Uber adds ride booking via WhatsApp in India; service to start from Lucknow

Uber Technologies Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp have rolled out ride booking via the messenger service in India, a first for the U.S. ride-hailing giant and an expansion of WhatsApp’s capabilities in the country.

The partnership allows access to Uber’s mobility services by sending a message to a WhatsApp chatbot, serving the northern city of Lucknow to start and expanding to more locations in the near future, Uber said in a statement. It follows closely on the heels of
WhatsApp rolling out in-app grocery shopping on JioMart, the digital outlet for Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail empire.

The Meta-owned