Uber Cash

Making physical currency work on a digital platform

Team
Role	Design Lead, Design Manager
Date	2015

Context

In the mid-2010s, Uber was expanding fast across the developing world. We’d added wallets like Alipay in China and Paytm in India—but one obvious method remained off the table: cash. Cash conflicted with Uber’s brand promise: no fumbling, no friction. But we were hearing a different story on the ground:

“If you don’t take cash, you won’t compete here.”

In India, card adoption was low, bank access uneven, and physical rupees dominated everyday transactions.

Challenge: Accept physical currency without breaking the magic

• Support a totally offline payment method on a real-time, digital-first platform.
• Help drivers know when—and how much—to collect.
• Ensure Uber still gets its cut from drivers who now hold the full fare.
• Make it all feel like Uber—not a hacked-on taxi service.

Approach: Internal alignment, fast iteration, on-the-ground learning

First: unblock internal resistance.

• Travis (CEO) was vocally against cash—too clunky, too anti-Uber.
• With aligned India GMs, nightly calls, and strong local data, we secured permission to pilot in one city.

At an offsite with the India Growth team, we mapped out the experience.

• Riders select cash as payment.
• At ride end, drivers see “Collect ₹X” on-screen—clear, reliable, shared between both parties.

Engineering tackled real-time fare calculation—until then, it could take hours. We launched with WhatsApp-based driver education and a lean design approach, tailored to low-end Android phones.

Output: Familiar UX, with just enough new behavior

• Riders: prompted to try cash, or onboarded with cash as default—removing a major barrier.
• Drivers: got clear end-of-ride instructions and local-language support.
• Driver and rider screens showed the same fare, mimicking taxi meters and reinforcing trust.
• Education materials were distributed via in-app banners and WhatsApp messages.

We dogfooded the product in Hyderabad, riding with trained drivers. The experience was reliable—and the conversations we had revealed the deeper impact: For many drivers, Uber and this product represented upward mobility.

Outcome: Massive unlock for Uber’s growth

• Within 18 months, 70% of first rides globally were paid in cash.
• A data science partner later called it the biggest growth lever in that era.
• Cash enabled Uber to thrive in markets where digital payments lagged behind.
• Despite internal hesitation, the product proved you could bend the Uber experience—without breaking it.