Uber in India: Important Things You Need to Know About Using Ride Share Apps

Getting around with Uber in India can be a convenient and affordable option, especially for travelers unfamiliar with the country's bustling streets and chaotic traffic. However, using ride-hailing services in India comes with its own set of challenges and differences compared to other countries.

From understanding payment options to knowing what to expect from your driver, there are a few key things to keep in mind to ensure a smooth experience. Whether you're heading to a major city like Delhi or exploring smaller towns, knowing how to navigate Uber properly can make your trip much easier.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about using Uber in India, including safety tips, fare expectations, and alternatives like Ola cabs to help you make the best transportation choices.

Using Uber in India: A Brief Intro

You may be wondering why a whole article is dedicated to using Uber in India, and it's actually because there is a lot of know in terms of booking, payment, and safety!

First though, let's go over some of the basics for using Uber in India.

How Popular is Uber in India?

Uber is widely used across India, especially in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai.

It’s a convenient and affordable option, particularly for tourists used to using Uber in other countries.

There is a wide range of ride options from budget-friendly autos and bike taxis to more comfortable sedans. However, in some smaller towns and rural areas, availability may be limited, and local ride-hailing services might be more common.

What is the Indian Version of Uber?

The Indian equivalent of Uber is Ola, a homegrown ride-hailing service that operates in more cities and often provides more localized transport options, such as auto-rickshaws and bike taxis. 

Ola is widely used throughout India and sometimes offers cheaper fares than Uber, especially for short distances.

Both apps function similarly, allowing users to book rides via a mobile app and pay using various methods, including cash, cards, and digital wallets.

Which is Better, Ola or Uber in India?

The choice between Ola and Uber depends on the city and personal preference.

Ola often has better coverage in smaller cities and towns, while Uber is more reliable in big cities. Ola tends to offer lower prices and more local transport options, such as auto-rickshaws, while Uber is known for slightly better app functionality and customer service in case things go wrong (which is pretty common). 

Many travelers use both apps to compare prices and availability before booking a ride, which is what we'd also recommend.

How to Use Uber in India

So, are you ready to learn about how to use Uber in India? It is not necessarily as simple as it may be in your home country, so we'll be going over in detail some of the things you should know about booking an Uber in India.

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📲 How Can I Use Uber in India?

Using Uber in India is easy (or at least ordering one is). You simply type in your address as you normally would, and choose the ride option, as well as the payment option.

It's important to note that India offers ride options that you may not have experienced before! You can get really affordable rides on the back of someone's motorcycle, or you can choose the option of getting a tuk tuk.

💳 How Do You Pay Uber in India?

The real main advantage of using Uber in India is the option for paying with card. That being said though, sometimes paying with credit card can be a massive pain with drivers messing around and you having to cancel and then having to make a claim on Uber.

Another thing that happened often is that Uber drivers would try to get you to give them cash, even if you already paid with your card. Having a local Indian with us truly saved us, as she would be the one arguing with them in case this happened.

Arguing over card payments and having to make claims happened to us a lot, so we ended up switching our payment option to cash to avoid the hassle.

Paying Uber in India with Cash

It often happens that drivers will try to negotiate with you a price. They'll usually ask you for more money, and sometimes at the end of the ride try to persuade you to give them more.

It is SO important to give them exactly what the total is, and not to give in to giving them more, no matter what they say. This is a common issue while taking Ubers in India, and our local friend always stressed having small change on us at all times, since some drivers didn't want to give the proper change.

Ubers must be paid in INR (Indian Rupees), so please make sure to exchange your cash, or go to a local ATM instead of trying to use your own currency.

🤑 Do You Tip Uber Drivers in India?

Another thing to note is that it is not customary to tip drivers in India, so never feel pressured to give more than the ride costs.

In some countries that frequent many US visitors drivers got used to getting tipped from travelers, and it truly messes things up for the locals, so please ALWAYS abide by LOCAL customs. You may think tipping is helpful, but it actually ends up hurting the local economy if it's not in their culture.

Paying Uber in India with Cash

It often happens that drivers will try to negotiate with you a price. They'll usually ask you for more money, and sometimes at the end of the ride try to persuade you to give them more.

It is SO important to give them exactly what the total is, and not to give in to giving them more, no matter what they say. This is a common issue while taking Ubers in India, and our local friend always stressed having small change on us at all times, since some drivers didn't want to give the proper change.

Ubers must be paid in INR (Indian Rupees), so please make sure to exchange your cash, or go to a local ATM instead of trying to use your own currency.

Do You Tip Uber Drivers in India?

Another thing to note is that it is not customary to tip drivers in India, so never feel pressured to give more than the ride costs.

In some countries that frequent many US visitors drivers got used to getting tipped from travelers, and it truly messes things up for the locals, so please ALWAYS abide by LOCAL customs. You may think tipping is helpful, but it actually ends up hurting the local economy if it's not in their culture.

Uber in India: Safety & Important Things to Know

Now that you know about how to use Uber, let's talk about what using Uber in India actually looks like.

We had a lot of mixed feelings using Uber in India, and found that it can be a safe option, but not always the most reliable one.

Is Uber Ok in India?

Uber is far from okay in India. While it seemlessly works in other countries, it comes with many issues in India.

Often times you'll order and Uber and a driver will call you right away. They'll ask you where you are going, and then try to get you to pay more money or not use the app. Many  times they also won't speak a lot of English, which can make the conversations confusing and tiring.

Sometimes the app will allow you to book placers that cars can't go, or drivers will refuse to come to you, and just hope that you'll cancel so they can get paid, and then you'll have to make a claim on the app. Overall it can make you waste a lot of time and cause a lot of frustration.

Is Uber Safe to Use in India?

While Uber in India can come with its hardships, it is actually one of the safest options, and was our go-to for going places when it was dark out. For example, if we were going to watch the sunrise somewhere, we would order and Uber from our hotel, and stay inside the hotel until the Uber got there.

Is Uber Safe for Female Passengers in India?

There have definitely been some horror stories about women getting harassed or even sexually assaulted while traveling in India alone. While it has happened a time or two in situations including Uber, it truly isn't common, and not something you really need to worry out a ton.

That being said, having a man or a local with you while traveling in India makes things a lot more comfortable and safe.

How Reliable is Uber in India?

The worst part of using Uber in India is really the reliability (or lack of). When it works, it's great, but there are many times that drivers will not show up, cancel at the last minute, or call you to try and get you to pay a higher price.

Sometimes they'll simply call to see where the drop off point is, and if it doesn't serve them they won't show up. While other times, they won't move at all and hope that you cancel.

We spent a lot of time waiting on Ubers, dealing with shady drivers, and things that we truly have never experienced in another country for ride share apps.

Uber in India: Is it Worth it?

Truthfully, we felt that Uber gave us a lot more headaches than anything. We'd recommend using Uber for longer distances, and stick to flagging tuk tuks down for the shorter distances.

Using Uber in India is ideal for going places early for sunsrise or going home late at night for safety purposes, but for the middle of the day in traffic it is definitely easier and less stressful to get a tuk tuk. 

We recommend using Uber as a reference for price when negotiating with tuk tuks, by aiming for something a bit less than what the app suggests. Always remember for riding with local taxis or tuk tuks to agree on a price before jumping in, and having the exact change to give them.

We hope we've been able to help you with using Uber in India! It can definitely be a great option if you are prepared, but knowing what to expect is certainly key.

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