Earlier this month, we announced several updates to the Uber ride experience as you consider taking your second first trip. We know some of these changes will take getting used to, but raising the bar on safety is critical to ensuring our platform evolves in these challenging times.
While we’re encouraging riders to continue following local health guidelines and travel only as necessary, we’ve also been listening to their feedback about ways our platform can facilitate opportunities they’re looking for. Today we’re doing that by launching an Hourly ride option in select cities in the U.S. – a new way to ride without having to re-request a trip at each location you visit.
Following the successful pilot of Hourly in cities across Australia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, this new feature is arriving as a flexible option if and when you need a little extra time running errands, taking a loved one to and from a doctor’s appointment, or getting things done.
Within the Uber app, you’ll be able to request this trip as you would any on-demand ride, while setting multiple stops as needed throughout your journey. The cost is $50 per hour with mileage overage varying by city, and riders can book in hourly increments. Once requested, you’ll be matched with a driver who has a more spacious and newer vehicle make / model of cars that are eligible for Uber Comfort.
Eligible drivers will be able to opt-in for Hourly trip requests in the Work Hub, with no impact to their driving experience if these trip opportunities are declined.
We built this feature for riders that anticipate needing additional flexibility when taking care of essential tasks, and for drivers so that they could access an additional earning opportunity. We hope this feature makes life easier for all customers during this ‘new normal’ and challenging time.
Uber Hourly will initially be available in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, D.C., Houston, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Tacoma, and Tampa Bay. It will be available to 100% of riders in these cities starting Tuesday, June 2nd.