Uber launches its overhauled rider app in India, globally

Multinational ride hailing service, Uber, has announced the launch of its new Rider Application on Android and iOS platforms globally and in India. According to the company this new version has been completely refurbished since 2012 and will avail its customers a more personalized, faster and smarter experience.

The new app has a fresh design, which is loaded with in-app shortcuts, better vehicle options, smart pickups and advanced pricing options. The company states that the new app has machine-learning features that will be able to learn from riders’ routines and display shortcuts according to their schedule and predict their drop location. The company claims that the new app has been made keeping the destination of the customer in mind.

“Uber is based on a simple concept: push a button, get a ride. What started as a way to request premium cars, now offers a range of products, making millions of rides possible across the world,” said Apurva Dalal, Head of Engineering, Uber India.

“While providing seamless on-demand transportation for riders remains our central focus, the newly designed rider app is unique as we rebuilt it from ground up to deliver a much faster and improved interface for riders. We are excited that riders across India will now have this superior experience.”

Interestingly, the application will also introduce a riders’ rating model where the customer will be able to see his/her rating by the driver under the menu. The app claims to also have features to save frequent travel locations and integrate with the riders’ calendars. The schedule a ride feature can be used to book a cab 15 minutes or even 30 days in advance.

Apart from these, the rider will also have the ability to split fares, share trip details and request a ride for others. Though the company had released the new version of Uber last year November in the some parts of the UK and US market, the overhauled app had not hit India. Now, according to the company the new app will be available to 29 cities of India that Uber operates in.

India seems to be an important market for the company as earlier this month, the ride hailing platform launched its food delivery app, UberEATS, in Mumbai, sparking stiff competition to existing players like Swiggy and Zomato. With this move, the company aims to tap what it claims to be a $15 billion unorganized food delivery sector in India.