Although uberPOOL might be the most affordable way to reach your destination with Uber, it’s rarely the most expedient. That’s why Uber introduced the “Arrive By” feature for its carpooling service this week, which guarantees that riders will arrive at their destination by the quoted time or receive $2 off their next ride.
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At the moment, the feature is only available in Los Angeles, but Uber plans to roll it out to additional markets once it has been thoroughly tested in California.
Here’s how “Arrive By” works with uberPOOL:
- Make sure you have the latest version of the Uber app.
- Select uberPOOL and enter your pick-up and drop-off locations.
- You’ll see a price and the latest time you’ll reach your destination –– even if another rider joins your trip.
- Look good? Hit “Request uberPOOL” and you’ll be on your way.
As for how an arrival time can be estimated, Uber tells The Verge that it will be using its own technology in order to measure real-time traffic data, but wouldn’t go into greater detail about the technology in question. Considering Uber is putting money on the line, the company must be confident in its ability to predict arrival time.
Having had enough bad experiences with uberPOOL to switch to Lyft myself, it’s encouraging to see Uber making a conscious effort to improve what should be the most frequently chosen option of the ride-sharing service. We’ll be keeping an eye out for when this feature makes its way out of LA.
See a video of the “Arrive By” feature in action below:
