Uber now lets you pay using debit card or net banking via Paytm Wallet in India

Uber entered India last year and is currently one of the popular cab services in India. Uber accepts only credit cards, which was one of the main concerns among the users in India who didn’t have credit cards. Today Uber has tied up with Paytm, one of the leading mobile commerce platforms to introduce payment through debit card, net banking or credit card using Paytm wallet.

Once you link your card or bank account via a Paytm wallet to your Uber account, you can top up your wallet using multiple payment options. Once the payment is added, your fare will be automatically debited from your e-wallet after the Uber ride. As usual you will get receipt with detailed fare breakdown and the trip route taken at the end of the ride.

Option for adding Paytm wallet is available on Android and iOS after the latest update. Here is the procedure to add money to your wallet.

• When you register with Uber, you’ll be prompted to add a payment profile. If you already have a Paytm wallet, you may link it to your Uber account.
• Click on ‘Payment’ to find your wallet. Then click on ‘Add Money’ (minimum recharge value is Rs. 100)
• Recharge your wallet whenever you want by using your credit card, debit card or your NetBanking account.

This new move is due to a new rule by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that requires all online transactions to pass through domestic payment systems. If the customer has insufficient funds to pay their cab, the account goes into a negative balance and subsequently prompts them to top up and return their wallet to credit after the ride, said an Uber spokesperson TechCrunch.

UberX cheaper version of Uber now in India

Uber entered India last year and is currently available in six cities – New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune. Uber has launched uberX, a low-cost Uber service cheaper than the UberBLACK in India. This service is currently available in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The base fare is just Rs.40 or Rs. 50 depending on the city. Rate per minute and kilometer is also cheaper in uberX compared to UberBLACK.

uberX has mid-range cars such as Toyota Etios, Mahindra Verito, Maruti Swift Dzire, Nissan Sunny etc. Uber app also has an option that lets you split your fare when you travel with your friends, so it would be much cheaper. Check out the UberX rates in India.

UberX	Delhi (Rs.)	Bangalore (Rs.)	Hyderabad (Rs.)
Base Fare start with this fare	50	50	40
Per Kilometre distance covered	15	15	13
Per Minute time taken in minutes	2	1	1
Minimum Fare	150	125	100

Uber users in Bangalore can use the promo code IWANTuberX to get Rs. 500 off on their first uberX ride. You can use UberX in the same app that now has a new option to select UberBLACK or UberX. The new UberX service would compete with Olacabs, Meru Cabs and TaxiForSure.

Uber launches in Pune making it the 6th city in India with Uber service

Uber, a popular travel service across the globe, had come to India last year and have been gradually expanded. The latest city that Uber is entering is Pune, Maharastra. Uber is already available in other Indian cities like New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. Pune is the sixth city in India where Uber is currently available. 

                              

The service was launched on May 29, 2014 and as a launch offer, Uber is giving away two rides worth Rs. 300 each to new users. The introductory offer is valid till June 30th and all you have to do to avail this offer is use the Promo code – UberPuneLaunch .

The details of the pricing are as follows

• Pricing:
  • Base fare: 80
  • Distance: 15 Rs./km
  • Time: 2 Rs./minute
  • Minimum fare: 150 Rs.
  • Cancellation fee: 150 Rs

Uber has mentioned that the rates can be expected to change as this is just the testing phase. The cars that you are available at launch include – Renault Duster, Toyota Innova, Nissan Sunny, BMW 3 Series, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Vento. Users can use their Android or iOS device to use the Uber service.

UPDATE: Fonearena readers can now enjoy a couple of free rides worth Rs. 300 each. All they need to do is to use the Promo Code – “FONEARENAPUNE“

Uber launching in Chennai soon, limited cars are available for trips already!

Uber which is one of my favorite services in USA for commuting is launching in the South Indian city of Chennai soon. The service is already available in Delhi  & Bangalore and the company has announced that it is rolling out the service in Chennai with a limited number of cars. I just opened the app and found that a black car would pick me up in around 10 mins in the city which is very good news for Chennai residents.

