Uber has announced a partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide technical support to equip the State-owned ambulance system with automated dispatch and live tracking capabilities.
As part of the pilot, Uber will help automate BMC’s ambulance dispatch system, allowing it to optimise and dispatch the nearest ambulance, effectively track all trips in real-time and share status of dispatches with hospitals so that they can also effectively manage queues and be prepared for inbound patients.
The service will also notify riders about the dispatch of an ambulance through an SMS alert, which will have a link that will help them track the vehicle's movement. Citizens can access the service by dialing the 24x7 emergency service helpline 108 or 1916, in case of any medical emergency.
Uber will also provide all BMC’s ambulance drivers with technical and functional training to familiarise them with the usage of the app and map navigation to optimise travel time on the road. Special training to access Uber’s technology tools and software will be given to authorized representatives from the BMC to effectively view, dispatch and coordinate incoming ambulance requests.
“We are really pleased to partner with Uber to automate Mumbai’s ambulance service that will help provide quick and efficient emergency travel which is a pressing need at the moment Uber’s world class technology can help optimise ambulance dispatch and monitor the movement of the vehicles allowing us to better serve the medical needs of Mumbai’s citizens,” Iqbal Singh Chahal, IAS Municipal Commissioner, BMC, said.
Speaking about the initiative, Prabhjeet Singh, Director, Operations and Head of Cities, Uber India & South Asia, said: “ The Government has been working tirelessly to contain the spread of COVID-19 and this partnership is our contribution to support the city. ”
