App-based taxi service Uber on Tuesday announced the launch of its operations in Jamshedpur, making it the 58th city in India where people can book rides by downloading the Uber app on their smartphones.
The steel city is the second city in Jharkhand, after Ranchi, where the American company has launched its services.
Jamshedpur reported one of the fastest adoptions of the Uber service in comparison to all new Uber city launches in 2019 since the soft launch — with very few cars — of operations here in December last year.
In Ranchi, Uber had launched its services in April last year.
For now, steel city users can only book UberGo, the lowest in the category of rides in terms of quality and size of cars that the company offers.
Ratul Ghosh, head of Uber, East India and Bangladesh, who was present at the launch function at a Bistupur-based hotel, said the company plans to soon launch UberPremier (bigger and better cars than UberGo) and UberIntercity service between Ranchi and Jamshedpur.
“We believe that the introduction of our service in this city will provide riders a reliable and economical travel solution to fully experience the city,” Ghosh said.
“Major areas in and around the city, including Jugsalai, Sonari, Golmuri, Gamharia, Chhota Govindpur to the serene Dimna Lake, are now accessible on UberGo.”
The launch, he added, “will help us in providing convenient mobility options to riders as well as create micro-entrepreneurship opportunities for those who sign up as driver-partners in the steel city”.
Uber has around 600 vehicles in Jharkhand and the intercity service between Jamshedpur and Ranchi is expected to be rolled out by April this year, he said.
Ghosh said that in the past one year, Uber has introduced various safety features such as pin verification for extra security, ride check for proactive help, call anonymity to protect the privacy of riders, background checks of drivers, reminders to check one's ride before boarding, and 24/7 safety helpline for any urgent assistance during the trip.
