Dubai: Uber has introduced a cash payment option for riders in the UAE, the company said on Wednesday.
“When we started our operations in the UAE in 2013, credit card was the only payment option available. But the feedback we got from our customers is the option to pay by cash. In this part of the world, cash is the option people want to pay with,” Chris Free, general manager of Uber UAE, told Gulf News.
Using the car-booking app is now even easier with the added convenience of additional payment options to cover your rides, he said.
Uber will roll out the new cash feature gradually for riders across the UAE.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi began testing the cash option this week, and will be two of a handful of places around the world where cash payment will be an option for Uber riders.
The car-booking app launched the cash option in India last year and UAE became the seventh country to introduce it.
Free said that there is a desire from the customers from across the Middle East and North Africa regions, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Qatar, to have the cash payment option available.
In the Middle East, Uber is already in Alexandria, Amman, Bahrain, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca, Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Istanbul and Lahore, with plans for expansion across the region.
Free said that the company is looking to roll out UberEats, a food delivery service from local restaurants.
“We haven’t committed any roll-out plans yet but that is something we are looking into,” he said.
How to switch between payment options
Open the Uber app and tap set your pickup location
Tap ‘Cash’ or ‘Credit Card’ as your payment option
Request your ride
