Personal Finance

Uber Relaunches UberPool as UberX Share

With demand for travel continuing to rise, the ridesharing app Uber has announced a feature to help both travelers and commuters to get to their destinations while saving money. After previously pausing its UberPool service option during the pandemic, Uber is now rolling out a replacement called UberX Share.

At this time, the new option is available to riders in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Portland, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh — although it plans to add more cities later this summer. While UberX Share is highly comparable to its predecessor, there are some notable differences.

When riders go to book a ride when UberX Share is available, they’ll notice that the fare includes a discount from the regular UberX rate. This is the amount they pay if no other customer ends up joining their ride. However, if a co-rider is found, users will then receive a discount of up to 20%. Users will be informed whether or not a match was found and what their total fare will be.

Uber notes UberX Share’s are specifically routed so that riders arrive no more than 8 minutes later than they would if they took a regular UberX. Meanwhile, according to The Points Guy, Uber will initially limit Share rides to two passengers as a means of leaving a middle seat open.

In a blog post announcing the feature, Uber’s SVP of Mobility and Business Operations Andrew Macdonald wrote, “At Uber, we know affordability is important to making transportation more accessible for more people – especially in the current economic climate. Offering more affordable products isn’t just good for customers, it helps build out an ecosystem of affordable, multi-modal transportation – from shared rides, to micromobility, to public transit, which continues to be a powerful ally to Uber.” Macdonald added, “Together we can chip away at our ultimate shared competitor: personal car ownership.”

This is the second significant feature Uber has introduced in recent weeks — although the other goes beyond ridesharing. Recently, Uber Eats unveiled Nationwide Shipping, allowing customers to order meal kits and prepared items from restaurants across the county and have it shipped to their homes. At launch, the platform features restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami but that roster is expected to grow.

As Uber points out, UberX Share not only helps riders save money but also helps curb emissions and congestion. Of course, the service also arrives as gas prices have been soaring across the country. Thus, with surge and surcharges affecting riders, it does seem like the perfect time to relaunch the share feature. So, travelers may want to keep an eye out for this option as they head on their summer trips.