UberPOOL Improves Pickup and Dropoff Process in Manhattan

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Uber's made some behind-the-scenes improvements to its UberPOOL commuter service in Manhattan that are aimed at making the service a viable alternative to the public transportation that so many New Yorkers rely on. The changes are centered around improving Uber's 'walk to the corner' feature that it originally rolled out last year, and were made after users submitted feedback on their experiences using the service over the past year.

It's made several improvements to the pickup process — before Uber wouldn't specify the corner that you'd be meeting your driver at, which led to confusion, lost time and more stress for drivers and riders. Now, however, it'll tell drivers to pull over on the right-hand corner after a traffic light which should reduce stress on drivers. Also, UberPOOL will be aware of bicycle and bus lanes and will tell drivers to avoid making pickups in those areas whenever possible. Finally, the updated algorithm has reportedly reduced turns by 20% and has improved the matching service so that it can keep drivers on more direct routes.

Uber's also made a minor change to the way dropoffs are made — instead of giving a predetermined spot to make the dropoff to riders when they request an UberPOOL, the app will recalculate that spot several times as the car gets closer to the destination, which will allegedly increase efficiency on a given route.

Are you a fan of these changes to UberPOOL?

H/T: TechCrunch