Showing some flexibility in its payment model, Uber announced today that it would let customers in Hyderabad, India, pay by cash.
“This is an experiment and a global first for Uber across our 300+ cities,” the company wrote in a blog post. “We have worked hard to create a cash payment option that is seamless and truly Uber. Hyderabad was the only city specifically selected for this experiment because it provides us with the right environment to test a new payment option amongst a sizeable and sophisticated rider and driver community.”
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1727351,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,","session":"A"}']In general, part of the appeal of the Uber experience has been the ease of payments that happen automatically via the app after a ride is complete.
Uber has faced some tangled legal problems in India, and the company faces tough competition from Ola, a cab-hailing service that operates in 110 cities in India. Currently, Uber has only launched in 11 cities in India, but a cash option could help it expand to other, smaller cities in a country where use of credit cards remains relatively low.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn More