Ride-sharing app Uber has launched a new service called uberHop in Seattle which saves money and time by allowing riders to get picked up in a pre-arranged location (like a bus stop), sharing it with strangers (like a bus), and being dropped off at any point along a predetermined route (exactly like a bus).
When a Seattle rider requests a trip on one of the three routes available, they will be directed to walk a few blocks to meet up with drivers and other passengers.
In a press release, Uber said “76 per cent of commuters in the U.S. drive to work by themselves. If they could easily share the trip (and the cost) with one or more fellow commuters that would dramatically cut congestion, improving everyone’s quality of life.”
Uber Seattle general manager Brooke Steger told GeekWire, uberHOP will operate on three routes from 7 a.m to 10 a.m and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will cost riders a flat fee of $5 for each ride, no matter how many people are in the vehicle.
“The goal is to reduce the amount of vehicles on the road, get as many people in each vehicle as possible, and utilize partner drivers already on the system to their maximum capacity,” Steger said. “This is just another experiment with that.”
If it looks like a bus, drives like a bus, and smells like a bus, then it probably is a bus.
