Uber launches new rewards programme for drivers to bring down cancellations

Uber has launched Uber Pro in 12 cities and plans to take it other locations soon.

Ride-hailing firm Uber India has launched a rewards programme for drivers to help them reach their goals both on and off the road to will help reduced trip cancellations, a pet peeve of customers.

Uber Pro is currently live in 12 cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Guwahati and Jaipur. Uber plans to extend to more cities in near future.

"Uber Pro rewards drivers who provide a great service to riders by maintaining a high app rating and low-trip cancellations. It will go a long way in promoting the adaptation and continued use of the Uber platform and will improve the overall experience on the Uber app," said Shiva Shailendran, Director -Operations, Uber India & South Asia, said in a statement on November 2.

Uber Pro has four tiers —Blue, Gold, Platinum and Diamond, which is the highest. A driver who is new on the platform starts with a Blue tier status and will move up the ladder by earning “points” on every completed trip and meeting other criteria.

The points will be reset every three months.

"As drivers move towards a higher tier status, they get access to exclusive perks and experiential rewards offered by third parties such as discounted vehicle maintenance and motor insurance and microcredit offerings, etc," the media statement said.

Riders will be able to see the tier status of a driver on booking a ride, while drivers will be able to track their progress on the app.

The ride-hailing firm has been working on bringing down trip cancellations on its platform.

It was also revamping its backend tech to introduce upfront pricing and location details to drivers to bring down ride cancellations in India and across the world, Manikandan Thangarathnam, senior director of mobility and platforms at Uber, told Moneycontrol in an earlier interaction.

The company has already introduced customer rating, mode of payment and destination features and upfront pricing is also being tested in a few cities to study the market reactions and imbalances, if any.