Uber has officially launched Unified Payments Interface (UPI) integration in India in partnership with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and banking partners Axis Bank and HDFC Bank. The ride hailing service had rolled out UPI for some users in the country last month.
UPI is mobile-first payment system that facilitates transactions between any two bank accounts. The integration will allow customers to use their unique IDs to pay for their Uber rides. Prior to UPI, customers had an option to pay for an Uber ride with cash, Paytm, debit/credit card. The payment option is currently being launched only for riders while the company is working on integrating it for its over 2,50,000 active drivers. Users can create your UPI address or existing UPI users can link their account to the Uber app.
How does UPI work on Uber:
- Update Uber app for Android and iOS
- Go to ‘Payments’ in the menu option and select ‘Add payment method.
- Select UPI and tap on ‘Continue’
- Register for UPI as payment option
- If you have a dual SIM phone, you will have to select the phone number linked with the bank account you want to use.
- Select your bank from the displayed list and we will fetch the accounts linked with your mobile number.
- Select the bank account you wish to register and enter the last 6 digits and expiry date of your linked debit card
- Enter the OTP that your bank sends you and set a UPI PIN. Voila!!! You are good to go.
India is an important market for Uber after the US. Earlier this month, Uber announced that it has completed 500 million trips in India. The cab aggregator reached this milestone four years since its entry in the country.
Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Law & Justice, Government of India, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said,
India’s digital economy will become a $1trillion economy in the next five years. India’s digital payments economy alone will be bigger than $500 billion. Integration of Uber app with UPI-BHIM will boost the digital economy of India.”
David Richter, SVP-Global Business, Uber said,
We are proud to be a partner in the government’s monumental mission to create a digital payments led society and thrilled to announce UPI integration, a significant collaborative step towards unlocking the potential of fintech innovations in accelerating the growth of the nation’s digital economy. UPI integration will bring millions of riders and driver partners into the digital payments ecosystem, offering them another secure and seamless payment interface and bolster the nation’s digital payment revolution.
Global companies like Amazon and WhatsApp are also reportedly working on UPI integrations for their platform. Homegrown messaging app Hike Messenger tied up with Yes Bank for UPI and wallet service earlier this year.