Uber Rolls out (More) Affordable Ride-Sharing With Express Pool
Remember carpooling as a kid? The pick-ups and drop-offs, with everyone crammed into a stuffy vehicle? Thanks to technology, like so many things, ride-sharing has improved.
Starting today, Uber — which has always been in on the ride-share action, having launched uberPOOL nearly four years ago — is offering a new product called Express POOL.
Here's how it will work: A rider will see an Express POOL option next to UberPOOL in the app. Once they select Express, Uber books their ride, and starts looking for the best spot for pickup — for co-riders and the driver — within a few blocks. When the ride details are finalized, the rider will be given walking directions and an ETA, so they know when and where to meet their driver. Once in the car and nearing their stop, the rider will be notified of said location, and will be given walking directions to their final destination.
In terms of cost — which will be affected by surge pricing — Express POOL is up to 50% less than uberPOOL and 75% cheaper than uberX. What makes it more affordable is the mix of walking and waiting — this helps the app make more matches, and ultimately deliver a lower price to consumers than they are used to with uberPOOL.
Since introducing uberPOOL in 2014, this is the first new product Uber is launching — deemed their most affordable ride-sharing product yet. Uber has been piloting this product in San Francisco and Boston and are expanding to Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, San Diego and Denver over February 21 and 22.
Uber's goal was to create a product for their consumers to use every day, with a consistent experience to boot — something that has proven to be tricky for uberPOOL. That means better routes, with fewer detours and a more reliable ETA. Uber aims to roll out Express POOL across more US cities later this quarter.
Images courtesy of Uber
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- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month