Uber provides one-day helicopter service in India

Uber picked up passengers from their place drove them to the nearest air-field

Ride-sharing service, Uber, operated a one-day helicopter service on December 25 to help Indians mark Christmas  Day.

The service was available to residents of Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, who were able to book a helicopter using the UberCHOPPER option in the app to take an aerial tour of their city.

Take to the skies this #Christmas with UberCHOPPER powered by @letsdroom in Delhi, B'lore, Mum. & Pune #UberDroomIt https://t.co/TBaITJ461V

— Uber India (@Uber_India) December 24, 2015

Uber users were able to log into the app between 10 am and 12 noon on Friday to put in a request for the chopper ride. Once connected, Uber picked up passengers from their residence, drove them to the nearest air-field and gave them a 15-minute chopper ride.



Uber is partnered with online auto marketplace Droom for the service. Each ride cost approximately Rs4,999 or $75 for two people. Riders who made the payment through the online wallet received a 20 per cent discount on their total.



This isn't the first time Uber has offered such a service in India. It also ran chopper services on Valentine's Day and Father's Day this year.

Meanwhile, from London and Paris to New Delhi and Sao Paulo, traditional taxi drivers have united worldwide against Uber. 2015 has seen riots, legal battles and even a kidnapping in protest against the startup.

Since first winning customers in San Francisco five years ago, Uber has enjoyed spectacular global growth by allowing customers to hail drivers using a smartphone app and bypass traditional taxi services.



However, the company, now operating in 58 countries and valued at more than $50 billion, has suffered a bumpy ride on the road to success, infuriating conventional cab firms and fighting regulators across numerous nations.

Many took to Twitter in excitement and planned to take the 15-minute ride.

Fly this Christmas, @letsdroom and @Uber_India bring you a chance to fly in a Chopper this Christmas. #UberDroomIt

— Hemant Batra (@hemantbatra0) December 24, 2015

This Christmas @Uber_India is bringing you the perfect gift - UberCHOPPER powered by @letsdroom. Unwrap the details: https://t.co/a1B2If5THp

— Sinbad The Sailor (@souleshan) December 24, 2015

#UberChopper in Mumbai!! This is amazing. Never thought about it
Waiting for my Uber Chopper… https://t.co/1T69hNKq8j

— Monish Chandan (@rulerofmind) December 25, 2015

https://twitter.com/DasAritrika/status/680301776877191168

Mumbai Darshan, Uber style! Sold! Let's get one of these @jesaldelivala ! thanks @Uber_Mumbai, this was rather fun! pic.twitter.com/u0CNonwIIr

— Ankur Bhageria (@ankur_bhageria) December 25, 2015