Passengers Can Now Pay Uber In Cash

Uber introduces cash payment option to win over the Singaporean market and increase its user base

Uber is launching its cash payments technology to Singapore; the transporter announced April 6, 2016, turning it into the first “ developed” city to test launch this method, revealed official of the company, Warren Tseng.

The penetration of credit cards in the city is essential, 69% of consumer expenditure is done via credit cards in the region, revealed MasterCard international report. Uber is looking at the remaining percentage, Warren claims.

The company figures that, by eschewing the requirement of credit cards, it can lure more passengers towards its application, who many have not been logging up before. It can also attract students or seniors who do not necessarily have credit cards.

Ultimately, Warren says cash payment test launched in the rest of markets have demonstrated that many people are those who use Uber app in regions outside the conventional urban, central locations that Uber often serves. Adoption rate can grow by an average 45%, he elaborates.

Essentially, the test launch will demonstrate if the company can enter the phones of more people in this manner, even in transportation markets where a large number of people are demanding for cash payments. At the same time, Warren says, the organization is interested in maintaining the same quality of service, whether in the core business district or in suburbs.

The new update must launch out gradually to phone users from April 6, 2016, and will be available for the Uber Black and Uber X options. The ride sharing service provider has earlier launched cash payments in a number of markets across the globe, including many cities in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and in the capital of Philippines, Manila.

In recent times, Uber underwent an important restructuring across the globe, with many workers laid off as well as replaced by recently recruited ones from significant Silicon Valley organizations. Warren did not share views on whether the re-organizing had affected its strategy moving forward. He states instead that the transporter will keep trying out new devices and adapting them to every region, and Singapore continues to be a prioritized market for Uber.

The company provides its cab service in over 400 cities across the globe but accepts cash payments in just 40 of them. The test drive will be offered to a "large proportion of new and existing customers", the San Francisco based organization said, though it did not disclose how many.

The Malaysian taxi service, Grab, provides consumers both cashless (like credit card) and cash options for its chauffeur-hire facility and cab bookings, known as GrabCar.