Uber Unveils New Business Features in India

Uber is further strengthening its offering for business customers in India, a sector that has proven significantly beneficial to several companies. The ride-hailing company on Wednesday introduced new 'Uber for Business' service in the country, adding several new features that makes its offering more enticing and flexible for businesses.

The company, which competes with Ola for tentpole position in the app aggregator space, said corporates and enterprises can use automated tools to set up programs for daily commutes, including rides to airport. All the new features will be available to existing business partners, a spokesperson confirmed to Gadgets 360.

As part of this new feature, Uber said managers at different businesses could also use the new late night policy, which will allow employees at their organisations to avail cabs at night. A manager could also set how much daily or monthly allowance any rider should get, any expenditure north of it would be compensated from the employee, it said.

Uber is also allowing companies to mandate rules for employees, clients or otherwise customers. They will be able to decide what kind of car the clients could avail. The feature is flexible, and companies could make changes as they see fit. Uber said it has also redesigned the user interface for Uber for Business dashboard, allowing employers to interact with employees, customers, clients through Uber Central.

The move, Uber said, which recently completed 500 million rides in India, will help businesses cut costs, and less hassle for admins and managers in managing the program in their respective companies. For employees, this means they are going to have less fun.

"With the launch of our revamped Uber for Business platform, our technology makes it possible to create specialized solutions that help businesses have access to reliable transportation options for all their needs. Companies can now configure and use our platform to manage transportation requirements for all, while reducing costs, increasing operational efficiency and improving compliance," Arjun Nohwar, APAC Head for Uber for Business said in a prepared statement. The company didn't share how many business customers it has in India.