Hate paying Uber trip cancellation fee? Not any more! Here is why

Good news for travellers! You will likely not have to pay Uber trip cancellation fee and the driver is unlikely to cancel trip either. Uber has taken several steps to make the travelling experience good for both the drivers and the riders.

Here are the steps taken by Uber to make the travelling experience good for both the drivers and the riders. (Reuters)

Every time you book an Uber cab, does the driver ask you for the drop location? Well, that's because the drop location is not visible to the drivers. In fact, many times, after you tell the driver your destination, he will use delaying tactics and not turn up at your door. Over and on top of that, he will not cancel the trip. This forces the traveller to cancel in order to try again. It also means, the traveller has to pay the Uber trip cancellation fee. But, Uber has now made it a bit easier for drivers and travellers. Uber is now showing trip destination to drivers before they decide to accept the ride. "We understand the feeling you get when the driver calls and asks the dreaded question: “Jana Kahan Hai” and then cancels the trip. To remove frustration for riders and drivers alike, we are now showing trip destinations to drivers before they decide to accept the ride," the company said in a release.

The upfront destination feature is already live across 20 cities and will be expanded to all others. Given this is a substantial change, Uber will continue monitoring feedback from drivers and riders, and iterating on these thresholds over the coming few weeks. This is not all Uber has made several changes to empower the drivers. "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.

The steps include:

1. Addressing earnings amidst rising fuel costs

Over the past few weeks, Uber has raised fares to cushion drivers from the impact of rising fuel prices across many cities in India. The hike in fares will directly boost driver's earnings per trip.

2. Long-distance pick-ups

Drivers understandably don't like having to drive out of their way to pick up passengers. To fix this, Uber has introduced additional earnings for drivers in case they have to travel a long distance to pick up riders. This will give drivers the comfort to accept more trips and will benefit riders as trip reliability goes up. Drivers will be able to see the earnings for long pick-ups, separately displayed on the fare receipt.

3. Payments the way drivers want them

Everybody's needs are different and when it comes to payment mode or cycle – we want to make it as easy for drivers to have it the way they like it. Uber shows drivers the mode of payment (cash or online) before the trip starts. This enables 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, the company has 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.

4. Coming good on Service Quality Essentials for Riders

Uber is 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.