Ride-hailing company Uber today unveiled a new light web-based version of Uber -- m.uber.com – that will help Indian users book their rides directly from a PC or a tablet. Thus, if you are at a place with limited to no access to smartphone, the new website will let you book your Uber from your laptop.
"As part of our efforts to enable global access to Uber, we're focusing on two key areas for riders -- building solutions for those who don't have access to the Uber app and enabling our existing rider app to work better in emerging markets," said Daniel Graf, Vice President and Head of Product at Uber.
Along with the website, Uber also rolled out three new app features including offline search, request for a guest and call to ride. Offline search is useful for riders that use the mobile app in limited network areas.
The offline feature caches the popular points of interest in the city enabling riders to enter their destinations in the app even without having a working network connection, the company said.
Request for a guest feature will help riders to book an Uber for anyone no matter where the rider or guest is located. The person requesting the ride for a guest has to simply tap "Where to?", and then choose who is riding above their pickup location.
The guest rider will receive trip information in an SMS text message -- including ETA, car type and driver contact information. To prevent privacy on both sides, the driver will be able to see the rider's name and can contact him/her through a masked number.
The ride will be charged to the requestor's card on file unless the requestor selects cash as the payment. Both the features will be rolled in the next few weeks, the company added.
With call to ride, riders can call single phone number and enter a numeric code displayed on signage to help Uber identify their location. Once the ride is confirmed, the rider will also be sent a text message with information on the car and driver partner.
Currently, Uber is testing this feature only in Pune.
