Uber can now track cab diagnostics to ensure safety and regular maintenance

After rolling out services such as cash payments to cater to the unique requirements of the Indian market, cab-hailing app Uber is working on an experimental service currently termed AutoHawk which could allow its driver partners to check on the health of their cars, in real time.

Through an AutoHawk service, fleet owners would be able to check the GPS location, speed, fuel usage, engine health, odometer, temperature and ride details of a car.

The service will allow UberFleet owners, who own more than one car on the Uber platform in India, to prevent revenue leakage and to check if their (employee) drivers are voluntarily routing cars to low demand locations.

Speaking at its annual TechDay, in the capital this week, Apurva Dalal, Head of Engineering, Uber India explained that the current GPS devices become unreliable when it comes to gathering data on speed and distance travelled.

“GPS is right 90 percent of the time but it’s the odometer which gets most accurate data (from a vehicle),” he said adding that these new devices will gather vehicle data set like geolocation, odometer data, RPM, coolant level, fuel level and engine data including RPM and airflow.

Moneycontrol has learnt that a device is likely to be provided by Uber on a pilot basis to its driver partners. It is unclear how much will Uber charge its partners for this service.

Those who avail service currently termed as AutoHawk will be able to access data over a cloud. The app can even remind Uber’s partners when they need to get their car serviced.

Current GPS devices in the market cost about Rs 4,500 apiece and provide only basic data such as engine start/stop time and location of a car.

The AutoHawk service could allow UberFleet owners to prevent leakage and optimise earnings on the cars attached with drivers.

Fleet owners who own multiple vehicles on the road will be the ones benefitting from it the most. They can have access to real-time data and even check if the driver is driving safely, through an app.

Uber has also started a referral program called UberDost wherein a partner can earn money by acquiring drivers for Uber.

With 12 percent of all global trips, India has emerged as one of the largest markets for Uber, outside the US. The company said it has adopted an 'India first’ approach.

"New stuff that starts in India, works (well) in India, (and) is then exported to the world," said Vinay Ramani, Head of Global Growth, Uber India.

joseph.sebastian@nw18.com