Last month, Uber launched a new service known as scheduled rides that enabled its customers to book an Uber in advance. Following a very positive first response, Uber is now expanding this service to a handful more cities in the UK.
While similar services were already being offered by competitors of the brand including Hailo, Gett and Kabbee, Uber’s own take of this feature is surely proving to be very helpful. Currently, people residing in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow can book a Uber for future use.
The feature is going live today and will allow users to book rides from anywhere between 15 minutes to 30 days in advance. This means that you no longer have to worry about how you’ll get to the venue of the meeting you need to attend 2 weeks from now. Just open your Uber app and book a ride in advance.
You don’t even need to send in reminders to the company. Instead, the app will provide you with reminders via a notification. The ride-sharing company will automatically arrange pickup as your departure time approaches.
The service is currently being implemented only with the budget-oriented UberX product. We don’t quite know if and when Uber will bring the service to its more comfort-oriented UberBLACK or UberEXEC.
While the scheduled ride cost remains the same as a regular one, it is subject to surge prices. This essentially means that if your departure time comes at a peak time, you may have to pay a little more than usual.
In a press release, Jo Bertram, Uber’s Regional General Manager in the UK, said,
Many of our riders, especially business customers, have asked us to introduce this feature and we’re really excited to bring it to 8 more cities across the UK from today. Whether it’s having a car ready at the end of a meeting or to take you to the airport, scheduling your Uber in advance means there’s one less thing to worry about.
