Uber brings back shared rides as UberX Share

Uber said last week it is bringing back shared rides in available cities and will expand to additional markets this summer. The service, formerly known as Uber Pool, is returning under a new name, UberX Share.

Uber Pool was suspended in March 2020 as a way to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company says it has revamped the experience following “months of listening to driver and rider feedback, redesigning, testing and troubleshooting.”

“Our pooling product has long been a rider favorite, from the spontaneous singalongs to meeting new friends and other fun chance encounters. We believe UberX Share, and the improvements we’ve made for drivers and riders, will make it better than ever,” Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president of Mobility and Business Operations, wrote in a June 21 blog on the return of UberX Share.

Riders who select the share option will receive an upfront discount, as well as a potential 20 percent off the total fare if they are paired with a co-rider. Riders can also expect to arrive no more than eight minutes later than an UberX ride. Uber says riders will only be matched if they are heading in the same direction to prevent pickups and drop-offs from causing delays.

“At Uber, we know affordability is important to making transportation more accessible for more people – especially in the current economic climate,” wrote Macdonald. “Offering more affordable products isn’t just good for customers, it helps build out an ecosystem of affordable, multi-modal transportation – from shared rides, to micromobility, to public transit, which continues to be a powerful ally to Uber. Together we can chip away at our ultimate shared competitor: personal car ownership.”

Uber follows Lyft in returning shared rides to service. Lyft started shared services in Philadelphia and Miami earlier this year and will phase the service back in during the year.