Towards the end of last year, Uber redesigned its rider app to make it easier for individuals, like us, to hail rides and travel across the city. This updated app has been making its way to users in phases in different geographical locations but the same is now being widely rolled out in India, as well as the globe. This app is faster, minimalistic and focuses on the destination plus friends to define its updated experience.
One of the major highlights of the Uber rider app experience has always been the simplicity of the booking process. The ride-hailing giant has further toned down the number of interactions for you by directly showing ‘where to’ shortcuts based on your daily travel plan or appointments — available when you’ve synced your calendar to the app.
The shortcuts predict where you’re headed, so you can tap on any one of them to select your destination else you can still choose to input your destination as usual. Even though you have completed the booking process, Uber still allows you to update your pick up location. A substantial difference in any of two will cause a change in the upfront fares displayed next to your vehicle — which you have an option to choose.
Speaking on the new user interface, Apurva Dalal, Head of Engineering, Uber India said:
While providing seamless on-demand transportation for riders remains our central focus, the newly designed rider app is unique as we rebuilt it from ground up to deliver a much faster and improved interface for riders. We are excited that riders across India will now have this superior experience.
Two new features can be seen as new additions that help elevate the complete user experience. Uber has opened its SDK to third-party developers and you’ll soon be provided with a cohort of on-trip integrations such as Pandora, newspaper and much more. The second great feature of the updated rider app will have to be functionality to book rides for your friends and family.
If the Uber rider app detects that your pick up location is different from your current location then a prompt asking you if the ride is being booked for someone else will appear on the screen. You can select the contact you’re booking the ride for, along with a desired payment method, and driver details will be forwarded to the concerned individual instantly. You can now even split fares if you and your friends are sharing the cab — to the location of a friend you detected through Uber.
