New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS): Uber and Lenskart on Monday announced a partnership with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to spread awareness as well as promote road safety during the government-organised, first-ever 'Road Safety Month.'

Uber and Lenskart are sharing the costs for offering free eye-tests, and subsidised vision correction and reading glasses worth Rs 1 crore to driver-partners across pan-India starting with Delhi NCR, for reducing potential accidents that can be caused by faulty vision.

As part of the inaugural event held at Vigyan Bhawan, here, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari distributed vision correction glasses to 10 top-rated Uber driver-partners.

"India needs a collective effort from Central, State and municipal governments, NGOs, corporate citizens and individuals to help develop the foundation of road safety in India and help meet our commitment to reducing death and serious injuries caused due to road accidents and decrease fatalities by 50 per cent by 2030," the Union Minister said.

Uber's drivers who receive free eye-tests and subsidised glasses can visit any Lenskart centre in Delhi NCR for support. This initiative will be further expanded, over the coming few months, to other leading Indian cities.

"At Uber, both rider and driver safety are top priorities. By partnering with MoRTH, we aim to increase awareness about road safety measures, especially among drivers. We truly believe our partnership is another step towards safer mobility, and we are confident that, with the support of our riders, drivers and the city administration, we can help make every trip safer," Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India SA, added.

Over the past few months, to enhance the safety of its riders and drivers, Uber has launched a comprehensive set of safety measures, such as the Go Online Checklist and a mandatory mask policy for both riders and drivers and more.