Have you ever wanted to order an Uber in advance? Perhaps you’re at a bar with a phone battery inching towards depletion, and you want to make sure you get some safely. Well, now you can.
Last month, Uber launched its “scheduled rides” advance booking service in central London, where riders can arrange their ride weeks in advance. Now, from 4PM today, this extends to eight other major cities in the UK. These include:
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Leeds
- Newcastle
- Bristol
- Liverpool
- Glasgow
- Edinburgh
Rides can be booked from as little as 15 minutes, to as many as 30 days in advance. Uber will then automatically arrange pickup as your departure time approaches. So far, scheduled rides are only available for its budget-oriented UberX product, and not UberBLACK or UberEXEC.
In a press release, Jo Bertram, Uber’s Regional General Manager in the UK, said “Many of our riders, especially business customers, have asked us to introduce this feature and we’re really excited to bring it to 8 more cities across the UK from today. Whether it’s having a car ready at the end of a meeting or to take you to the airport, scheduling your Uber in advance means there’s one less thing to worry about.”
Scheduled rides cost the same as an ordinary UberX ride, although it’s worth noting they are still subject to surge pricing, so if you request to be picked up during peak times, you may find yourself paying more.
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