Bookings were initially handled through a call center, allowing passengers to request vehicles while enabling the operator to track the fleet. Meru's organized operating model helped it expand rapidly. By 2010, the business had reached the leading Indian urban markets and operated a fleet reported at approximately 5,000 taxis. It subsequently broadened its geographic presence to metropolitan, tier-two, and tier-three cities. By 2015, published accounts described a fleet of around 9,000 vehicles and operations in cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Vadodara, Surat, Pune, and Kolkata. Meru also entered formal relationships with five major Indian airports, becoming an official airport-cab provider and strengthening its position in scheduled and pre-booked transportation. The company's service mix evolved as India's mobility market became more digital and diversified. In addition to conventional city rides, Meru introduced app-based booking and expanded into airport transfers, local rentals, and outstation journeys. These services allowed the brand to serve individual travelers as well as corporate houses requiring employee transportation, business travel, and scheduled mobility. The brand's proposition centered on professional fleet management, predictable booking, metered fares, vehicle tracking, and a perceived improvement in safety and service consistency compared with informal taxi arrangements. Meru also explored electric mobility. It partnered with Mahindra Electric on transportation services in Hyderabad and conducted a pilot involving 200 electric cars in Mumbai and Delhi. These initiatives connected the brand's established fleet-management capabilities with Mahindra's wider interest in electric vehicles and mobility infrastructure. Ownership changed materially in 2019, when Mahindra & Mahindra acquired a 55 percent stake in Meru Cabs. The transaction made Meru part of the Mahindra Group and gave the business a corporate parent with interests in automotive manufacturing, logistics, technology, and mobility. Mahindra & Mahindra subsequently raised its holding to 100 percent in May 2021. In December 2021, Mahindra Logistics acquired all of Meru Cabs from Mahindra & Mahindra. Meru consequently became part of Mahindra Logistics' broader mobility-services activities. Reference material describes Meru as operating in 24 Indian cities and continuing to provide city rides, rentals, airport transfers, and outstation travel. Exact current fleet numbers, city-level availability, senior management, and financial performance are not consistently available in the cited public material. Its historical development nevertheless shows a transition from corporate staff transportation to a large organized taxi network and then to a technology-enabled, multi-service mobility brand within the Mahindra Group.
- 2021
Ownership becomes fully consolidated
[1]Mahindra & Mahindra raised its interest to 100 percent in May, followed by Mahindra Logistics' acquisition of Meru Cabs in December.
- 2019
Mahindra & Mahindra takes a majority stake
[1]Mahindra & Mahindra acquired a 55 percent stake in Meru Cabs.
- 2018
Service portfolio broadens
[1]Meru expanded beyond city and airport rides into city rentals and outstation travel and worked with Mahindra Electric on transportation in Hyderabad.
- 2015
Fleet and airport network expand
[1]Published reference material describes a fleet of about 9,000 vehicles, broader coverage across Indian cities, and formal airport-cab relationships with five major airports.
- 2010
Expansion to four major Indian cities
[1]Meru reportedly expanded to four leading Indian cities and reached a fleet of approximately 5,000 cabs.
- 2006
Meru is established in Mumbai
[1]V-Link partnered with True North, formerly India Value Fund, to form Meru during Maharashtra's effort to modernize Mumbai's taxi fleet.
- 2000
V-Link Group is founded
[1]Neeraj Gupta established V-Link Group as a staff-transportation business, creating the operational foundation from which Meru Cabs later developed.
Products and positioning
Organized, technology-enabled and professionally managed taxi and mobility services, emphasizing safety, reliability, metered fares, airport connectivity, and corporate travel.
Urban taxi service · 2006
Meru City Cabs
Meru's core urban taxi service provides booked rides within participating Indian cities. The original proposition combined air-conditioned vehicles, electronic meters, fleet tracking through GPS/GPRS, and call-center booking. Later versions incorporated digital and app-based reservations. The service was designed to offer a more organized and predictable alternative to informal street-hail taxis.
Airport transportation
Meru Airport Transfers
Airport transfers provide pre-booked transportation between airports and passenger destinations. Meru built this business through arrangements with major Indian airports and positioned itself as an official or organized airport-cab provider in several markets. The offering serves individual passengers, business travelers, and organizations requiring scheduled airport mobility.
Hourly and local rental service · 2018
Meru City Rentals
City rentals extend the taxi model beyond individual point-to-point trips by allowing customers to reserve a vehicle for local travel over a defined period. The service is suited to multiple-stop itineraries, meetings, errands, and business use. It became part of Meru's expanded mobility portfolio as the company moved beyond its original city-cab and airport focus.
Intercity taxi service · 2018
Meru Outstation
Outstation travel provides booked vehicle services for journeys between cities and other destinations outside a customer's local operating area. The offering broadened Meru's relevance for leisure travel, business trips, and scheduled intercity transportation while using the brand's established managed-fleet and booking infrastructure.
