Uber has proved to be the best vehicle option for commuting for common people including employees as well as students. Its founders got the idea of launching such type of mobility services by considering the needs of those who couldn’t afford to buy their own car but don’t want to travel in public transport either. It started providing its services in March 2009 in San Francisco, California. Till now it has increased its span to 72 countries and 10,500 cities. But with the expansion of business operations, its price is also skyrocketing day by day. Let us know more detail about ‘Uber Pool’.
Uber Pool
Seeing people worried about the price surges and in fear of losing the regular customers to competitors, Uber pool has been launched in August 2014 which is a carpooling service of Uber. It works on the principle of sharing your ride as well as fares among the riders who have hired the car. In simple words, in Uber Pool you have to share the car with other passengers, who are going in the same direction of your destination at an affordable & cheaper price as compared to regular Uber X service as the fare is divided among all the passengers in proportion to the distance traveled.
How can one book an Uber Pool?
Here, all the steps are mentioned for the ones who are going to book it for the very first time. They are: –
- Download the Uber app from the Google play store.
- After installing, you have to register yourself on the app by mentioning your name, phone no. and country (in which you are residing at present).
- On entering the OTP received on your phone, you’ll get registered.
- After registration, you’ll be taken to the home page.
- Click on the “UberPool” option on the slider present at the bottom of the screen.
- Then, select “find an Uber pool match option”.
- If you are going to ride it with a friend then, please inform them beforehand.
- Enter your pickup and drop-off destinations.
- After confirming the displayed fare, you’ll be matched with other passengers heading in the same direction.
What points should one keep in mind while traveling in an Uber Pool?
- Respect other passengers and value their time. So don’t let them wait for you too long on your pick-up point. Be present there on time.
- Eating while traveling with others is a big no because maybe others have a nausea problem while traveling & with the strong food smell, the situation might worsen.
- Don’t talk too loud on the phone. No stranger would be interested in your family gossip.
- Don’t carry heavy & too many items of luggage with you if you have booked a pool. If it is unavoidable to carry them, please go for an Uber X ride.
Why prefer an Uber Pool over a personal Uber ride?
- Although you have the option of booking personal Uber rides, Uber pool is a better option keeping in mind the cheaper rates of fare. A maximum of 30% of our money can be saved through it.
- Albeit you have to travel with strangers, it is still far better than traveling with 30-50 passengers in a public transport and that too at the affordable prices.
- You can find and make friends with the people in the Uber Pool who have to commute daily to the same route from the office to home. This way your fare is shared daily with a nice companion to chit-chat over in the car.
Present Scenario of Uber Pool after commencement of Covid-19: –
- Uber announced a full stop on its carpool service temporarily in March 2020, keeping in mind the safety measures regarding maintaining the distance among people.
- But, in November 2021 the service was relaunched after a halt of 609 days firstly in Miami and then in a few other cities. It will take a Lil more time to resume fully in all countries and cities of the USA as well as abroad.
- The service is no longer “Uber Pool” but is now known by the name “Uber X Share”.
- It comes with certain conditions like: –
- Nobody can sit beside the driver.
- Everyone traveling in the shared car should wear a mask.
- No more than 2 persons excluding the driver can travel in the shared car.
Conclusion
To Wrap Up, Uber pool is one of the most affordable traveling options, which give you both, the comfort of traveling in a car & the satisfaction of lower prices, simultaneously. The one and only con of it is that it takes a bit more time than UberX rides because it has to stop at the pick-up & drop-off destinations of each & every rider. But, if you don’t have any urgency to reach your destinations at a specific fixed time, then it can prove to be the best option. One should definitely go for it.
