Uber, today, announced the launch of Uber Lite: The new, lighter way to Uber that works on all android devices.
Lola Kassim, General Manager for Uber in West Africa explains,
“Many citizens within Ghana, actively use Uber to travel for various reasons. With consumers requesting better, lighter versions of their much loved apps, Uber Lite was created. The Uber Lite app is a redesigned Uber app, that uses less space and works better in low connectivity, while still delivering on optimacy when requesting a ride.”
Uber Lite’s new interface was designed to make booking rides quicker and lighter in low connectivity, on basic Android phones, and for people with limited data plans.
Here are the key product features:
- Light on your phone: Uber Lite is less than 5MB to download (that’s equivalent to just 3 selfies). A smaller app frees up space for actual selfies and other apps. And, with a 300-millisecond response time (literally the blink of the eye), the booking process is fast even in low connectivity.
- Guided Pickups: Uber Lite guides users through the request experience by detecting their current location, so minimal typing is required. If it can’t detect your location because of GPS or network issues, it guides you to choose popular landmarks nearby like Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, and the Black Star Gate.
- Tap Over Type: Uber Lite makes picking your destination as easy as a tap of a button. Instead of typing where you are, you can choose a nearby point of interest. Additionally, the app stores the city’s top places so that even when you are offline, no network is needed for them to appear. And the more you use Uber Lite, the smarter the app gets. It learns where you go most often, and surfaces those options first. This feature is particularly convenient for people with phones with smaller screens.
- Maps On Demand: To keep the app light and fast, maps in Uber Lite are not loaded by default, but are available with a tap when you need them.
Uber Lite retains the core functionality of the rider app, has in-app support, and includes critical safety features such as Trusted Contacts; a feature that allows riders to share their trips with about five friends and family and driver profiles, allowing riders to identify their driver and their vehicles before they get in.
Here’s how it works:
About Uber
Uber’s mission is to help people get a ride at the push of a button – everywhere and for everyone. We started in 2009 to solve a simple problem – how do you get a ride at the touch of a button? Eight years and over five billion trips later, we’ve started tackling an even greater challenge: reducing congestion and pollution in our cities by getting more people into fewer cars.
Uber is available in thirteen cities in Sub-Saharan Africa (Cape Town, Durban, Joburg, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Nairobi, Mombasa, Lagos, Abuja, Kampala, Accra, Kumasi and Dar es Salaam). Overall, the Uber network is available in over 600 cities in over 75 countries including spanning 6 continents. To request a ride, users must download the free application for Android, iPhone, Blackberry 7, or register for Uber at www.uber.com/go. For questions visit www.uber.com
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