Uber has been transforming the mobility landscape of Sri Lanka since its launch in 2015, during which it has served 1.8 million riders, completed more than 53 million trips and created livelihood opportunities for 110,000 driver partners. 

Credited with leading several industry first innovations in the country, Uber has dedicated its technology to innovating and integrating products that match the pulse of Sri Lanka and power smart, efficient and safe mobility in the country. 

Moving What Mattered during the lockdown

During the pandemic, Uber launched Uber Medic, a dedicated service to transport frontline healthcare workers to and from their homes and health care facilities; and offered free rides worth 8.5 million LKR, for providing transport to Sri Lanka’s real heroes. 

Product innovations for the New Normal 

Once the lockdown was lifted, Uber launched multiple new services for supporting the needs of its riders. These include Uber Connect, the package delivery service, which enables customers to transport packages from the safety of their homes and Rentals, which allows riders to book affordable multi-hour, multi-stop options to travel in the new normal. Uber was the first ridesharing company to launch Tuk Rentals in the country. 

Leveraging Technology to offer safety solutions 

Uber was also the first company to launch a comprehensive set of Tech enabled safety measures for helping riders feel safe, every time they use Uber. This includes an interactive Go Online Checklist, a mandatory mask policy for both riders and drivers, industry first pre-trip mask verification selfies for riders and drivers, and mandatory driver education on safety SOPs. We also updated the cancellation policy, allowing both riders and drivers to cancel trips if they didn’t feel safe, driving a shared sense of responsibility for everyone using the platform.  

Additionally, Uber relaunched its on-trip 24×7 Safety Helpline in the country, which allows riders to get in touch with Uber’s safety team for an urgent, non-emergency issue, such as reporting a dispute or a break-down, while on a trip and up to one hour post the trip. The Safety Helpline is in addition to the existing in-app SOS button found in the Safety Toolkit.  

Through its technology expertise, impactful partnerships and product innovation, Uber aims to support Sri Lanka’s road to recovery and help the country build back better after the pandemic.

Uber and Sri Lanka’s first 5’s 

  1. UberMedic: First ridesharing company to launch a dedicated transport option for frontline healthcare workers during Covid. 
  2. Tech Safety Features: First ridesharing company to launch tech enabled safety features to make travel safer in the new normal, for both drivers and riders. 
  3. Tuk Rentals: First ridesharing company to launch Tuk rentals in Sri Lanka. 
  4. Uber Moto: First ridesharing company to launch a Bike Taxi service in Sri Lanka.
  5. Safety Screens: First ridesharing company to pioneer and install 1500 safety screens across Cars and Tuks in Sri Lanka.