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Whether you've been out drinking or don't want to drive somewhere, Uber is a great rideshare option. In addition to being helpful for riders, Uber allows drivers to make money in their free time by shuttling riders. Even though Uber is an excellent service, sometimes things go wrong, and you need to contact the customer support team for assistance.
There are several popular ride-share and food delivery services available, such as Lyft or Doordash, but Uber started it all. Uber is well known for their ride-share services, but they have other offerings. On your Android phone, you can order a ride or your favorite food through Uber Eats from the comfort of your couch. Another little-known offering from Uber is Uber Connect, which is a same-day delivery service. Here's a look at what Uber Connect is and how to use it.
Uber will start playing video ads while you wait for your ride
Long-form ads are coming to all of Uber's apps
It's nearly impossible to completely avoid ads today, and as you browse Facebook or scroll through TikTok, you're bound to find yourself inundated by them. While we eventually get used to them (well, to an extent), it's still always a bit jarring when ads suddenly invade a new corner of our lives — remember all the backlash when ads came to Android TV? Get ready for another period of adjustment, as we learn that Uber is adding some quite lengthy video ads to its apps.
Uber overhauls its UI on Android with a focus on personalization
The redesigned interface feels intuitive and clean
Ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft have remarkably similar user interfaces, with the most noticeable distinctions being the brand color scheme and pricing for services. However, users associate a lot more with brand identity, and few aspects hit home like personalization. Uber is going this route to step up its game, promising a highly tailored experience for each user of its redesigned app.
Uber coddles drivers with more trip options, guaranteed fares, and bigger perks
Will more people join the non-taxi ranks?
Ever since Uber was able to exploit the idea of federating the taxi service from badged drivers to independent contractors, it hasn't been a pretty financial picture. The company itself only recently turned profits after more than a decade burning venture capital and a lot of drivers who have resorted to living off of the gig are struggling to stay afloat. Coming out of a pandemic-induced labor crisis, Uber is trying to make things more predictable, ergo, appealing for drivers to get them back into the game on a larger scale.
Uber Pets lets your dog take advantage of gig economy workers too
Though it might be tricky to find an Uber Pets driver near you
Traveling with pets can be a major hassle, and it doesn't help if you're somewhere without access to your own vehicle. Uber is here to help. The app and service now allow pets to come along on at least some rides, for a nominal fee. Of course.
Google Maps is getting better ride share integration, crosswalk markers, and building numbers
Some of these features are coming as a server-side update
Google Maps is an invaluable tool when you want to get around a city, and even if some additions to the service are questionable at best, it generally only improves with each update. That's also true for the latest beta, version 10.56.0. It adds an option for more accurate fee estimates for ride services. We've also spotted markers for crosswalks and building numbers in some places.
Judge lets Lyft and Uber operate in California as fate of drivers left in the hands of voters
Will Proposition 22 help rideshare contractors from AB 5?
Californians are still able to order rides from Lyft and Uber this morning after an eleventh-hour decision by a state appellate court judge allowed the TNCs to continue operating with their drivers as contractors instead of employees. The two companies had announced they would suspend services as of 12:00 a.m. PDT as a result of Assembly Bill No. 5, which has implemented new tests as to how workers are classified.
Uber spent 2019 shedding its loss-making businesses and laying off staff on a global scale in a bid to become profitable. The latest to get the ax is the Indian arm of Uber Eats, which has been sold to the local rival Zomato. Uber Eats ceased all of its operations in the Asian market earlier today, following a blog post by Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal.
For some (like me) chatting up an Uber driver makes sitting in terrible city traffic a bit more enjoyable, but many others would like nothing more than silence on their trip. Pair that with a bit of extra space and a comfortable interior, and you might even find a way to be productive in transit. If you fall into that last camp, you'll be pleased to hear that Uber is launching a new "Comfort" class of ride that gets the same Rider Preference options like the "Quiet Mode" toggle Uber Black has, plus the benefits of extra space and a newer car.
Uber has long been expanding beyond its core business of ride-hailing services, and also offers peer-to-peer ridesharing, bicycle sharing, and food delivery today. While bike sharing is integrated into the company's main app, that's not the case for food delivery, which has its separate app. However, the business wants to place the latter service more prominently and is working on adding it to its main product.
Hailing a ride from a TNC app is usually easy. What's harder is managing what happens between the time the car pulls up to the curb and when you shut (don't slam!) the door. Depending on your tendencies and the driver's, there can be a lot going of yapping on between point A and point B, not to mention the detours and the literal baggage that get in the way. Well, if you happen to shell out for an Uber Black ride, you now have more ways to control how your ride goes with the tap of the app — that includes being able to snag a silent ride.
Since Uber launched its ride-hailing app in 2009, competitors like Lyft, Ola, and Didi, have been mushrooming across the world. Some of them have focused on a more regional approach, taking local cultures into account when designing their product. Careem is one of these, as the company founded in 2012 has worked on adapting its offering to the local customs, such as letting people pay by cash in countries where credit card usage isn't widespread. With a name meaning "generous and humble" in Arabic and services in line with people's way of living, Careem managed to become very popular across the Middle East. Maybe a little too much, as its arch-rival Uber is now acquiring it for $3.1 billion.
Uber Rewards was announced in November last year. The program grants points to Uber users for hailing rides or ordering food through Uber Eats, with perks increasing for higher dollar amounts spent. The program started rolling out in January, and Uber has announced that it's now available to all riders in the United States.
Things may look different the next time you open the Uber app. The latest version (build number 4.249.10002) revamps a few bits of the UI to take advantage of taller screen ratios, and it makes scheduling easier. It's only accessible in the official beta channel, though.
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Uber and Lyft, America's two ride-sharing giants, are always going toe-to-toe in terms of new features and functionality. The latest move comes from Uber, which has just introduced something called Ride Pass to five major cities: Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, and Orlando. Ride Pass costs $14.99/month (but $24.99/month in LA) and nets subscribers flat discounted rates on their Uber and UberX trip fares.
Chances are, you've paid more than you needed to for a ride because you didn't feel like manually comparing the rates of all your options. Today, Google announced it's got a way to ameliorate such situations: the Google Assistant will soon be able to provide you a handy list of ride providers going to your destination, along with time estimates and pricing information.
Uber hired former Coca-Cola exec Rebecca Messina as its first chief marketing officer two days ago, and she's joining just in time for the announcement a complete rebrand. The Uber and Uber Eats apps have been updated with new logos that use a proprietary new typeface called 'Uber Move.'
Back in July, Uber announced that Venmo, PayPal's strange mobile payment service/social media feed combo, would be added as a payment method "in the coming weeks." It's been about seven weeks since then, and Venmo support has just gone live for both Uber and Uber Eats.
Sometimes, the hardest part of getting where you need to go with a ride-sharing service is meeting up with your driver. The Uber app is adding a number of handy features to make pickups easier. You can send glanceable messages, create a color-coded signpost, and more.