Uber's new API seeks to offer riders unique experience

The launch in India comes at a time when the company is engaged in a fierce battle with Didi Kuaidi-backed Ola

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Taxi-hailing platform Uber on Tuesday announced the launch of a new application programming interface (API) feature for developers in India and globally, allowing riders to connect their favourite apps to Uber to enjoy unique experience. It’s about viewing content, notifications and ads while travelling.

Uber will allow the involvement of third-party apps in the service and the notifications would be modified with the ride’s duration and location. It would require the passenger’s approval.

The global launch of ‘Uber Trip Experience’ API was announced at the company’s first Asian hackathon in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The city will soon be home to Uber’s first development centre in the country, where engineers will build services and features tailor-made for Indian users.

“One of the reasons we are launching it (Uber Trip Experience) here is because India has some of the longest average trip lengths, because of the congestion, so the utility of getting these amazing in-trip experiences will be all the more important,” said Dmitry Shevelenko, head of business, Uber development platform.

Company officials said this was the biggest update to the Uber API since release of Ride Request API in March 2015. They said Uber now makes it possible for developers to build moving experiences like entertainment: 10 minute playlists for a 10 minute trip including a five minute news update for a five minute trip, local guides, insights and offers at your destination, your home, turn on the heating when you are headed home.

“What we are announcing today is the shift from not just being focused on utility, but really opening up platform for true creativity,” Shevelenko added.

Uber’s announcement of its second API to developers in India comes at a time when the company is engaged in a fierce battle with Didi Kuaidi-backed Ola. Didi Kuaidi fulfilled 1.43 billion rides in 2015 in China alone.

Uber claims in India it controls 40 per cent of the taxi aggregator market with 250,000 drivers on its platform. Ola, on the other hand, claims it controls 80 per cent of the market with 350,000 drivers on its platform.

As the market expands rapidly, players such as Uber and Ola have come under the gaze of governments that are exploring ways of regulating them. Karnataka and Maharashtra have proposed installation of digital meters, have a fixed fare structure, and install GPS units to track cabs at all times.

Recently, Uber came under the scanner for its carpooling service, which allows for private vehicles to be listed on its platform. “P2P is something very specific to Delhi. As the regulation becomes clearer around P2P, we’ll figure things out along the way. But right now the order for the day, at least in Delhi, is to try to reduce congestion,” said Saad Ahmed, business development lead, Uber India.

On Uber auto, he said, “it was something that we tried out for a while and momentarily we are sort of re-evaluating whether it is the product we want to re-launch or not. So it is something we are thinking about, but we don’t know yet.”