Uber’s New Comfort Ride Option Is Its Version of 'Economy Plus'
As Uber tries to expand into flying cars and drone delivery, it's still working to improve its core offering, ride-hailing. On Tuesday it announced it's rolling out a new option, Uber Comfort.
When ordering an Uber Comfort, it appears you'll receive something in-between an UberX and an Uber XL.
Uber says Comfort vehicles will be newer and mid-sized, meeting "elevated, consistent vehicle make and model standards."
However the most noticeable difference will be that each one will have more legroom than a standard UberX vehicle. Vehicles will have minimum legroom requirements, so if an UberX is regular economy on an airline, think of Uber Comfort as being akin to United's Economy Plus or Delta Comfort +. (In that spirit, that probably makes UberPool equivalent to basic economy.)
Similar to the recent changes that improved Uber Black rides, Uber Comfort drivers will need to have a minimum rating of 4.85 to drive for the service, and riders will be able to pre-set temperature and conversation preferences in the app. So, if you'd like to sit in silence and with the A/C blasting, and don't want to have to tell your Uber driver that, then Uber Comfort may be your jam.
The new option is not to be confused with Uber Select, the company's more premium option that offers "rides in high-end cars". If you want to be guaranteed more legroom, then you'll probably want to order a Comfort, so you may avoid a cramped Toyota Prius, whereas a Select will grant you a more premium vehicle (albeit not up to black-car standards).
Don't expect any free upgrades though: Uber Comfort will cost you. Screenshots shared by Uber show a Comfort trip costing about 30% more than an X ride, although prices will vary based on market and route.
The new ride option will be available in the following cities starting today:
Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Fresno, Hampton Roads, Houston, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Madison, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Jersey, New Orleans, Omaha, Orange County, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Rhode Island, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Tucson, Wichita, and Washington D.C.
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