BackUber partners with Bharti Airtel to offer free 4G services
As part of this strategic partnership, all Uber cabs will have access to free high-speed WiFi by Airtel 4G
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Mumbai: Your Uber ride just became more attractive: you can now access free high-speed WiFi by Airtel 4G while riding the cab, and have another mobile wallet option, Airtel Money, to pay for your ride.
Taxi-hailing service Uber said on Friday that it has partnered with Bharti Airtel Ltd for mobile wallet and Internet services for riders and drivers in India. The service will be first launched in Mumbai on Saturday, and in other cities in the next few weeks.
As part of this strategic partnership, all Uber cabs will have access to free high-speed WiFi by Airtel 4G, a service that Airtel rolled out in August in 296 towns across India. Also, other than credit, debit cards, Paytm (mobile wallet) and cash payments (currently in six cities in India), riders can now pay for their trips with Airtel’s mobile wallet, Airtel Money.
The Uber driver partner community which is over 150,000 will now have access to subsidised mobile, device and data plans. As part of this alliance, Uber will also offer exclusive promotions, discounts and experiences to Airtel customers, including ₹ 500 off on their first ride using the Airtel Money payment option.
“Our partnership with Uber is directly in line with our commitment to offer innovative and relevant services for our customers. Now, Uber riders can enjoy the convenience of paying through their Airtel Money wallets, while also experiencing the power of blazing Internet speeds with Airtel 4G on the move. We are excited that Uber has chosen Airtel to fulfill its telecom needs, and look forward to supporting the company’s rapid growth across India," said Srini Gopalan, director—consumer business, Bharti Airtel.
As part of its expansion plan, Uber Technologies raised an undisclosed investment from Tata Opportunities Fund in August. Times of India publisher Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd along with Microsoft Corp. invested in Uber in an earlier round.
Uber is stepping up its initiatives to fight local rival, Ani Technologies Pvt. Ltd that operates cab-hailing service Ola.
In July, Ola made a small investment in mobile payment services provider Mswipe Technologies Pvt. Ltd that raised $25 million in a Series C (third) round of funding. “This was a purely strategic investment by Ola, to work together to provide better payment solutions to users," said a person directly involved in the funding round.
On 19th August Ola launched its Ola Select services that would give riders access to free in-cab Wi-fi, upgrades at no extra cost, special discounts and a range of exclusive benefits from Ola’s partner brands.
While Uber is looking to invest $1 billion in the next 6-9 months, Ola is looking to raise $500 million, according to a report by Mint.
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