Cab aggregator Uber India launches a pilot driver rewards system “Uber Plus”

Key Highlights

The program ensures access to rewards and more savings to the Uber drivers as they continue working with the cab aggregator

Drivers can earn points as they as drive as per this programme. These points can be collected over a period of 3 months and then redeemed.

These points will enable the driver-partners to unlock a variety of rewards and a series of tiers.

Uber India has launched the pilot phase of its driver loyalty programme named “Uber plus” in India. This programme will currently be available in three cities only – Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh.

This programme was launched in the USA last year. It ensures access to rewards and more savings to the Uber drivers as they continue working with the cab aggregator

Drivers can earn points as they as drive as per this programme. These points can be collected over a period of 3 months and then redeemed. These points will enable the driver-partners to unlock a variety of rewards and a series of tiers.

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Better rewards can be accessed by the drivers as they keep unlocking higher tiers. Blue, gold and diamond are the tiers currently available to the drivers. Each of these tiers offers their own set of different rewards.

The nature of these rewards isn’t revealed by the cab company in detail but it does mention benefits like priority support, free doctor’s consultations, savings on maintenance costs, discounts for education as well as microloans are a part of the reward system.

Commenting on this new development, Prabhjeet Singh, Uber South Asia and India head of cities said, the welfare of their drivers has always been a priority for the cab aggregator and they are actively working for the same with Uber Plus being a huge step in that direction. This programme will enable their driver-partners to save more every day and fulfil their dreams as a result.

 This program is currently only available in three cities. Uber India will monitor the progress and take note of the feedback before making this system available to drivers in other cities Uber operates in.

This is a much-needed step in for making the life of driver-partners easier in India. Working for a big company like Uber might have seemed like a good option when they just entered the Indian market in 2013, however, things have taken a turn for the worse for these drivers in recent times. There is a massive increase in the driver number and the company is more and more focused on churning out as much profit as it can. This has led to worsening of the finances of the drivers.

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However, experts believe that this change of events wes bound to happen as Uber India isn’t making as much profit as they would have liked to make. They spend heavily of technology and marketing. The company has in fact been suffering heavy losses.

The problem here is that in the bid to compete with its rival Ola, Uber went all out to lure in drivers for them. They gave promises of minimal commission and higher salaries. Thousands were attracted to the cab aggregator as a result, some even quitting their day jobs. The company often pushed the drivers to apply for car loans and promised them earnings of 1 lakh per month.

However, as time passed, the company started to focus more and more on profitability. They wanted their unit economics to improve, hence they started to rationalize the drivers. The current scenario is that the drivers are barely able to make ₹20,000 in a month in cities like Bangalore. They are also charged with a heavy commission of 30% per ride. Hopefully, this new driver rewards program will provide some much-needed relief to the driver partners.

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