Uber's New Express Pool: Walk and Wait

Uber has launched a new service that lowers ride-sharing costs for customers who are willing to walk to and from designated locations.

Express Pool became available this week in several participating cities. Passengers must walk a short distance to a pickup intersection. They are then dropped off at another designated spot, close to their final destination.

Customers appreciate the cost savings of normal ride-sharing, but many would like the benefits that come with having designated pickup and dropoff locations, according to Uber spokesperson Kaitlin Durkosh.

"Walking and waiting help us make more optimal matches and provide better, straighter, faster routes with fewer detours, delivering an even more affordable and consistent option than POOL to customers," she told TechNewsWorld.

The existing uberPOOL service allows riders to share door-to-door transit along a similar route.

Uber has made the hew Express Pool option available in Boston and San Francisco, where it already has tested it, along with Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Denver, San Diego and Washington D.C.

Rival Lyft's carpool service, Lyft Line, accounts for about 40 percent of the company's overall business in the 18 cities where its available. Lyft also been testing a Lyft Shuttle service in San Francisco and Chicago, giving riders deeply discounted rides along certain on-demand routes. Fares generally run about US$3 to $4 after discounts are taken.

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