According to a Reuters report on August 30 Beijing time, global ride-hailing company Uber said on Tuesday that it will provide free insurance for its 450,000 drivers in India, covering death, disability or hospitalization expenses caused by traffic accidents.

        Currently embroiled in a public opinion storm over negative news—including a widely criticized workplace culture, a series of legal disputes, and recent major conflicts within its board of directors—San Francisco-headquartered Uber faces strong competition in the Indian market from local rival Ola, which is powerful thanks to backing from SoftBank.    

        India is currently one of Uber's largest and most competitive markets. Earlier this year, however, Uber encountered strong opposition from local drivers in India, sparking a large-scale strike movement. The drivers believed that, in pursuit of profit, Uber had cut driver incentive amounts, further reducing their incomes.

        Uber said the free insurance for Indian drivers will take effect from September 1, provided by local insurer ICICI Lombard General Insurance, with compensation ranging from 50,000 rupees (about USD 781) for outpatient treatment to 500,000 rupees (about USD 7,814) for death compensation.

        This week, Uber's board decided to hire Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of online travel company Expedia, as the company's CEO. Reports say Khosrowshahi is prepared to accept the Uber board's offer. For Khosrowshahi, however, taking the helm as Uber CEO may not be easy—it means he will be responsible for turning around a loss-making, scandal-plagued company.

Source: ifeng.com  2017-08-30