Paying for an Uber is usually a seamless affair involving a credit card and electronic fairies transporting cash around the ether. But what if you forget your card at home, and only have cash?
Uber South Africa has announced that it will debut a “cash indicator” feature for its drivers, which will allow them to choose to accept a trip paid using cash or decline it.
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“We’ve received a lot of feedback from driver-partners expressing their need to be able to choose the kind of trips they want to accept,” Uber SA’s GM Jonathan Ayache notes in a press release.
“This feedback came from our focus groups, comments at partner appreciation events and recent safety working groups. We’ve taken heed of this request and believe the new cash indicator pilot will address their needs.”
Ayache notes that while some drivers preferred cashless rides, others believed cash trips opened up opportunities.
Uber drivers will now be alerted by a ‘cash indicator’ on their app if you intend to pay using coins and notes
“Cash is a dominant payment method in Africa and many riders do not have cards to use on the app; cash removes the barrier for those without a card who want to use Uber.
“That’s why it’s not feasible to remove the cash option completely — we believe riders should have the freedom to pay for rides how they wish, but we also believe that driver-partners should have the freedom to accept cash trips or not,” Ayache continues.
For drivers, this means a slight tweak to the app itself.
A cash indicator will now appear to drivers on their app — below the ETA — if their rider intends to pay cash. Drivers can then choose to accept the trip or not. Uber notes that if a ride is cancelled, the app will “immediately alert another driver-partner”.
“This also means that driver-partners who decline to accept a cash trip will not face any consequences — they will not be penalised for declining a cash trip, nor will they be deactivated for doing so,” the company adds.
Uber South Africa believes that the change will be minimal for users of the service, and will not impact dispatch times.
