Uber, a leading ride-hailing company, is currently experimenting with its adaptable pricing feature in various tier 2 and 3 cities across India. This move aims to broaden its user base by enabling commuters to propose a specific fare for their rides.
Called Uber Flex, this flexible pricing service underwent its initial trial in India back in October of the previous year.
According to TechCrunch, the service has now been expanded to cities like Aurangabad, Ajmer, Bareilly, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Gwalior, Indore, Jodhpur and Surat, among other cities.
“We are piloting this feature in some of the tier 2 and 3 markets in India currently,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement.
Uber Flex is currently undergoing testing not only in India but also in Lebanon, Kenya, and Latin America. In contrast to Uber’s usual pricing structure, Flex empowers riders to propose their desired fare from nine available pricing points, with a default price selected.
With this innovative approach, riders can choose a fare, and this information is shared with nearby drivers. Subsequently, drivers have the option to either accept or decline the ride based on the offered fare.
Drivers also have the freedom to provide their desired rates to the user. Riders can choose from the offers presented by various drivers, and once a selection is made, the ride is confirmed.
Meanwhile, another ride-hailing app, inDrive, currently enables riders to manually input a specific fare of their choice.
Notably, inDrive secured a significant investment of $150 million in February, emphasizing its intention to utilize the funds for customer acquisition and retention, as well as to support ongoing expansion efforts.
