Should Uber Add Cash as a Rider Payment Option? A 2015 Strategy Call

It is 2015 and you are a product manager at Uber. Riders pay through a card or other payment method saved in the app, and the fare is charged automatically when the trip ends. How would you decide whether Uber should start accepting cash? ```hint Start where cards are the bottleneck Ask which would-be riders cannot use the app at all today and where they live, then list everything automatic in-app payment quietly does for Uber and its drivers that cash would take away. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is this decision for every market, or for specific countries where few people own a card that works for online payments? - Is the main goal to grow ridership in new markets, to keep pace with local competitors that already take cash, or both? - Would riders pick cash per trip alongside saved payment methods, and could drivers turn down cash trips? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal and a market-by-market framing rather than one global yes or no - Sizing the upside: riders unlocked, extra trips and competitive position, net of card riders who simply switch - The costs cash brings: collecting Uber's commission, driver and rider safety, fraud, fare disputes and a rougher trip end - Mitigations and the operating mechanics of a cash trip - A pilot with success metrics, guardrails and a go or no-go rule set in advance ### Follow-up Questions - On a cash trip the driver keeps the whole fare. How would Uber collect its commission, and what would you do about drivers whose unpaid balance keeps growing? - Without a card on file, a rider is harder to trace. How would you protect drivers from riders who give false details? - The pilot shows more trips, but drivers cancel cash requests far more often than card requests. What would you change?