Uber today announced a new feature that helps driver-partners automatically link to riders/ trips headed in the same direction at the beginning and end of their working day. This will allow driver-partners to continue earning even while on their way home and begin earning earlier as they head out of home.
The ‘Driver Destinations’ feature will allow driver-partners to set their destination twice a day when they want to be matched only with riders traveling in a similar direction The new feature has been rolled out as an option to all drivers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Commenting on the new feature, Uber General Manager for East Africa, Loic Amado said, “We are constantly looking for new ways to enhance our app to better serve the needs of our driver-partners. Based on past feedback we’ve received, we’re excited that this feature can help them make their first and last trip of the day count even more.”
To access the feature, drivers need to be logged into their driver application, tap the clipboard icon on the top right corner of the app and either select a saved location or search for a new address. Once they start driving toward the destination, Uber will automatically filter requests for trips along the way.
“Using this great new feature, our driver-partners can continue earning even while they are on their way into the city from home and on their way home. This brings us one step closer to realizing our goal as a company, which is to get more people into less cars thereby increasing economic opportunities for our driver-partners and ultimately reducing congestion on our roads, ” said Mr. Amado.
Although the new feature is currently included in the UberX service which is the version of Uber used in East Africa, this is the first step towards a stand-alone model that Uber runs in other markets ‘UberPOOL’ – a service that ensures that passengers travelling on the same route can share a ride and pay less than a standard UberX fare. UberPOOL, which is available in 32 cities across the world, accounts for 20% of Uber trips in those cities.
