Called uberCOMMUTE, the new service will be tested in the metropolitan area of 14 million before it starts push it out globally, Uber Technologies said in a statement.
Advertisement
UberCommute is Uber’s latest launch, allowing users in China to share the cost of their drive to work. The government is also considering regulations that would force car-booking providers to use commercially registered cars and drivers, which could challenge their current business model of signing up owners of privately owned cars and matching them with riders.
Uber has launched UberCommute, a new carpooling service in Chengdu, China, that pairs drivers commuting through the city with passengers going the same way – enabling them to split the cost of their daily ride. The driver can then decide whether to accept the request or not. Uber will then show the driver any requests from passengers heading in the same direction, along with the payment they’ll receive for the journey.
That’s smart because it means people who have no intention of spending their working life as an Uber driver can still make their auto , and time, available on the Uber platform.
Advertisement
It isn’t clear how these services are performing as standalone businesses, but Uber’s carpooling offering seems better placed since it ties into its core ride-sharing services. But don’t worry: that’s just because it’s the company’s number one city in the world, and it plans to roll the service out around the rest of the globe in time.
