Uber One subscription for Sri Lanka is here

Recently, Uber has opened up its Uber One subscription to Sri Lanka. As some users might have already discovered, the company has begun promoting the service amid its efforts to expand its membership plan to more markets.

Uber One first launched in the US back in November 2021, as a monthly subscription that bundled Uber’s multiple service offerings. This included several benefits such as no delivery fees on select orders, priority service with top-rated drivers, exclusive promotions, and a host of others. Since its introduction, the service is now available in 12 countries with Chile, France, Japan, Spain, and Taiwan making the list just last year. The subscription continues to be a popular choice among many users where over 40% of Delivery Gross Bookings come from Uber One, according to one of Uber’s 2022 annual reports. With the service recording 12 million members around the world, it appears that the company is looking to add Sri Lanka to the list as well.

Uber One for Sri Lanka

Similar to other markets, the subscription will waive delivery fees for select food, grocery, and other orders (eligible stores are marked with the Uber One icon). Though it’s worth noting that orders would need to be at least LKR 900 for restaurant stores and LKR 1,200 for non-restaurant stores for the delivery fee waiver.

Uber also promises 5% Uber Credits and top-rated drivers on eligible rides. These credits will only be valid for 60 days and “will not apply to the portion of the payment made with Uber One Credits.” Another exclusive perk for subscribers is an LKR 450 credit to your Uber account in situations where the Latest Arrival By estimate is off on orders.

The company claims that members could potentially save at least LKR 1,000 per month, based on average Uber Eats orders and rides between March 10, 2023, and April 10, 2023. However, your actual savings would depend on your frequency of using Uber. The subscription itself will cost you LKR 599 every month, though Uber is currently offering a one-month free trial for users.

Value vs price

Interestingly, Uber One comes less than a year after PickMe unveiled its subscription, PickMe Pass. The service works similarly to Uber with the key difference being the LKR 699 499 monthly fee. Incidentally, a recent survey suggested that PickMe was exploring an alternate pricing structure.

Since its entry into the market, Uber Eats Sri Lanka has seen some notable success in the country and currently accounts for over 15,000 delivery partners and over 10,000 merchant partners. However, Uber continues to face its fair share of problems in Sri Lanka, most notably the issue surrounding card payments. Even today, both Uber and PickMe are plagued with countless user complaints of drivers refusing card payment hires. Unfortunately, it’s a sentiment that continues to dominate the Lankan e-commerce space in general with the APIDM’s Digital Outlook Sri Lanka 2023 report claiming that over 50% of internet users prefer cash on delivery.

Theoretically, Uber One’s “top-rated drivers” perk could help curb the platform’s card payment problem to some extent. Though that would also mean an added monthly premium for the average user. Either way, time will tell how far Uber’s subscription will pan out, particularly against PickMe’s own monthly subscription.

[Update 16/06/2023]: PickMe has updated its pricing for its subscription service to LKR 499 per month.