![]() Maybe he’s speaking another language, or maybe you have a hard time understanding his dialect and accent of English. Let’s say your driver calls you and… you can’t understand a word he says. You may need to ask for help with landmarks. Google Maps is still unreliable in much of India, so don’t expect to simply look on a digital map to figure out what’s nearby. Landmarks can go by multiple names, or there might be two places of the same name in different neighborhoods, as I learned one night when my driver veered off course toward the other Sai Baba Temple. Large hotels and shopping malls are good landmarks, though it helps to know the neighborhood name, too. You need to know the closest landmark, which is how locals navigate. The street name and address of your pick-up point and destination are moot. Also, don’t expect to find any options with car seats for children. The most expensive choice in India is more likely to be a Tata minivan than a luxury SUV. Be sure to read the descriptions of the options (by tapping on the information icon beside them) before requesting a car. In different regions, car options in the app, like uberXL, vary. But alas, in India, things are different. The whole point of ride-hailing apps is that they instantly transmit your location and destination to nearby drivers, who can evaluate that information before deciding to take you on as a customer. I’m not especially pleased by that fact, but it’s a fact nonetheless.įirst-time travelers to India might find this phase of the transaction incredibly frustrating. Note: I use male pronouns to refer to Uber drivers because they are almost exclusively male in India. Third, the driver might not have strong map-reading skills, and he might not know your location from looking at a phone screen he needs to know your landmark.įinally, the driver might also want to confirm your “drop point” or destination, even if you’ve entered it into the app. Second, the driver might be in a location with poor mobile service, where his map isn’t loading fully. If you don’t answer, the driver may cancel the ride, or simply never show up. Nine out of ten times, the Uber driver calls to confirm the location before picking up the rider. While it’s technically true you can request cars over Wi-Fi, you really need to buy an Indian SIM card and have an Indian phone number to use Uber. Additionally, when smaller vendors do accept credit cards, they often only accept those issued by Indian banks. Paying in cash is difficult because you’re more likely to get ripped off, and you need to keep handfuls of 10- and 50-rupee notes on you at all times. Other kinds of transport, such as auto-rickshaws and taxis, almost always accept cash only. Being able to pay automatically with a pre-registered credit card is one of the biggest perks of using Uber in India ![]() If you’ve used Uber in any other country, you can use the same app in India, with the same saved payment information. Here’s what you need to know about using Uber in India. ![]() It’s safer than you might think, and at the same time, it will make you fear for your life. It’s unimaginably cheap, unless you account for all the time you waste trying to get a driver to pick you up in the right spot. It is at once miraculous and completely frustrating. Like the country itself, riding Uber in India full of contradictions. It’s a solid alternative if you have ethical objects to Uber.) (OLA is the main competitor, an app we called one of the most useful for travelers in India. Using Uber or any ride-hailing app in India is a mind-boggling experience. I lived in Chennai as an American expat for two years. Their utter joy mixed with surprise, the way their hearts open to embrace the sheer madness of it, is akin to what one feels when an Uber ride in India goes smoothly and successfully. ![]() I won’t spoil any plot points, but let’s just say they are at their lowest point yet when a deus ex machina changes their luck so dramatically that Gary’s nose gushes blood from all the excitement, and the two are left cackling on the floor of an elementary school bathroom. On the television show Veep, Vice President Selina Meyers (Julia Louise Dreyfus) and her bag man Gary (Tony Hale) nearly lose their minds with elation after receiving some unexpected news. ![]()
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