Ride-sharing company Uber has released a new app. A new lighter version of the app is expected to help expand its customer service.
Uber Lite In India
Shirish Andhare, Uber's Head of Product for Emerging Markets, wrote an exclusive announcement on Uber's official blog on Tuesday, June 12. He revealed that the company has worked on a new version of the app that would reach millions of riders outside of the United States. That new version is Uber Lite.
Uber software developers created a simpler version of the app that would help customers in India. The app is 5 megabytes, which allows its users to keep free space for other apps and photos. Andhare also claimed that Uber customers would only have to wait 300 milliseconds to receive a ride request.
How Does It Work?
Uber Lite currently works for customers who have Android phones. The simplistic version of the new app will help users book rides more efficiently. It would also help Uber Lite users book rides when they are in areas that have spotty connectivity. The slimmer app can also deal with both slow internet speeds and limited data plans.
There are also several new features that are exclusive to Uber Lite. Developers made maps optional for customers to see if they wanted to know about their driver's progress to pick them up. The "Guided Pickups" feature would help detect users' locations and allow them to select landmarks where they could meet their drivers. Uber Lite also allows customers to give loved ones the ability to keep track of them as they make their journey.
"We knew how important safety was in these markets. I'm really proud we took additional steps to emphasize," said Peter Deng, Uber's Head of Rider Experience to TechCrunch.
Uber News
Recently, Uber applied for a permit that would allow the ride-sharing company to start up a scooter-sharing program in San Francisco. San Francisco government ordered all parties who were interested in selling on-demand dockless scooters to citizens had to sign up for a permit. The 12-month pilot program comes after the city experienced a sudden boom in electronic scooter usage and caused headaches for San Francisco government officials.
Uber learned that a software bug in its self-driving car caused a fatal crash that took the life of 47-year-old Elaine Herzberg. The report noted that the semi-autonomous Volvo XC90's sensors detected Herzberg, but failed to ignore her. Shortly after the accident, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey instructed the state's department of transportation to take away Uber's permit for autonomous driving tests in the state.
Tech Times contacted Uber for a comment on this story.
