You pay what you see! Uber launches 'upfront fares'

Uber said, "You pay what you see, no surprises!"

In a move to enhance its customer experience, the major taxi-service provider Uber has launched upfront fares in India.

"We’re excited to roll out upfront fares for all trips in Delhi NCR. Simply enter your destination and get the actual trip fare before you request a ride, just like you already do with uberPOOL. No surprises or calculating your fare - you can decide what’s best for you and your budget," Uber said.

An Uber India spokesperson told PTI that Uber has been testing upfront fares for a small segment of riders across five cities in India since the beginning of this month. These cities include New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, she added.

In April, Uber introduced upfront fares for regular uberX trips in cities across the US and more recently in India.  

The upfront fares are calculated using the expected time and distance of the trip and local traffic, as well as how many riders and nearby drivers are using Uber at that moment. If the fares go up due to increased demand, instead of surge lightning bolts and pop-up screens, riders are given the actual fare before they request their ride, according to Uber's website.

This move also comes at a time when government is planning to bring policy framework for taxi aggregators and other transport operators.

On Monday, the government constituted a Committee under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways to examine the issues related to taxis, aggregators and radio taxies, etc