Democracy on the move – Free Uber rides on Election Day in Hyderabad

Seamlessly connecting riders to drivers and making cities more accessible has been Uber’s mission since their launch in 2009. Uber Hyderabad has pledged to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get out and cast their vote tomorrow.

Uber is offering two free rides on polling day (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) to anyone who uses the Uber app to request a premium car. All you need to do is download the app for free, register and enter a special promo code VOTEHYD created for this initiative. Rides are free for new as well as existing Uber riders. You also need to accompany a senior citizen in an Uber.

The Uber cab hailing app lets you request a safe, reliable and stylish ride within minutes. You can track the arrival of your ride and you’ll receive a text message when the cab arrives. Payments are automatic and hassle free as they fade in the background. The credit card on file is charged at the end of the ride and you’ll get an email receipt detailing your trip. Their venture investors include Google Ventures, TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs.

In the world of providing luxury cabs service where Uber is the current leader -- they are available in 100 different cities around the world -- their closest competition, Lyft, is available in 30 cities worldwide. In India though Uber is operating in five cites (Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai), their Indian competitor OlaCabs, has expanded to seven cities across India where they are operating in the same five cities where Uber operates plus in Pune, Jaipur and Goa. Ola isn’t in Hyderabad yet.

We love our ‘Amammas’, ‘Nanammas’ and ‘Thatayyas’ and Uber riders are encouraged to assist and accompany senior citizens at home. Riders doing so will be given additional Uber credits that can be used on another occasion. All you need to do is accompany a senior citizen in an Uber, vote and then send in their pictures to via social media. Don’t forget to take a selfie with you grand ma and pa.

Siddharth Shanker, GM, Uber Hyderabad, said: “The world’s largest democracy is on the move and Uber is proud to contribute to it in its own way. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to go out and exercise their right to vote. An India-wide effort by Uber, the response has been phenomenal so far in cities where polling has concluded. We are excited about giving Hyderabadis the same choice on Election Day and are working hard to ensure there is sufficient supply. We have a rider base that is primarily young and tech savvy and we want to encourage them to take seniors they know in an Uber with them. This is the least we can do to give back to the cities that we operate in.”

Uber claims India is an important market to the extent of planning to appoint a dedicated recruiter team to expand their talent acquisition. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how they are going to navigate the payment landscape where credit card penetration is low. Whether they will be regressive and start accepting cash or innovate around digital payment and mobile money with telecos to make it easy to pay for the service, remains to be seen. Though they haven’t specifically said when, but the launch of UberX, the lower priced service, could resonate with much a broader audience.

But for now no matter whom you support, voting is important. Go cast your vote today!