Uber, the US-headquartered technology company that allows users to hire luxury cars via its mobile app, has rolled out in India UberX, the affordable version of its service.
Uber launched in India last September and its services are available in Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune at present.UberX base fare for cab rentals is Rs 50, while the cost per kilometre is Rs 15, with the charge per minute of waiting at Rs 2.
The minimum fare under UberX is Rs 150.As per the company, UberX features mid-range, commercially licensed sedans with seating for up to four people. Vehicles include Toyota Etios and Maruti Swift DZire.For Uber’s standard service, the base price for any ride is Rs 90, and the cost per kilometre Rs 25 with the cost per minute of waiting being Rs 2.Users can switch between the two services through a slider on the app home screen.
Bangalore was the first Indian city to get the services of Uber where it was launched in September 2013. The luxury car service was later extended to Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune, and is expected to be launched in Kolkata soon.
Even though Uber doesn’t own any cars and just acts like a middleman between the customer and the cab driver, it has made the task of booking a cab easier.The fleet of cars for the luxury service include cars like Mercedes, BMW Series, and various cars from Audi. Uber competes with the likes of Olacabs, TaxiForSure, TaxiPixi, EasyCabs and Meru. Uber is also expected to include other modes of payment for their services soon.
Currently, the users can only pay through Google wallet, PayPal or a credit card added to their Uber account, which limits the number of users in India, where most people would not be able to use these channels of payment.
