Uber joins Lyft, Gett in having scheduled rides
DENVER — Ride-hailing service Uber is now letting some users schedule pickups up to 30 days in advance.
Uber built its initial service on the idea that there would always be enough drivers to meet demand, no matter the time of pickup. But in an announcement, the company says the new system will provide peace of mind to travelers “even when you have a flight at the crack of dawn.”
The schedule-ahead service, similar to that long provided by taxi and limo companies, is today only available in Seattle. The company says it will be rolling the option out to riders across the world in cities where its drivers carry many business travelers. Right now, the service is only available on UberX, the lowest-cost version in which passengers ride in the personal vehicles of Uber drivers.
"We’re making this available first to business travelers. We expect to make the feature broadly available to all riders as we continue the rollout,” the company said in its announcement. "Scheduled Rides are priced exactly like a normal uberX ride and subject to pricing conditions at the future time the request is made. Surge pricing may apply.”
Uber riders can cancel their scheduled ride without penalty, unless the driver has been on his or her way for more than five minutes.
Ride-hailing competitor Lyft already offers a similar service, although it’s limited to 24 hours in advance, and just in San Francisco now.
Both are behind Gett, which specializes in what is known as black-car transportation using town cars, sedans and limos. Gett for more than a year has offered a schedule-ahead service where it operates: Russia, Great Britain, Israel and Manhattan.
Ride-hailing services have quickly upended traditional taxi and limo services in part because they're cheaper and riders can watch via a smartphone app as their vehicle approaches. Taxi drivers have strongly opposed the services, arguing they're only cheaper because they don't have to meet the same safety and professional standards to which they must adhere.