Uber will now show destination to drivers before they accept ride: All features here

Ride-hailing giant Uber India on Thursday announced a slew of new features for convenience of drivers and riders both. In a statement, Uber acknowledged the concerns of drivers about earnings in the wake of higher fuel prices, long-distance pick-ups, and payment schedules. Similarly, the cab aggregator also mentioned how riders have complained about drivers canceling trips or not wanting to switch on the AC. 

"Our aim is to provide a safe and reliable platform for drivers and riders. A single ride falling short is unacceptable. Here are some of the steps we are taking to get the magic back," Uber said in a statement.

Following this, Uber announced that from now, the company will show trip destinations to drivers before they decide to accept the ride. "In our attempt to incentivise right platform behaviour – drivers who meet a predefined trip acceptance threshold will be eligible to get the destination information so that they can make an informed choice," it stated, adding that the upfront destination feature is already live across 20 cities and will be expanded to all others. 

"Given this is a substantial change, we will continue monitoring feedback from drivers and riders, and iterating on these thresholds over the coming few weeks," it added. 

Furthermore, in order to fix the mode of payment issues, Uber will now also enable the driver to choose a cash-only ride if that’s what they need. "Going a step further to make the cash or online decision irrelevant, we’ve now introduced a daily pay process for drivers."

This will ensure that trip earnings from Monday to Thursday, are credited to drivers the next day, while earnings from Friday to Sunday, are credited on Monday, it added.

Here is a lowdown of all new features and changes announced by Uber to ease ride hassles: 

Long-distance pick-ups:

Regarding the issue of drivers not willing to drive out of their way to pick up passengers, Uber will also introduce additional earnings for drivers in case they have to travel a long distance to pick up riders. Drivers will be able to see the earnings for long pick-ups, separately displayed on the fare receipt. When drivers are few, and demand is high, this will help ensure that you can get a ride when you need one. Making Uber a reliable choice for riders at all times is our goal.

Issue of switching ACs during ride:

Uber said that it is also reinforcing service quality expectations with drivers especially in areas like cancellations and ensuring AC rides. In addition to driver notifications and training, repeated complaints from riders on these service quality essentials could lead to penalties and even restricted app access.

"We remain grateful to our riders and drivers for giving us feedback proactively. These are complex issues and there is no silver bullet, but we remain committed to listening to riders and drivers and delivering the Uber magical experience again," Uber added. 

Notably, rival company Ola has also earlier introduced similar features for drivers to mitigate the inevitable question among passengers: Why do drivers cancel Ola ride?

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal had earlier said that Ola was taking steps to fix ride cancellations issue. He said Ola drivers will now see approximate drop location and payment mode before accepting a ride. 

“Addressing the 2nd most popular question I get - Why does my driver cancel my Ola ride?!! We're taking steps to fix this industry wide issue. Ola drivers will now see approx drop location & payment mode before accepting a ride. Enabling drivers is key to reducing cancelations," he had said on Twitter.