BANGALORE: Jamuna Prasad, an Uber taxi driver in Delhi, on Friday handed Rs 1,000 to his wife to offer as 'prasad' at a local temple, with the US firm restarting its operations in the national capital after a gap of one and half months.
Prasad told ET that his wife was observing fast for the past four weeks for divine intervention to have the ban on Uber lifted and get her husband back to work.
The restart of Uber services in Delhi on Friday has come as a major relief for hundreds of drivers registered with it in Delhi as the San Francisco-based company started paying them, with immediate effect, Rs 3,000 per day -- that is, Rs 90,000 per month -- for just logging on to the Uber application for 12 hours in a day.
"I deposited pending school fees for my children today after earning through the first two book ings from passengers," said Prasad, who is father to a teenaged daughter and a son.
Besides guaranteed incentive of Rs 3,000 per day even if they don't 'get a single booking, Uber drivers will also get Rs 250 for every ride once their bookings for the day exceed Rs 3,000. That kind of pay may help Uber retain its fleet and attract drivers from Meru and Olacabs, who were poaching Uber drivers since December 8 when Uber was banned in the national capital after one of its drivers allegedly raped a woman commuter.
A tougher challenge for Uber will be wooing back customers.
While the company has offered a flat 25% discount and two free rides of up to Rs 500 this month to its users in the capital, some former users told ET that they are in no hurry to use its service.
"Uber will have to work towards making me believe that it is a much safer option than any other service. To get that trust back, it will take time," said Deviyani Dixit, 24, a former Uber user from Delhi.
Vishnu Kumar, an Uber driver in Delhi, agreed, telling ET on Friday evening that he didn't receive a single booking the whole day.
Uber is doing its bit to win back Delhi users' confidence.
On Friday, it sent an email to users announcing its return and detailing the extra measures it has taken to ensure passenger safety.
Uber is also conducting workshops for drivers on being courteous to especially female passengers, said a driver who underwent such training.
Uber, which has about 4,000 drivers in Delhi, is activating them in batches.
"Hundreds of drivers have not been activated again in the system because they could not submit their documents and get verified by police in time," Gagan Bhatia, Uber Delhi general manager, told ET.
Uber drivers can earn at least Rs 90,000 per month - The Times of India
Prasad told ET that his wife was observing fast for the past four weeks for divine intervention to have the ban on Uber lifted and get her husband back to work.
The restart of Uber services in Delhi on Friday has come as a major relief for hundreds of drivers registered with it in Delhi as the San Francisco-based company started paying them, with immediate effect, Rs 3,000 per day -- that is, Rs 90,000 per month -- for just logging on to the Uber application for 12 hours in a day.
"I deposited pending school fees for my children today after earning through the first two book ings from passengers," said Prasad, who is father to a teenaged daughter and a son.
Besides guaranteed incentive of Rs 3,000 per day even if they don't 'get a single booking, Uber drivers will also get Rs 250 for every ride once their bookings for the day exceed Rs 3,000. That kind of pay may help Uber retain its fleet and attract drivers from Meru and Olacabs, who were poaching Uber drivers since December 8 when Uber was banned in the national capital after one of its drivers allegedly raped a woman commuter.
A tougher challenge for Uber will be wooing back customers.
While the company has offered a flat 25% discount and two free rides of up to Rs 500 this month to its users in the capital, some former users told ET that they are in no hurry to use its service.
"Uber will have to work towards making me believe that it is a much safer option than any other service. To get that trust back, it will take time," said Deviyani Dixit, 24, a former Uber user from Delhi.
Vishnu Kumar, an Uber driver in Delhi, agreed, telling ET on Friday evening that he didn't receive a single booking the whole day.
Uber is doing its bit to win back Delhi users' confidence.
On Friday, it sent an email to users announcing its return and detailing the extra measures it has taken to ensure passenger safety.
Uber is also conducting workshops for drivers on being courteous to especially female passengers, said a driver who underwent such training.
Uber, which has about 4,000 drivers in Delhi, is activating them in batches.
"Hundreds of drivers have not been activated again in the system because they could not submit their documents and get verified by police in time," Gagan Bhatia, Uber Delhi general manager, told ET.
Uber drivers can earn at least Rs 90,000 per month - The Times of India
