5 new Uber features you should know — including a way to avoid surge pricing
The ride-hailing company on Wednesday announced a route share feature on its platform, prepaid ride passes and special deals week for Uber One members at its annual Go-Get showcase.
Uber's new features come as the company accelerates its leadership position in the ride-sharing market and seeks to offer more affordable alternatives for users. It also follows last week's first-quarter earnings as Uber swung to a profit but fell short of revenue estimates.
'The goal for us as we build our products is to put people at the center of everything, and right now for us, it means making things a little easier, a little more predictable, and above all, just a little more — or a lot more — affordable,' said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at the event.
Here are some of the big announcements from the annual product event.
Route share
Users looking to save money on regular routes and willing to walk a short distance can select a shared ride with up to two other passengers through the new route-share feature.
The prepopulated routes run every 20 minutes along busy areas between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. The initial program is slated to kick off in seven cities, including New York, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago.
Uber said its new route-share fares will cost up to 50% less than an UberX option, and that it is working to partner with employers on qualifying the feature for commuter benefits. Users can book a seat from 7 days to 10 minutes before a pickup departure.
Ride passes
Riders on Uber can now prepurchase two different types of ride passes to hold fares on frequented routes during a one-hour period every day. For $2.99 a month, riders can buy a price lock pass that holds a price between two locations for one hour every day. The pass expires after 30 days or a savings total of $50.
The feature gives riders a way to avoid surge pricing.
Ride Passes roll out in 10 cities on Wednesday, including Dallas, Orlando and San Francisco, and can be purchased for up to 10 routes a month. Uber will charge users a lower price if the fare is cheaper than the pass at departure time.
The company also debuted a prepaid pass option, allowing users to pay in advance and stock up on regular monthly trips. Uber's pass option comes in bundles of 5, 10, 15 and 20-ride increments, with corresponding discounts between 5% and 20%.
Both pass options will be available on teen accounts in the fall, Uber said. The route share and ride passes will be available in a new commuter hub feature on the app coming later this year.
Shared autonomous rides
Uber is also expanding its autonomous vehicle partnership with Volkswagen.
The company will start testing shared AV rides later this year and is aiming for a launch in Los Angeles in 2026.
Uber rolled out autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, in March through its agreement with Alphabet -owned Waymo and is preparing for an Atlanta launch this summer. The company announced the partnership in May 2023. Autonomous Waymo rides are also currently offered through the Uber app in Phoenix, but the company does not directly manage that fleet.
Khosrowshahi called AVs 'the single greatest opportunity ahead for Uber' during the company's earnings call last week and said the Austin debut 'exceeded' expectations. The company previously had an AV unit that it sold in 2020 as it faced high costs and a series of safety challenges, including a fatal accident.
Along with Volkswagen and Waymo, Uber has joined forces with Avride, May Mobility and self-driving trucking company Aurora for autonomous ride-sharing and freight services in the U.S. The company has partnerships with WeRide, Pony.AI and Momenta internationally.
Uber One member days
Uber is taking a page out of Amazon's book by offering its own variation of the e-commerce giant's beloved Prime Day, with special offers between May 16 and 23 for Uber One members.
Some of those deals include 50% off shared rides and 20% off Uber Black. The platform is also adding a new benefit of 10% back in Uber credits for users that use Uber Rent or book Lime rides.
UberEats also announced a partnership with OpenTable to allow users to book reservations and rides.
The new feature, powered by OpenTable, launches in six countries including the U.S. and Australia.
Through the partnership, users can book restaurant reservations and get a discount on rides. OpenTable members will also be able to transfer points to Uber and UberEats. The company is also offering OpenTable VIPs a six-month free trial of Uber One.
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