Uber is gearing up to pilot a new ride-sharing service in Seattle called uberHOP, in an attempt to get “more butts into the backseats of fewer cars”, according to an Uber blog post from today. The ridesharing service revealed uberHOP, which allows Uber drivers to operate similar to a bus route, and uberCOMMUTE, which could compensate non-Uber drivers for giving people a lift. And casual carpools have been popular in places like Washington, DC and the East Bay in Northern California where commuters line up at prearranged points and wait for drivers going in their same direction, Uber noted. From there, riders will be able to exit the vehicle at a pre-determined stop and walk to their final destinations. Doesn’t sound greatly handy at first look, but then I guess neither does a bus!
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Only available in Seattle for now, commuters can request a ride on one of the three routes available.
The service – inspired by “casual carpools” in other cities – will be available weekdays from 6 a.m.to 10 p.m., the company said.
“We all know Seattle has huge congestion problems and there are limited ways for us to expand the current transportation network on the road”, she said. “We think it’s an important part of what we offer to cities and we’e eager to continue to work with leaders in Seattle – both business and government – to figure out how we can build a city of the future”. “Over time, we can create credible alternatives to auto ownership”.
The UberPool program in San Francisco has been a success for the ride-hailing company and now accounts for more than 50 per cent of the trips taken. Leaders like New York Mayor Bill de Blasio have pushed back against Uber’s claims, blaming the company for worsening traffic. In June, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick called UberPool a “real game-changer” during his five-year anniversary speech. Uber will verify the license and driving record of its participants, but probably can’t guarantee you’ll have any control over the radio. Then, on their way into work, drivers switch on the app and will be paired with someone going the same way. Passengers who want to roll with uberCOMMUTE need to select uberPOOL and then choose the “commuters” option.
Drivers won’t go through the same signup process as a traditional UberX driver, so they won’t have the Uber sticker logo on their windshield.
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“These two pilots are an app-based version of something that’s already happening every day”, Uber wrote on its blog.
