Uber is letting Indians book a cab without its app

Now that Uber doesn’t have to worry about China, the American cab-hailing service is paying more attention to India.

Uber is making it easier for Indian riders to book a cab on its platform. The company has announced a web app version of its service called “Dial an Uber” allowing people to book a ride without installing the app on their phone. Instead of downloading the app, users can just to go to dial.uber.com to book a cab.

It is likely to come handy to those who use a basic smartphone or might not even have a Google account to download apps from the Play Store (yes, that happens!). The best thing is users do not even have to create an Uber account and they just need to enter their phone number to authenticate. They can settle the payment in cash at the end of the trip. This would encourage first-time users to experience Uber's services or even those who don't use a cab regularly but might need one when, for instance, they land at an airport or a railway station.

The second India specific feature is letting users to "Request a Ride for Others". With this feature, users will be able to specify whether the ride they are booking is for them or someone else. In case it is for someone else, users will be able to share the rider's location and phone number with the driver directly via the app. The rider meanwhile will get the driver's contact details via a text message. The feature is available in every city where Uber operates in the country.

This feature would be appreciated by many, especially when they are stuck in an area of spotty internet coverage and can't book a cab. They will now be able to ask someone to book one for them. Uber, though, is targeting it at elders who might not have Uber accounts or even an internet connected smartphone to book a cab.

Uber entered India in 2013, and has since expanded its service to over two dozen cities. The company competes with Ola, which is the largest cab aggregator in the country with services in over 90 cities.

Though Uber has been aggressively expanding its operation in the country from the beginning, fighting back Ola with car-pooling and competitive fares that are extremely crucial in a price sensitive place such as India, it has seemingly grown more focused in the country in recent times. The company recently hired three new executives in the country, and was reportedly planning to spend an additional $1 billion in India on top of the $1 billion CEO Travis Kalanick had promised during his India visit earlier this year.