Uber drivers can pick you up when you're headed the same way
Uber drivers live with uncertainty: there's no guarantee that they'll get a passenger on the way home from a long shift, or while they're running errands. However, they're about to catch a break. Uber is rolling out a feature (currently only in the San Francisco Bay Area) that lets drivers set destinations twice a day, and pick you up only if you're headed in the same direction. If all goes well, they won't have to waste as much time when they're not taking fares.
This could occasionally reduce the chances of getting a timely Uber, since you might be heading downtown at the very moment that drivers are flocking to the suburbs. With that said, it could also get more part-time drivers hitting the road -- they won't have to worry about skipping rides in order to pick up the kids after school. Uber is clearly betting that the destination feature will lead to more rides overall, and that incentives like surge pricing will keep cars available no matter where you're going.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu]
