Uber’s Hyderabad-based Risk Intelligence team enabled timely payments to driver partners for getting vaccine shots. The payments were to compensate driver partners for the time they spent getting inoculated.
Uber had launched an Rs 18.5 crore ($2.5 million) initiative to help get 150,000 drivers on its platform vaccinated. Over 100,000 drivers have already had at least their first dose administered to them.
The team leveraged the agile, in-house tool, ‘Sherlock’, to scan through the vaccination certificates uploaded by driver partners and verify credentials, followed by managing payouts to them. The entire process of putting the system in place was completed within a week, ensuring there was no lag in payments. The use of Sherlock meant manual scanning of documents wasn’t needed, thereby saving crucial time.
The Risk Intelligence team built ‘Sherlock’, a futuristic platform, using cutting-edge technologies that can be tailored to different use cases. Sherlock was then adapted to streamline and automate new requirements of financial assistance to drivers for vaccinations.
In case a document needs further clarification, Sherlock processes workflows leading to drivers getting the necessary help/communication to upload the right document. To further streamline the process, Uber has also tied up with a third-party vendor to help with some part of the verification process.
Commenting on the quick thinking by the team, Naga Kasu, Director - Engineering, Uber, said, “The use of Sherlock for the vaccination drive helped in timely management, and elimination of manual work hours. The quick and efficient work done to create the platform is a great example of the results the team effortlessly delivered.”
The Risk Intelligence team is one of the leading tech cohorts at the Hyderabad tech center, comprising a team of 22 engineers. The team includes backend, frontend, mobile, and machine learning engineers. The team leverages a mix of Big Data, Distributed Cloud, Machine Learning, and other advanced technologies.
