Uber Launches 24x7 Auto Rentals in India

Uber on Wednesday launched an on-demand 24x7 Auto Rentals service 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. Riders can choose to book an auto for at least one hour or 10km as part of the package. Multiple hourly packages can be booked as well. As of now, the Uber Auto Rentals service is available only in a handful of cities.

The service in now live in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune. Prices start at Rs. 149 for a one-hour or 10km package with the option of selecting from multiple hourly packages that can be booked up to a maximum of eight hours.

There are certain terms and conditions that pop up in the Uber app when you try to book an Auto Rental. For starters, the selected package cannot be changed once the trip starts. In cases of extra time and distance, you will be charged at Rs. 9.5 per km and Rs. 1 per minute. The autos can be booked for service only within the city areas. You can add and change your destinations as per your travel requirements. An extra charge of Rs. 35 will be added to the package fare as a booking fee. Lastly, parking charges, if any, have to be paid directly to the driver. It must be noted that only three passengers are allowed at a time.

If you need to make a booking, simply scroll down the trip options on the Uber app and tap on Auto Rentals. As mentioned, the base one-hour package is priced at Rs. 149 (including the booking charge). This can go up to Rs. 809 if you opt for the eight-hour package.

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

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