Uber Is Offering Shared Rides Again in These Nine Cities — How Much Money Does It Save?
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Uber discontinued its shared ride service, Uber Pool, making discounted shared rides with strangers out of the question. On Tuesday, the ride-hailing giant introduced the rebranded UberX Share and is offering shared rides in nine major American cities.
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UberX Share will be available in Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego and San Francisco. The service will be introduced to other cities soon, according to a company press statement.
Riders who choose UberX Share will receive an upfront discount and, if partnered with a co-rider, up to 20% off the total price of their ride. By matching more customers to fewer cars, Uber hopes to save gas, vehicle miles and emissions per passenger.
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The rideshare king controls approximately 72% of the U.S. industry market share, according to Bloomberg data. In March, it announced temporary surcharges to all its ride and food delivery services to support drivers and delivery people and reduce the burden of high fuel costs.
Uber stated in its press release, “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. Together we can chip away at our ultimate shared competitor: personal car ownership.”
Uber’s nearest competitor, Lyft, has started its ride share service as well. Shared rides are available in Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco and San Jose.
As The Wall Street Journal reported, research by YipitData found that fares last month for Uber and Lyft reached an all-time high, primarily due to driver shortages and inflated gas prices. Comparing data from the first quarter of 2022 to the same period three years prior, the two companies attracted 20% fewer passengers and made 35% fewer rides.
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