April 6 2016, 10.58 APM IST || Pocket News Alert
You can now say “I am sending someone to pick you up” in 400 cities across the world
Ever sent an Uber to take a family member to the doctor? Or called an Uber for your child if he misses the school bus home? You can now send and pay for hassle-free rides to friends & family across the world.
The StayClose app lets you see how your loved ones are and send help when it’s needed - starting with Uber rides. Touchkin, the predictive care platform, today joins hands with Uber to unveil a new ‘send a ride’ feature on its StayClose family care app. Starting today, users will be able to send an Uber ride to their loved ones whenever they need it, anywhere across the world, with just two taps. No need to juggle texts and calls, trying to connect them to the driver so they can find each other. And best of all, they don’t need to pay.
StayClose is a family care app that helps users take care of their loved ones. Families can see if their children or parents are okay without being intrusive using data from their mobile phone, and do something for them as well. Touchkin, the company behind the StayClose app, is a digital predictive care platform which uses artificial intelligence to analyze when someone may be in need of care.
Quick Facts:
- You can send and pay for hassle-free rides to friends & family
- Works even if they don’t have Uber or a smartphone
- Available on iOS and Android worldwide
With ‘send a ride’, the StayClose app allows users to arrange a pickup for anyone in their contacts list. It uses Uber’s APIs to send them a ride, even if they don’t have the app installed. They need to simply click on the link when ready and an Uber will go to their location at no cost to them. This feature adds value to families and helps them care for each other better. It also reaches out to a wider audience, as users can now include non-smartphones owners and send them the convenience of an Uber ride.
Commenting on the partnership, Jo Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of StayClose said, “The StayClose app helps people care for their loved ones while being away. The first element of care is to know how someone is, which is the core of the Touchkin platform. The second is to be able to do something to help those you care for. This often involves getting someone picked up and taken to the doctor, or brought to you. We were looking for a global partner who can make it easier for families everywhere to care for each other, and Uber was the perfect choice. You can actually go the last mile and do something about an unwell sibling or parent. Sitting in London, you can book an Uber in India to take your parents to the doctor.”
Commenting on this partnership, Saad Ahmed, India BD Lead at Uber said, “The Touchkin partnership came out of the Hackathon we hosted in Bangalore which was a first in Asia, following the launch of Uber Trip Experiences. We are pleased to collaborate and join hands with StayClose, in their efforts towards creating a unique family care platform. This is a great example of how Uber’s APIs are helping our developer partners develop innovative user experiences. India has been a significant source of ideas that are relevant globally, and we hope that StayClose will become an important part of our innovation and partner ecosystem.”
The StayClose app is available for free on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
About StayClose
Available on iOS and Android, StayClose is the world’s first app to answer the question “How are you” automatically. Based on Touchkin’s predictive care platfom, StayClose uses mobile sensor data to show you how your loved ones and provide real-time visibility of their wellbeing. Inspired by the idea that we should be able to google how our loved ones are, StayClose enables families to care without being intrusive, and provide support when needed, not just when asked.
Uber is evolving the way the world moves. By seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through our app, we make cities more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and more business for drivers. From our founding in 2009 to our launches in hundreds of cities today, Uber's rapidly expanding global presence continues to bring people and their cities closer. Today Uber is available in almost 400 cities in 68 countries. The service is available in 26 Indian cities -- more than any other country outside the United States. www.uber.com