Uber launches pilot scheme for cash payment

Private car hire service Uber will launch a pilot scheme today giving customers an option to pay in cash, a departure from its cashless-only policy in Singapore, reported The Straits Times. 

The company operates in more than 400 cities around the world but accepts cash in only 40 or so of them. It says Singapore is the first "developed" city where Uber will experiment with cash payments. The trial will involve a "large proportion of new and existing customers", the San-Francisco-based firm said, though it did not reveal how many.

Uber's move ups the ante in the competition for drivers and customers with its rival transport app, Grab. Grab offers customers both cash and cashless options, such as credit card, for its taxi bookings and chauffeur hire service, called GrabCar.

Uber Singapore General Manager Warren Tseng told The Straits Times, "Cash transactions make up over 30 percent of all transactions in the island-state, so introducing cash payments as an alternative option for Singaporeans makes sense (for Uber)."