Uber will now remove riders who despite repeated warnings misbehave or damage the driver or co-passengers property, as per the updated community guidelines of the ride-hailing giant.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uber-plans-smaller-more-cautious-self-driving-car-launch-181781">US-based company</a> has also added a 'Driver Safety Toolkit' - designed on the lines of a similar offering for riders - to offer a suite of in-app safety features for its driver-partners in India.

"Courtesy matters. Riders are expected to exercise good judgment and behave decently towards other people in the car when riding with Uber... Riders may lose access to Uber if they don't meet the star rating requirements set out in the community guidelines," Uber Head of Cities (India and South Asia) Prabhjeet Singh told PTI.

Singh explained that the company will now start removing from its platform those riders who despite repeated warnings flout Uber's community guidelines. These riders will be given enough notifications before they are removed from the platform, and the number of such riders would be "handful", he said.

"We have updated Uber's community guidelines which extend the same behavioural standards to the riders that Uber has for the driver partners. Even though a vast majority of riders will not be affected by this update, it reminds a select few what behaviour is expected of them while using the app," Singh added.

Some of the reasons for losing access to Uber would include damage to drivers' or other passengers' property, use of inappropriate and abusive language or gestures, unwanted contact with the driver or fellow passenger after the trip is over, and breaking the local law while using Uber.&nbsp;

"If we are made aware of these kinds of problematic behaviour, we will contact you so we can investigate them. Depending on the nature of the concern, we may put a hold on your account during our investigation. If the issues raised are serious or a repeat offence or you refuse to cooperate, you may lose access to Uber," the guidelines said.&nbsp;

It added that any behaviour involving violence, sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, or illegal activity while using Uber can result in the immediate loss of access to the account.&nbsp;

These steps have been taken to strengthen the safety of the drivers on Uber's platform and to foster an environment of mutual respect between riders and driver-partners, Singh said.

"There can be no Uber without driver partners - they are at the centre of Uber's business... We have been focussing our efforts on developing products that increase transparency, accountability, and safety for all our stakeholders -- driver-partners as well as drivers," he added.

For driver-partners, Uber is rolling out an emergency button and the 'share trip feature' as part of the driver safety toolkit. Singh clarified that the share trip feature for drivers will allow them to share their locations with friends and family, but no details of the rider will be shared as part of this.&nbsp;

Uber, which is locked in an intense battle with Ola for leadership in markets like India and Australia, has about three lakh driver-partners in India.&nbsp;

The US-based company saw its revenue grow manifold from India business to Rs 21.5 crore, while net profit was at Rs 19.6 lakh in the fiscal ended March 2018. Uber has previously stated that it remains committed to investing in India ? which is among its top markets.

Uber will now remove riders who despite repeated warnings misbehave or damage the driver or co-passengers property, as per the updated community guidelines of the ride-hailing giant.

Uber will now remove riders who despite repeated warnings misbehave or damage the driver or co-passengers property, as per the updated community guidelines of the ride-hailing giant. The US-based company has also added a 'Driver Safety Toolkit' - designed on the lines of a similar offering for riders - to offer a suite of in-app safety features for its driver-partners in India. "Courtesy matters. Riders are expected to exercise good judgment and behave decently towards other people in the car when riding with Uber... Riders may lose access to Uber if they don't meet the star rating requirements set out in the community guidelines," Uber Head of Cities (India and South Asia) Prabhjeet Singh told PTI. Singh explained that the company will now start removing from its platform those riders who despite repeated warnings flout Uber's community guidelines. These riders will be given enough notifications before they are removed from the platform, and the number of such riders would be "handful", he said. "We have updated Uber's community guidelines which extend the same behavioural standards to the riders that Uber has for the driver partners. Even though a vast majority of riders will not be affected by this update, it reminds a select few what behaviour is expected of them while using the app," Singh added. Some of the reasons for losing access to Uber would include damage to drivers' or other passengers' property, use of inappropriate and abusive language or gestures, unwanted contact with the driver or fellow passenger after the trip is over, and breaking the local law while using Uber. "If we are made aware of these kinds of problematic behaviour, we will contact you so we can investigate them. Depending on the nature of the concern, we may put a hold on your account during our investigation. If the issues raised are serious or a repeat offence or you refuse to cooperate, you may lose access to Uber," the guidelines said. It added that any behaviour involving violence, sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, or illegal activity while using Uber can result in the immediate loss of access to the account. These steps have been taken to strengthen the safety of the drivers on Uber's platform and to foster an environment of mutual respect between riders and driver-partners, Singh said. "There can be no Uber without driver partners - they are at the centre of Uber's business... We have been focussing our efforts on developing products that increase transparency, accountability, and safety for all our stakeholders -- driver-partners as well as drivers," he added. For driver-partners, Uber is rolling out an emergency button and the 'share trip feature' as part of the driver safety toolkit. Singh clarified that the share trip feature for drivers will allow them to share their locations with friends and family, but no details of the rider will be shared as part of this. Uber, which is locked in an intense battle with Ola for leadership in markets like India and Australia, has about three lakh driver-partners in India. The US-based company saw its revenue grow manifold from India business to Rs 21.5 crore, while net profit was at Rs 19.6 lakh in the fiscal ended March 2018. Uber has previously stated that it remains committed to investing in India ? which is among its top markets.

