Uber, the innovative app that connects riders with drivers, has partnered with SMSGH to provide mobile payments to the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).

Uber’s African expansion has significantly grown in the last year with its recent launch in Accra, the 13th city to join Uber’s booming network in Africa.

The World Bank reports that since 2014, mobile phone penetration exceeded 100% in Ghana, compared to just 1% in 2000. The people of Ghana also benefit from increasing availability of high-speed Internet, creating the perfect environment for information technology-enabled services such as Uber and SMSGH.

With this in mind and in order to provide riders and driver-partners with a payment option that is safer and seamless to use, Uber teamed up with SMSGH to make use of their USSD-based mPOS system.

Through this partnership, Uber riders can now conveniently pay for rides via mobile money. Drivers need to simply dial a USSD code containing the driver's four-digit business identification number (BIN) and the rider's mobile number (e.g.*713*1234*0244000000#), select the mobile wallet provider and enter the amount to pay.

A bill prompt is then issued to the rider to confirm the transaction and complete payment with a wallet PIN. Both driver-partner and rider will then receive an SMS text as confirmation of payment.

Alon Lits, General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa for Uber says, ”A large part of Uber’s success is based on the fact that we provide a safe, reliable and convenient options when it comes to transportation and SMSGH is in line with our service so it was an easy decision to partner with them. This partnership makes Uber an even better experience for riders and driver-partners and we are excited that we can offer payment options to riders.”