Update: The cars which will be initially available are Mercedes E-Class, Toyota Altis and BMW 5 Series .

Fares
Base fare  ₨ 50.00 + ₨ 2.00 per minute /₨ 15.00 Per kilometer. Minimum fare is Rs.100 and cancellation fee is Rs.100.

We are trying to find out from the company about the fares and also the types of cars which are going to be available. It will be interesting to see how call taxis and other players react to Uber in the city. The Chennai market is dominated by call taxis and private cabs.

The service is available on both Android and iOS and you can book a car right from your phone and you don’t have to pay the driver and everything is billed to your credit card directly.   I just pulled a quick fare quote from my home to the Airport and the app showed a very reasonable figure of Rs.272-350.

Update: Trips to the Airport are charged a flat fare of Rs.1200.

Who is looking forward to trying Uber in Chennai ?

Drive or Ride with Uber In New Delhi | Delhi Uber

Uber, a technology company in the Silicon Valley of US, is expanding its cab rides service globally and the latest addition to their list of cities is India’s capital – New Delhi. Delhi will be Uber’s second city in India after Bangalore and they are expecting that it will be their biggest market in the country.Uber is available as an Android and iOS app. By using Uber, users can request a ride and they will be picked up within minutes. At launch, Uber will be concentrating on Central and South Delhi along with some parts of Gurgaon. They are expecting to cover all of Delhi as soon as possible.You could be picked up in one these awesome cars – Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Mercedes E & S class, BMW 3 & 5  series and Audi Q3, A4 and A6. 

Users can request a ride just by tapping a button on the app. In addition to the slick UI, the app also comes with a specific security feature for Delhi called as Share my ETA which sends the location of the user along with the ETA to their friends/family. The information is sent via a text message along with a link to track the precise location of the cab. This security feature would be a welcome feature in Delhi. It also lets you share the ride fare when you are riding along with friends at the press of a single button.

Uber want to reward the readers of FoneArena with their free promotion codes. You can use the promo code – “FONEARENA” and enjoy two free rides, each up to a maximum of Rs. 500(Ya, that’s right! You get a Rs. 1000 travel in luxury cars just for following FoneArena). To use these free promotion codes, just download the Uber app for iPhone or Android and insert the code under “Promotion” or you can redeem the discount directly uber.com/go

Here is the pricing for the service in Delhi , not too bad for a dose of some awesome service.

The base fare would be  Rs 70 and you would be charged Rs 20 per kilometer. You would be charged Rs.2 per minute of waiting time.

And the minimum fare is Rs.200 and the best part of using Uber ? You can forget your wallet at home and still book a cab using the iPhone or Android app provided you have setup your account with a credit card.

This is one reason you got to love Uber! Don’t forget to use the FoneArena promo code mentioned above!

Varun Krish and Monish Kumar contributed to this story

Uber extends to Kochi making it the 11th city in India with Uber service

Uber has announced that it has expanded its service to Kochi in India. Uber is growing rapidly in India by adding new cities every few months. It was initially launched in India starting from Bangalore back in August 2013 and later expanded to New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune. It was launched in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Kolkata in India simultaneously back in August, earlier this year.

Earlier this month Uber launched UberGo, a new service especially for India that is even cheaper than the low-cost UberX service. It recently tied up with Paytm so that users can pay for Uber using the Paytm wallet.

In Kochi the base fare for UberX is Rs. 35, minimum fare is Rs. 70, per KM charges are Rs. 15 and per minute it costs Re.1. Cancellation fee is Rs. 70. During the initial roll out in Kochi, there will be limited cars available so the ETA will be longer than usual, says Uber. The company plans to add more cars gradually.

To celebrate the launch, new users can use the promo code UberKochiLaunch to enjoy 2 free rides up to Rs. 300 each, valid until 15th December, 2014.