- Uber will now show the destination to the cab driver before they accept the fare.
- The driver will also have an option to choose their preferred payment mode before accepting the ride.
- Uber will give extra incentives to drivers for long-distance pickups.
Cab aggregator Uber India has finally addressed issues that users have been facing during or after onboarding a cab. Issues like drivers not switching on ACs during summer, frequent ride cancellations after asking for the destination, are some of the common issues reported by users of ride-hailing apps in India. In an interview with Business Standard, Nitish Bhushan – Head of Central Operation at Uber India, has now responded to all major issues that users were facing with their Uber rides and launched updates to tackle these concerns.
After a meeting between the Consumer Affairs Ministry and top ride-hailing operators, these improvements came to address user concerns. Let’s have a quick look at all the changes Uber has made to its platform.
Fewer Uber ride cancellations
Arguably the most annoying thing users faced after booking a cab from Uber was the driver asking, “Jana kahaan hai,” and cancelling the ride after knowing the destination. The reason for this was that Uber does not show the driver the destination and the driver would end up cancelling the ride after knowing the location.
Uber will now show the destination to the cab driver before they accept the fare. That’ll help the driver decide whether they what to take the ride or not and reduce the cancellation rate. The update is live in 20 cities and will soon roll out to every city in India, said Nitish Bhushan.
Preferred payment option
Drivers would often ask if the payment will be in cash or online mode. The drivers prefer cash mode as the company takes time to release the money when the payment is made online. Uber releases the payment weeks to the drivers. After the update, the driver will have an option to choose their preferred payment mode before accepting the ride. If the driver chooses the online mode, Uber will process the sum on daily bases.
Additionally, the tips that the driver receives from Monday to Thursday will reflect in the driver’s account the next day, and the tips received from Friday to Sunday will be credited on Monday.
Incentives for long pick up
Uber will now also tip extra incentives to drivers from long-distance pickups. This means that if the Uber driver is far from the pickup destination and the driver decides to pick up the fare, Uber’ll reward them with extra incentives. The company plans to reduce the cancellation rate with this move. Long pickups incentives will be shown as a separate amount in the fare breakdown.
Driver not switching on AC
Many users complain about the driver not switching on AC during the hot summer or asking for extra money ranging from Rs 25 to Rs 100, to turn the AC on. The company will talk to the drivers to ensure the quality of the services is up to the mark. “With these changes, we are also reinforcing service quality expectations with drivers, especially in areas like cancellations and ensuring AC rides,” said Nitish Bhushan.
Uber hikes trip fares
The cab aggregator recently raised fares by 10-15 percent in India in the metro cities. Uber has commented on this move and stated that due to a hike in fuel prices, the company had to raise the fare prices.
“We have raised fares across multiple cities typically in the range of 10-15 per cent and the number varies city by city. Here essentially what we look at is the fuel price increase of the different fuel types. Some markets are CNG-heavy and others are diesel-heavy. So depending on the dominant fuel type in the city, the price hike actually varies based on the location,” said Nitish Bhushan in an interview.
