Ride-hailing platform Uber is piloting its ‘Uber for Teens’ service in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, FE has learnt. This comes nearly two years after the service was launched in the US and Canada.
Confirming the development, an Uber official said that this service would be expanded to other cities if the pilot is successful.
Uber for Teens allows parents and guardians to set up accounts for their children aged between 13 and 17 years, so that they can book a cab directly using their own mobiles.
It comes with several other safety features like audio recording and live trip tracking. The adults can also limit the number of trips taken by the teenagers.
In its October-December quarterly results last month, the company said that Uber for Teens is now available in over 50 countries.
In some countries, it has also launched Teen profiles, enabling teens to use their own payment methods and cash.
In India, the company is live in 128 cities currently and has over 1 million drivers. Here, it has launched several features like item pickups, to suit the local needs and beat the competition.
Recently, it launched a zero-commission model for auto drivers, allowing them to use the app as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform to connect with customers.
With this change, fares are now paid directly to the driver, and Uber has no control over ride execution or quality. The company competes with homegrown apps like Ola, Rapido and Namma Yatri here. Rapido has already implemented a zero-commission model, and Ola has been reportedly testing it in some cities.
This also comes as the confusion around the applicability of GST on the services of these apps continues.
Last year, the company’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, said that the Indian customer is a “demanding one”, both in terms of service and price”. However, he added, “For us, India is not only a market with enormous potential, but it is a state of mind.”