Electric-vehicle transportation
Meru Electric Mobility Services
Meru's electric-mobility initiatives included work with Mahindra Electric and a pilot using 200 electric cars in Mumbai and Delhi. These projects tested the use of electric vehicles in commercial passenger transportation and linked Meru's fleet-management expertise with the Mahindra Group's electric-vehicle activities.
Brand decisions
2021
Transfer full ownership to Mahindra LogisticsM&ABackground
After Mahindra & Mahindra had consolidated its ownership of Meru, the group reorganized the brand within its mobility and logistics activities.
Action taken
Mahindra & Mahindra first raised its stake to 100 percent in May; Mahindra Logistics then acquired all of Meru Cabs in December.
Aftermath
Meru became part of Mahindra Logistics' mobility-services portfolio.
2019
Join the Mahindra Group through a majority investmentM&ABackground
Meru was operating in a competitive and increasingly technology-led Indian mobility market while Mahindra was expanding its interests in transportation and electric mobility.
Action taken
Mahindra & Mahindra acquired a 55 percent stake in Meru Cabs.
Aftermath
The investment created a closer link between Meru's taxi operations and Mahindra's automotive, electric-vehicle, and logistics businesses.
2018
Expand from taxi rides into broader mobility servicesStrategyBackground
Meru sought to broaden its business beyond conventional city rides and airport transportation.
Action taken
The company added city rentals and outstation travel and collaborated with Mahindra Electric on transportation in Hyderabad.
Aftermath
Meru developed a more diversified mobility portfolio covering local, airport, intercity, corporate, and emerging electric-vehicle use cases.
2006
Launch an organized, technology-enabled taxi networkStrategyBackground
Mumbai's government was seeking a large organized taxi fleet to modernize urban transportation and provide an alternative to the established black-and-yellow cab system.
Action taken
V-Link and True North formed Meru and launched air-conditioned taxis using electronic meters, GPS/GPRS tracking, and call-center booking.
Aftermath
The model enabled Meru to expand from Mumbai into other major Indian cities and become a substantial organized taxi operator.
Recent events
Reported
Mahindra Logistics announces acquisition of Meru businesses[3]
Mahindra Logistics announced the acquisition of the equity share capital of Meru Mobility Tech, V-Link Fleet Solutions, and V-Link Automotive Services from Meru Travel Solutions, and of Meru Travel Solutions from Mahindra & Mahindra. The company described the move as strategic to consolidate and expand its enterprise mobility business.
Reported
Meru partners with InterMiles[4]
Meru Mobility partnered with InterMiles to make Meru services, including airport transfers, car rentals and point-to-point transfers, available through the InterMiles platform.
Reported
Meru launches Meru Reserve office commute service[5]
Meru Cabs announced that it had launched Meru Reserve, an office commute service offering advance ride bookings and no surge pricing.
Reported
Meru launches business mobility app in India[6]
Meru Mobility Tech launched a business mobility app in India for individual travel and business commuting. The app includes a feature distinguishing work and personal commutes and integrates MeruBiz corporate travel solutions.
Reported
MakeMyTrip and Meru partner on sanitized airport cab service[7]
MakeMyTrip announced a partnership with Meru to introduce a sanitized cab service at major airports in India, with contactless cab booking integrated into the flight-booking process.
Reported
Meru announces additional cabs for Delhi odd-even period[8]
Meru announced that it would add more cabs to its fleet during the odd-even period, encouraging driver-partners to sign in by lowering their commissions.
Reported
Meru announces no surge pricing during odd-even[8]
Meru said it would not apply surge pricing during the odd-even period in Delhi.
Reported
Meru launches cab booking service at CSMT station[9]
Meru announced its cab booking service at Mumbai's CSMT Railway Station, with dedicated booking counters and app-based booking; the article says the service is operational at the station.
Sources13 sources
- 1Meru Cabsen.wikipedia.org
- 2Meru Cabs official websitemeru.in
- 3Mahindra Logistics宣布收购Meru相关业务business-standard.com
- 4Meru与InterMiles建立合作indiantelevision.com
- 5Meru推出Meru Reserve办公室通勤服务thehindubusinessline.com
- 6Meru在印度推出商务出行应用carandbike.com
- 7MakeMyTrip与Meru合作推出机场消毒出租车服务financialexpress.com
- 8Meru announces additional cabs for Delhi odd-even periodfinancialexpress.com
- 9Meru在CSMT车站推出出租车预订服务aninews.in
- 10Mahindra Logistics acquires MERUequitybulls.com
- 11Meru Cabs launches office commute serviceeconomictimes.indiatimes.com
- 12Meru Cabs launches office commute service; to provide no surge pricing, up to one-month advance bookingyourstory.com
- 13Meru launches cab booking service at Mumbai’s CSMT Railway Stationarchive.siasat.com
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