Uber mobile app taxi service begins in Colombo
View(s):The world famous Uber mobile taxi service has begun operating in Colombo and the suburbs with a new way to book and pay for a ride via cell phones, Tablets and the Internet.Uber, present in over 340 cities in 60 countries, was launched in Sri Lanka bringing global technology, expertise and best practices in the on-demand mobility space, coupled with the hyper local knowledge of the local operations team in the city of Colombo, the San Francisco-based company said in a statement.
Uber is a mobile app that connects people who needs a ride, to a private chauffeur service or private chauffeurs, to get around on-demand.
The trip fare is calculated using GPS data via satellite, which is then forwarded to Uber’s servers for billing and immediate receipt generation.
At the end of the trip, the customer’s trip fare is billed automatically to the customer’s credit or debit card and a receipt with journey details is emailed immediately thereafter, the company explained in its statement.
“With over 1 million credit cards and 11 million debit cards in Sri Lanka and over 20 per cent of the population on smart phones, Sri Lanka is poised for Uber,” the company said. “Uber is a technology company that provides a platform to connect taxi drivers and taxi companies with customers. It acts as the middleman”; the statement quoted Varun Mundkur, head of operations as saying.
The Uber taxi fleet in Colombo is active and operational at the Regus office in Nawala. All you need to do is simply download the Uber app and sign up with your basic details and a credit/debit card to obtain the services, the company added.