Most road accidents are caused by drunk driving although everybody knows it's not right to drink and drive. In India, Mumbai Police teams up with Uber to seat breathalysers at the city's pubs and bars.
The kiosk will determine the alcohol content in the blood and a red flash will light if the person's alcohol intake is already beyond the limit. Aside from that, it will also help the drunken person to book an Uber cab rather than drive and flash promo code providing discounted ride.
The first installed kiosk was in Kurla's Phoenix Marketcity nightclub Nook. Uber had partnered with Breathometer, which is a US company that manufactured the world's first smartphone breathalysers to seize drunk driving, Mashable reported.
"Through this campaign, we aim to build awareness against drunk-driving and give people a convenient and reliable ride back home," Shailesh Sawlani, General Manager, Uber Mumbai, said in a statement. "We hope to work with the Mumbai Traffic Police to install these devices across all bars and pubs in the city.
The breathalysers look almost the same with public phone attached to a pole. A person needs to insert a straw in a slot where it says 'Insert Straw Here' and puff into it. The machine will calculate the alcohol content in the blood and in case of reaching the prescribed limit; the person will be booked home by Uber, according to BGR.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was positive about business in India and said that investments could be doubled to $2 billion if the return is more than fivefold. The company had carried out investment of $1 billion to accelerate operation and said that it would 'invest heavily' in its riders' safety measures, as reported by Daily News & Analysis.
The breathalysers are also known as 'Alco Booth' manufactured by Subtronics India Pvt. Ltd. and was launched by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. Each Alco Booth costs between Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000.
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