Uber adds a new service - Dial an Uber - across all Indian cities where it operates

You no longer need to have the Uber app installed on your phone if you want to call an Uber cab. Uber has just announced a feature called ‘Dial an Uber’ which lets users from the 29 cities (where Uber is operational) request an UberGO cab from a mobile phone browser. The feature will start off in four Indian cities, namely, Nagpur, Kochi, Guwahati and Jodhpur, and eventually roll out to other cities. It is targetted at users who are on low or poor connectivity areas or networks. In order to call your UberGO cab you need to follow these steps:

• Go to dial.uber.com on your mobile phone browser
• Enter your phone number to login or sign up
• Get pricing information, fare estimate and request your ride with a tap
• After requesting your ride, get connected with the driver to coordinate over the call for the pickup
• Once trip completes, you can pay the driver in cash

Since the service is applicable for those who do not have the Uber app, there are a lot of restrictions. You can only dial for an Uber from your phone’s mobile browser. You can only pay in cash. You won’t receive any receipts. Cancellation of a ride will incur charges which will be added to your next ride. Speaking about the launch of the Dial an Uber service, Uber India’s head of engineering, Apurva Dalal said, “We began with introducing ‘Dial an Uber’ - an ‘India first Innovation’ in four cities, as a pilot to overcome the challenge of serving under all kinds of networks, especially low or poor connectivity. Buoyed by the overwhelming responses, we are pleased to announce a national roll-out.”