Uber - the undisputed global king of cab services. A true blue unicorn startup. A name that resonates with millions of people across the globe. A game changer when it comes to transportation. The company has brought forward a revolution in the world of technology as well as day to day lifestyle. The success of Uber lies in the fact that it listens to the user feedback. The latest feature that has started rolling out in the US markets is that of the ability to book Uber rides for someone else.
Imagine it’s 3 in the night, you get a distress call from a drunk friend who’s needs to reach you. What do you do? Do you drive to him? In most cases, you would. However, now you can simply book an Uber for him. The ability to book Uber for someone else has now begun rolling out for the US based users.
You can simply enter the address, and Uber would know if it is far from your location. The app would then ask you if this ride is for someone else. If it is, you can simply select who it is for, and they’d get a text message with all the details of the ride. They don’t even need an Uber app installed on their phone. This feature that allows you to book Uber rides for someone else was being tested in many Asian nations, the biggest of which is India. The feature has been quite a success here, and is now getting a global rollout, starting with the US.
The company says that this feature has been made keeping in mind the needs of seniors who may not have smartphones or are not comfortable with using Uber.“On the product team, we’re focused on making Uber accessible to everyone in the family, and on making people’s lives easier around the world,” “What we’ve learned through research is that at a macro level, people want an easy way to request a ride for a loved one. This was in particular a big request for riders internationally, whose loved ones maybe don’t have smartphones or good connectivity, with also a specific emphasis on seniors.”
This feature will be rolling out in 30 other countries at the same time with the US. Nations where it is already present would be getting an update which tidies up things and brings basic changes and tweaks. You can now book Uber rides for someone else as easily as you book for yourself!
Uber has been in quite some management crisis of late. The CEO had to step down due to increasing pressure from the markets. Uber has been in the news of late for many wrong reasons, including racism and sexism in the office. The company knows that the only way to take things forward now is by providing more value to the users. With features like the ability to book Uber for someone else, it does look like Uber is indeed taking things seriously. Stay tuned with us for more updates.
