Uber India allows booking without app, requesting rides for others

Popular ride-hailing service Uber  has just made it easier for users in India to book a cab without using their app, as well as order a ride on behalf of a friend or family member.

After recently allowing users to book a cab directly using just the Snapdeal app, Uber has now come out with two more India-specific services – “Dial an Uber,” and “Request a Ride for Others.”

The “Dial an Uber” feature that does not require an app to book a ride, and all you have to do is go go to to www.dial.uber.com on your mobile and login by simply entering your phone number, since the web app version does not require you to create a new Uber account. You’ll be taken straight to a page with all the information about price, ride estimate, and more, and you can request a ride with a single tap. Right now, paying by cash is the only option if you use this method to get an Uber.

Uber also let’s you book a cab for someone else. Granted, this could be done indirectly, but simply choosing the other person’s location, but you would still have to co-ordinate everything, with your phone number being listed. Now you “Request a Ride for Others.”

Just open the Uber app, and place the pin on your friend’s pick-up location. The app will then ask you if the ride is for someone else, and on selecting the option, you can pick their contact information from the address book. After you confirm the booking, Uber will directly send the driver/car details, along with a link to track the ride to your friend’s phone, while the driver receives your friend’s contact details for getting in touch.

The feature also allows you to  continue tracking the requested trip from within the app on your mobile. If you’re feeling generous, you can pay for your friend’s ride using your card, but you can also select the cash payment option for them to pay for the ride.

Both the “Dial an Uber” and “Request a Ride for Others” features will be available in all the 28 Indian cities where Uber currently operates.

Do you think this could be a big game changer for Uber? Hit the comments below to let us know!