Uber has announced a service that sounds like a bus.
Airport shuttles were a fantastic service when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. Marin Airporter was the one I took most often. You just showed up at your stop and waited for one of the scheduled, twice-hourly airporters to come by. Far cheaper and easier than driving yourself and parking or arranging a ride, the shuttle was a favorite. It seems Uber is "reinventing" the airport shuttle.
The company announced Route Share and other new features and discounts designed to help customers save money on rides and deliveries at its annual Go-Get event. The aim is to attract and maintain a loyal customer base that continues to use the Uber app in spite of outside economic pressures.
The commuter shuttles will drive between pre-set stops every 20 minutes, according to Sachin Kansal, Uber's chief product officer. He noted that there will be dozens of routes in each launch city — like between Williamsburg and Midtown in NYC. The routes, which are selected based on Uber's extensive data on popular travel patterns, might have one or two additional stops to pick up other passengers. To start, riders will only ever have to share the route with up to two other co-riders.
Riders can book a seat anywhere from seven days to 10 minutes before a scheduled pickup, and the app will provide them with turn-by-turn directions to get them from their house to the corner where they'll be picked up.
Tech Crunch
Previously:
• A short list of 'all the bad things' about Uber and Lyft
• Uber also trying the Terms of Service defense
• For most people, driving for Uber or Lyft just ain't worth it
