Uber is now accepting cash in Kuala Lumpur

In a bid to make Uber more accessible for the masses, the ride-sharing app is now accepting cash in Kuala Lumpur. Last month they had rolled out cash payments in Johor Bahru, followed by Ipoh and Penang two weeks later.

The cash payment option is rolled out in stages and you can make the selection when confirming your pickup location. Just tap on your credit/debit card number and you should see a cash option if it’s available to you. Do note that if you don’t have exact change, Uber will round up your fare to the closest ringgit. This means if your trip costs RM10.20, you would need to pay RM11.

Is cash the way to go? According to Uber, cash will allow more people to experience their ride-sharing service which was previously limited to electronic payment. As mentioned previously, we prefer cashless transactions by card as it saves time and the hassle of finding small change. It would be more efficient for drivers as well since they can drive off immediately after dropping a passenger. With the latest change, we foresee Uber drivers being more vulnerable to harassments from taxi drivers as they would need to make longer stops when dropping passengers.

For Uber, each trip is calculated based on time and distance, so you wouldn’t know your final fare until you’ve arrived at your destination. Meanwhile, Grab has a better implementation as they will tell you upfront of how much your trip would cost. This is possible as Grab calculates based on distance, allowing passengers to prepare the exact change even before they start the trip.

What do you think? If you’re an Uber driver, let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.