Uber to offer free 4G wi-fi internet to riders

Taxi hailing service provider Uber today announced to offer free wi-fi internet to its commuters in Mumbai and said it will soon roll out the service across the country wherever it has presence.

"You will be able to access free 4G internet, all cities, all riders, (there are) no exceptions. The service will be rolled out in a phased manner soon," said Amit Jain, president of Uber India at an event here.

The company has entered into an commercial partnership with Airtel to offer the high speed internet during a ride. The largest telecom operator of India has now become the exclusive communication service provider to Uber.

"As part of the commercial agreement, Airtel will install wi-fi device in all its contract-cars and will provide devices to its driver-partners. Additionally, Uber will accept money paid through Airtel Money as a mode of payment," said Srini Gopalan, director, consumer business of Bharti Airtel.

Apart from Airtel Money, Uber will continue to accept all modes of payments including credit cards, debit cards, Paytm and cash.

The US-based company has currently around 150,000 driver-partners spread across 18 cities of the country. The taxi firm, which recently got close to $100 million investment from Tata group, is aiming a million ride by end of March 2016.