Uber turns four in India, provides free insurance cover to its 4.5 lakh drivers

On the occasion of its fourth anniversary in India, global cab major Uber has tied up with ICICI Lombard General Insurance to provide free insurance to its 4,50,000 drivers.

The new policy will come with free coverage for accidental death and disablement, hospitalization, and outpatient medical treatment in case of an accident while online on the Uber App, which is expected to roll out the programme from September 1, 2017.

The insurance by ICICI Lombard will provide cover ranging from 500,000 rupees ($7,814) in case of death to 50,000 rupees ($781) for outpatient treatment.

According to Mint report, Uber is not charging the drivers for the insurance but instead paying a fixed premium for each driver insurance plan. The company declined to disclose how much it will have to pay.

Accident insurance was also one of the key demands of Uber drivers when they staged protests in the national capital, and other metros, against their falling earnings in February.

Pradeep Parameswaran, Head of Central Operations, India, Uber said,”This partnership will provide a safety net for our driver partners who keep our cities moving. This is just the beginning, we’ll continue to engage with our driver partners and work towards making driving for Uber, not just the most attractive opportunity but also the most preferred choice.”

Apart from the insurance, the company has rolled out services like heat maps, driver destinations, pause requests and in-app chat, among others, to enhance the experience for driver-partners.

Yesterday, the San Francisco-based company had announced that, it is pulling a heavily criticized feature from its app that allowed it to track riders for up to five minutes after a trip.

On the other hand, SoftBank-backed Ola (ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd), Uber’s local rival, last year announced it would provide motor insurance for drivers through a partnership with Bajaj Allianz.

Today the cab-hailing company confirms Expedia Inc Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO.

Besides the US, the company has an unflinching focus on countries like India, Brazil, and Mexico. According to David Richter, SVP of business, Uber – India may take over its home turf US in terms of number of trips.

Uber: Website