The On-Demand Luxury Car Rental Service Uber Rides Into Delhi

The San-Francisco based company drives into Delhi with its luxury cab on demand service which connects drivers with passengers with its application called Uber. The service which was first rolled out in India's silicon valley has already made its presence felt in in more than 50 cities in 19 countries and is set to a disrupt the on-demand cab service. Uber, backed by firms like Google Ventures, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Menlo Ventures, and Goldman Sachs is expanding rapidly across cities.

What's the Uber service about?

Uber is an application that seamlessly connects riders to drivers. You can track the arrival of your driver and you'll receive a text message when the car arrives. Payments are automatic and hassle free. The credit card on file is charged at the end of the ride and you'll get an email receipt detailing your trip. You can simply use your iPhone or Android app to request a driver to pick you in less than 25 minutes.

What's great about it?

Luxury appears affordable with Uber. You pay little more than what you pay otherwise and feel good about being chauffeured around in a Mercedes or Audi. I took a ride in an Uber Camry cab after booking it through the application. It's simple, reliable and hassle free. The service also scores on safety in a city like Delhi. The app also allows you to share a ride with friends and split the fare.

What's the pricing plan?

The only extra charge that Uber has over and above a regular Meru's is the per minute charge. So a 50-km drive would cost you Rs 100 extra to the fare. The base fare is Rs 70 and the minimum fare is Rs 200 while per kilometre is Rs 20.

What Uber say?

Uber is bullish about their service and is set to check into its next destination in few weeks time. ‘Our service is hassle free and reliable and you get to rate the driver', says, Uber's head of India operations Jambu Palaniappan.

Last words

Uber is the way forward for people in cities to have a hassle free ride that is also cashless and hassle free. Several car rental service are already trying to up their ante in terms of adding useful features that make riders feel good and safe. Having said, in a country with low smartphone and credit card penetration and low disposable income, it might take time for smart booking and luxury ride to become a reality.

Want to take a ride in a chauffeured Mercedes or a BMW? Download the Uber application and enter the promo code uberPCQUEST to get 20% discount.