In a Follow up Blog Announced by the company, “Uber will begin accepting cash payments in all five South African cities where it currently operates. starting this week”.
But Cash payments will begin as a pilot so the company can test its success in the market. “meaning cash is an open-ended experiment so not all riders will see this additional payment option right away”, the company said.
Furthermore, Uber’s Alon Lits said in a statement. That They have various options that will make cash payments safe and secure. “We are also working on a partnership with FNB, where drivers will be able to go to an ATM and deposit cash into that ATM if they feel unsafe or if they feel they have a large amount of cash with them.”
Alon Lits, is the General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to Uber, South Africa is the first country which will have all cities where the service is available offering the payment option. “Offering cash as an alternate option has proven to be very successful for Uber. The introduction of cash in Singapore for example, had an extremely positive response and this is a country that has a substantial credit card penetration and very high GDP per capita,” Lits said.
“As before, all trip details are electronically recorded and riders will always be able to pay by debit or credit card if they prefer,” he added more.
“Cash is a dominant payment method in Africa and this experiment will give Uber insight into how riders and driver-partners adopt and use a mix of cash and electronic payments, how consumer behaviour changes and what Uber can do to build a better product and provide a better experience,” the company said.
