Aug. 28: Uber is allowing passengers to take a detour and make quick stops on the way to a destination.

"Whether it's a ride to the airport and the rider needs to pick up a friend en route or going home after dinner and need to drop off a loved one on the way, one just needs to tap away at the app when requesting a ride," a company spokesperson said.

The feature that has been introduced in response to "popular demand" will be rolled out through app updates over the next two weeks.

Picking up a friend on Uber is a headache as the app delineates the route from the pick-up point to the destination keyed in. Any deviation elicits protests from the driver.

Uber's primary competitor Ola lets a cab to be rented by the hour but does not allow detours.

Once the detour feature is rolled out, a Uber rider, after keying in the destination at the prompt "where to", needs to tap a key beside the "where to" box to add addresses of the stops to be made on the way.

One can key in up to three stops and no more than three minutes can be spent at each stop. Riders can also add or remove stops during the ride.

The spokesperson clarified that the stops might not be en route to the destination. So, a passenger hailing a ride from central Calcutta can pick up a friend from somewhere in north Calcutta before heading for a destination in the southern part of the city.

"When you key in the stops, the upfront fare is calculated and shown before one finalises the ride," the spokesperson said.

"I won't mind paying an extra amount if I could stop to do my chores on my way to work," said Chitralekha Sengupta, a schoolteacher with two kids.

Another feature added to the app is in-app chat with the driver. This is to facilitate communication between the driver and the rider regarding the location of the pick-up. The rider and the driver can see if their chats are delivered and read.