Uber launches auto rentals in India

The service allows riders to book an auto and its driver for several hours with the liberty to make multiple stops along a journey, it said in a statement.

The service in now live in Bengaluru and is available in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Pune, it said.
Prices start at Rs 169 for a one-hour/ ten km package with the option of selecting from multiple hourly packages that can be booked up to a maximum of eight hours, the statement said.

Commenting on the new service, Nitish Bhushan, Head of Marketplace and Categories, Uber India and South Asia, said, “This is a India-first innovation and a prime example of how we leverage technology to benefit both riders and drivers.”

Uber has also allocated $50 million globally to purchase safety supplies like masks, gloves, hand sanitisers, and disinfectant sprays for drivers. In India, the teams have already been distributing protective equipment to active drivers across 70+ cities where operations have resumed. Uber’s new in-app safety feature will notify drivers to replenish their PPE supplies after they have completed a predetermined number of trips. 
Last month, Uber and Bajaj forged an industry first partnership to facilitate installation of safety screens in one lakh autos across the country to provide an additional physical barrier and ensure social distancing between drivers and riders. The companies also distributed safety kits to one lakh auto-rickshaw drivers across 20 cities including New Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, among others.

In June, the ride-hailing platform launched Hourly Rentals, a 24×7 on-demand, intra-city service, which allows riders to retain a car with its driver for several hours and make multiple stops on their journey.

Through the new service, Uber aims to provide riders the convenience they would get with their own car starting at a price point of Rs 189 for a one-hour/ 10 km package, it said in a statement.