Uber experiments with cash payments for rides

SINGAPORE – No credit card? No worries, says Uber. The app-based private car hire service has started a trial to allow cash payments for its rides here, making Singapore the first developed city it is launching the trial in, Uber said in a blog post on Wednesday (April 6).

“Cash is an open-ended experiment so not all riders will see this additional payment option right away,” said Uber on its website.

To pay by cash, users have to select the ‘CASH’ option under payment options in the Uber phone application before sending a request for their ride by confirming the pick-up location.

Its move to introduce cash payment is mainly because cash transactions still make up 31 per cent of all transactions here although credit cards are common, Uber said, citing figures from a MasterCard global report.

Uber added that it also hopes this option will remove the “fear factor” for riders concerned about using their credit card, Uber said. Currently, customers have to key in their credit card numbers when getting an account on the Uber app in order to hail a driver. Subsequent trips will be charged to the same credit card.

Since Uber’s Singapore launch in 2013, it has positioned itself as a hassle-free option to travel as fares are paid remotely by card. Its rival, GrabTaxi, has been accepting cash payment since it started here in October 2013.

Uber is also offering the cash payment option in Hanoi, Jakarta, Manila and selected Indian cities (Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kochi).