Uber announces ‘Uber Essential’ to facilitate essential travel in Mumbai

Uber today announced Uber Essential to facilitate essential travel for residents of Mumbai, amidst the ongoing national lockdown to help contain the spread of Covid-19. In the coming days, the service will be extended to additional cities across India.

To operationalize the Mumbai service, Uber is partnering with the city’s traffic police and has identified a select fleet of vehicles for pick-up and drop from and/or to city hospitals. All drivers have been issued curfew passes by local law enforcement authorities to ensure seamless movement to medical facilities.

This limited mobility solution will provide efficient and reliable transportation for ferrying passengers with medical emergencies. All riders on Uber Essential are mandated to carry relevant documentation to validate their purpose of travel to authorities.

Prabhjeet Singh, director-operations and head of cities, Uber India & South Asia, said, “In conformity with government guidelines, we urge people to stay safe and discourage non-essential travel. Through Uber Essential, we are selectively offering rides for essential services to cater to crucial medical travel requirements in Mumbai. Amidst the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, we are leveraging our technology and network of driver-partners to enable citizens to access essential medical services, while simultaneously also helping authorities contain the spread of Covid-19.’’

Uber is committed to slowing the spread of COVID-19, and is undertaking all precautionary measures, as advised by public health authorities. Uber Essential driver-partners are being provided masks, gloves, sanitizers and safety training.

Uber Essential riders will receive reminders through in-app messages and emails about basic steps they can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. Riders in Mumbai can open the app to check the availability of Uber Essential in their area and accessible hospitals nearby. The App has been designed to facilitate urgent travel needs to hospitals only.

Getting started with Uber and requesting for Uber Essentials is easy:

• Download the app - Get the free Uber app from the App Store or Google Play on your smartphone and open the app to create your account.

• Request a ride - Riders can check the availability of Uber Essential in their area and the accessible hospital locations nearby. You’ll always see the price upfront.

• You'll see your driver's picture and vehicle details, and can track their arrival on the map.

(We got this information in a press release.)