Innovation is key enabler for ride-hailing industry in Pakistan

LAHORE: Covid-19 has impacted the ride hailing industry as well, but there are a number of measures Uber has taken to maximize safety for their riders and partner drivers, since safety has been their key priority since the beginning, Saad Naveed Pall, General Manager, Uber Pakistan, said.

"During the Covid-19 surge, we tried to do our part in helping out our frontline workers and launched Uber Medics - an initiative designed to provide free and discounted rides to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare and frontline workers in need of transportation amidst the lockdown in the country.

For Uber Medics we collaborated with 12 different organizations in Pakistan, one of which is the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, benefitting more than 50,000 riders. And as wearing a mask is mandatory, we added a number of in-app features that use Artificial Intelligence for facial recognition that confirms whether a partner driver is wearing a mask during the ride or not," Saad revealed.

He disclosed that Uber is also adding more safety features to their services post Covid-19.

"I would like to reveal that we are currently initiating a global partnership with Unilever. This is a huge partnership for us, because globally Uber is investing $50m to provide PPEs to our partner drivers, as well as car partitions that would ensure an added layer of safety. While the number of Covid-19 cases has gone down in Pakistan, we would like to continue to do our part in ensuring safety," Saad announced.

As per Saad, Uber believes in listening to their customers and overcoming whatever challenges they face in order to keep improving their systems and technology. "We have been working to improve our technology over the last few months to cater to our evolving demand," he said.

"We focus a lot on innovating our technology and bringing new products in the market. Uber is committed to Pakistan in the long run and because of that, we have also been working to improve our technology to cater to the evolving demand," he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020