If you thought Uber and UberX were gamechangers by themselves, you’re about to have your ass blown outta your pants.
From next week, punters in inner Sydney keen to get from A to B and possibly C for as little cost as humanly possible will be able to do so thanks to the launch of UberPOOL, the ridesharing giant’s staple pooled lift service that’ll allow you to split the cost of your ride among complete strangers.
The service is a mainstay of Uber and ridesharing in other international markets, and anyone who’s taken a trip in the US will no doubt be well aware of it already, but this marks the first time the service will be run in Australia.
It all works thusly: You request an Uber ride and plug in your destination as normal, but instead of sending a whole car by itself to you, the app matches you up with riders heading in a similar direction. You’ll get instructions where to head to to be picked up (a short walking distance to a convenient spot to minimise tricky detours) and you’ll jump in a car with other riders who’ll be dropped off along the way. Once you’ve all been dropped off the app splits the fare among you, meaning you get to your destination in a still-reasonable time while also saving shitloads; as much as 50% on ordinary UberX fares.
In a statement to media this morning, Uber Australia & New Zealand GM Henry Greenacre extolled the virtues of the service, even going so far as to boldly claim it’ll help ease congestion on roads in time (ok m8).
uberPOOL makes it easy and affordable for people going in a similar direction to share the trip. It’s carpooling at the push of a button. That means cheaper rides for passengers and less congestion on the city’s streets over time.
We’re excited to finally bring uberPOOL to Australia to kickstart a new wave in the share economy that will help our cities move more efficiently over time.
UberPOOL will be rolled out in inner-Sydney areas from Tuesday, April 3rd, with a planned nationwide expansion of the service in the coming months.
Things have changed, things have changed, forever.
