In India, You Can Now Book an Uber Driver By the Hour
The new service helps users avoid long wait times and surprise surge rates.
Uber has started a new service in India that allows users to book drivers by the hour, rather than per trip. For sightseeing visitors, executives bouncing around to different meeting locations, or anyone with multiple trips to make in a day, it's often more convenient to have a driver waiting at their beck and call, rather than request a new ride each time they need to change locations. The ride-hailing company has caught on to this common practice, allowing users in India to book drivers by the hour using UberHIRE.
How it Works
UberHIRE requires a minimum reservation of two hours, and up to 12 hours at a time, and there are mileage limits associated with the booking, according to an article on Mashable. Excess miles are charged at an additional per-minute rate. At the moment, it's a cash-only payment system, which is another example of Uber's attempt to tailor its services to meet country-specific needs rather than take a uniform operational approach across markets.
More Convenient, Maybe Less Expensive
The new service will help users avoid long wait times or surge fares, and can eliminate confusion identifying passengers and drivers during pick-ups. UberHIRE is available in nine cities in India: Kochi, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Vizag, and Nagpur. The Drive reached out to Uber to inquire about rates, and whether or not this service is available outside of India, but didn't receive a timely response. Booking Uber by the hour could be a welcomed option in San Francisco or Los Angeles, or pretty much any city where demand often outstrips supply.
Source: Uber via Mashable