Uber all set to offer ‘scheduled rides’ in India

Riders frustrated with last-minute non-availability of cabs will soon have a respite as cab aggregator Uber is about to launch pre-booking of cabs in India.

The service is expected to be targeted at business travellers who would be able to book only UberX in advance.

Uber is already in talks with businesses to integrate this service with other offerings. One such partnership will be with Jet Airways, which will let you book Uber cabs at the flight’s source and destination when you book an air ticket.

“For those who book (a flight) today and travel a few days later, we are giving an opportunity to book an Uber through our own site. So book for the day you want to, in advance. We’ll also reward travellers with certain benefits,” Belson Coutinho, Vice-President – Marketing, E-commerce and Innovations, told BusinessLine .

During its six years of existence, Uber has always maintained that on-demand booking — booking a cab 15-20 minutes in advance — is the best way to manage its fleet and offer better service.

However, in a blog post last month, the company announced its plans to offer ‘scheduled rides’ in select international cities.

“We’ve also heard from our riders that sometimes they want to arrange a pickup in advance so they can rest assured that an Uber will be available when they need it, even if it’s for a 4 am ride to the airport,” the company said in the blog post.

With the scheduled rides option, riders will be able to book a cab ride 30 minutes to 30 days in advance and will be assured that an Uber cab will be there when it’s time to head out.

The global rollout began on June 9 in Seattle, followed by other top business travel cities.

Uber, however, has been mum on the list of cities that’ll get the service.

Travellers will receive a reminder both 24 hours and 30 minutes in advance of their pickup.

However, there is no relief from surge pricing. Uber will notify you whether surge pricing applies or not only when your ride is on your way. In case, you want to cancel, Uber says it will not charge any cancellation fee.

The service is expected to be targeted at business travellers who would be able to book only UberX in advance.

“Since the option to schedule a ride is a top-requested feature from business travellers, we’re excited to give priority access to riders who have Business Profiles or are linked to their company’s Uber for Business account,” Uber said in the blog post.

UberGo is currently the cheapest category of cabs that Uber offers in India. UberX cabs are sedans that are priced almost twice as much as UberGo.