Uber collaborates with Meta to book rides through WhatsApp in India
Follow UsStory highlights
WhatsApp's chat interface will be used by those looking for Uber ride where they will need to register to proceed further
Ride-hailing company Uber has collaborated with Meta to book rides through WhatsApp in India.
The feature will initially be launched in Lucknow, the capital of India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, and then expanded to other locations by next year.
According to Nandini Maheshwari, senior director of business development for Uber, "We want to make it as easy as possible for all Indians to take an Uber trip, and to do that we need to meet them on platforms they are comfortable with."
WhatsApp's chat interface will be used by those looking for Uber ride where they will need to register to proceed further.
They can book a ride through either messaging to Uber's business account number, scanning a barcode, or clicking a link directly to open an Uber WhatsApp chat.
Abhijit Bose, the head of WhatsApp India said, "The Uber experience on WhatsApp is simple, familiar, and relatable for users and has the potential to accelerate adoption of Uber with a new category of riders in India."
The first of its kind integration could help Uber tap into the more than 500 million user base of Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp in India.
Uber has been operating in the Asian country for the past eight years and is now available in 70 cities.
(With inputs from agencies)