'Courtesy matters', Uber to remove riders who misbehave or damage properties despite warnings

Ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc is "doubling down" on its investments in India, one of its biggest markets, after its recent exit from Southeast Asia, its chief operating officer said on Wednesday.

India accounts for more than 10 percent of Uber rides globally and the U.S. company has a more than 35 percent share of the taxi market there, according to Counterpoint Research, but it is yet to make money in the country.

COO Barney Harford said investments in India are made using funds from profitable markets. However, the sale in March of Uber's business in Southeast Asia to Singapore's Grab Holdings, in exchange for a 27.5 percent stake, has given Uber more firepower to compete with its Indian rival Ola.

"The recent merger ... has freed up resources which we are going to invest across people, products and partnerships to better serve this country," Harford told reporters in New Delhi.

"We are doubling down on our investments in this country like never before," he said, adding that India was a core market for the San Francisco-based company.

Harford did not say how much Uber is likely to invest in India but said it would "considerably expand" its technology resources to develop products for India and the world.

Uber's India head Amit Jain said the company has no major plans to expand to more cities in India.

Uber operates in about 30 Indian cities while Ola is in 110 cities and has more than a 45 percent total market share, according to Counterpoint Research.

Uber and Ola are backed by a common investor, SoftBank Group, which pushed behind the scenes for the merger between Uber and Grab. It is not clear whether the Japanese investor plans to spur consolidation in India as well.

Executives from Uber and Ola met at least twice over the past 12 months and, among other things, Uber brought up a potential merger between the two companies with Uber in the driver's seat, sources have told Reuters.

Harford said that while Uber was always open to having conversations with potential partners, it had no interest in entering into minority deals in India or other countries in which it operates.

India accounts for more than 10 percent of Uber rides globally and the U.S. company has a more than 35 percent share of the taxi market there, according to Counterpoint Research, but it is yet to make money in the country.

Ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc is "doubling down" on its investments in India, one of its biggest markets, after its recent exit from Southeast Asia, its chief operating officer said on Wednesday. India accounts for more than 10 percent of Uber rides globally and the U.S. company has a more than 35 percent share of the taxi market there, according to Counterpoint Research, but it is yet to make money in the country. COO Barney Harford said investments in India are made using funds from profitable markets. However, the sale in March of Uber's business in Southeast Asia to Singapore's Grab Holdings, in exchange for a 27.5 percent stake, has given Uber more firepower to compete with its Indian rival Ola. "The recent merger ... has freed up resources which we are going to invest across people, products and partnerships to better serve this country," Harford told reporters in New Delhi. "We are doubling down on our investments in this country like never before," he said, adding that India was a core market for the San Francisco-based company. Harford did not say how much Uber is likely to invest in India but said it would "considerably expand" its technology resources to develop products for India and the world. Uber's India head Amit Jain said the company has no major plans to expand to more cities in India. Uber operates in about 30 Indian cities while Ola is in 110 cities and has more than a 45 percent total market share, according to Counterpoint Research. Uber and Ola are backed by a common investor, SoftBank Group, which pushed behind the scenes for the merger between Uber and Grab. It is not clear whether the Japanese investor plans to spur consolidation in India as well. Executives from Uber and Ola met at least twice over the past 12 months and, among other things, Uber brought up a potential merger between the two companies with Uber in the driver's seat, sources have told Reuters. Harford said that while Uber was always open to having conversations with potential partners, it had no interest in entering into minority deals in India or other countries in which it operates.

Uber doubling down on India investments after exiting Southeast Asia

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'Courtesy matters', Uber to remove riders who misbehave or damage properties despite warnings

Uber doubling down on India investments after exiting Southeast Asia