NE BUSINESS BUREAU
MUMBAI, APRIL 13
Driver-partners on Uber’s platform on Friday began receiving the first batch of grants from Rs 25 crores deposited by Uber into the Uber Care Driver Fund, created in partnership with giving India and Samhita, both leading social enterprises, a company release said.
The Uber Care Driver Fund is directly transferring small grants into the accounts of thousands of driver-partners every day to help them meet their immediate and essential family needs.
Uber aims to raise an additional Rs 25 crores, to reach a combined target of Rs 50 crore, through contributions from its employees, riders, CSR funds, and citizens through a partnership with Milaap, a leading crowdfunding organization, to look after the welfare and wellbeing of driver-partners on its platform.
So far, in a matter of just hours, Uber employees have shown great enthusiasm to the cause and already contributed Rs 17 lakh to the fund. Besides all other driver-partners, the fund will also disburse grants to UberMedic, Uber Essential and Uber’s last-mile delivery service drivers, who have recently been transporting frontline workers, providing essential rides to the elderly and moving everyday supplies to thousands of homes for helping contain the spread of COVID-19 across India.
Announcing details of this financial package, Pradeep Parameswaran, President, Uber India, and South Asia, said, “Driver-partners are at the heart of our business and I have always said there is no Uber without drivers. Supporting driver communities has never been more important. We hope this first financial relief package for driver-partners helps them and their families cover their immediate and urgent daily needs. In the coming days and weeks, we will first be fundraising, and then providing driver-partners additional outright grants, from the Uber Care Driver Fund. Today, I’m appealing to millions of our riders, corporate partners, philanthropists as well as the general public to support our efforts and truly show they care.’’
Over the next few days, Uber is also rolling out a Hospital Cash Insurance policy that will benefit driver-partners, and cover COVID-19 and other illnesses that require hospitalization, for up to 14 days.
All the measures announced today are over and above the following driver support initiatives already announced by Uber over the past few weeks:-
- EMI Relief: Uber is working with both regulators and financiers to ensure driver-partners receive financial relief as soon as possible, following the RBI’s directive.
- Uber Care Micro-Credit: Uber is working with its micro-credit partners to remove any penalties that may be imposed on delayed payments as well as defaults related to Uber Care-facilitated loans during the next two months.
- Exemption of lease rentals for XLI: XLI (an Uber group company) has exempted, until further notice, lease rental payments.
- Free Medical Consultations: Through its partnership with DocsApp, Uber is helping driver-partners and their families access free unlimited consultation from doctors on call, along with up to 20% discount on medicines and up to 40% discount on lab tests anywhere in India.
- Uber commissions: Uber is not charging any commissions from a majority of UberMedic and all Uber delivery service driver-partners, enabling them to keep 100 percent of billed amounts.
Those who wish to contribute to the Uber Care driver fund can do so here. All donors will be provided an 80G tax receipt to claim tax rebate according to applicable laws.
