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Uber's carpool service sacrifices convenience for efficiency in NYC (updated)
In the wake of its terrible, horrible, no good, very bad 2017 (yup, and it's only just May), Uber has been doing a lot of work to improve its service. As an extension of the "smart pickup points" trial from London and other cities last year, the ride-hailing company is augmenting the Uber Pool service in Manhattan, enhancing the option's awareness of more direct routes and bus lanes. "After realizing that a short walk could save people both time and money, we knew we were onto something," the outfit writes in a blog post. "Our data was starting to show that we could pick more people up and get riders to their destinations faster."
UberPool riders in London might have to do some walking
Uber has performed a number of experiments in the UK, and its latest slightly rewrites how fares for UberPool work in London. Whereas before a driver might take a roundabout way to get to your on-demand bus stop, now there will be more direct routes.
Uber tests picking up passengers along specific routes
Uber has a new feature that could save customers some precious, precious dollars. TechCrunch has discovered that the company is testing out what it calls "Smart Routes" for UberPool, wherein cars pick up passengers along a specific corridor instead of going to their homes. If you look at the map below the fold, you'll see a green line going through a road -- a customer who chooses the option will have to hoof it from their homes to a pick-up point along that route. Think of those points as bus stops of sorts. In exchange, Uber will give them a discount worth at least a dollar. The company's been testing a similar feature called "Suggested Pickup Points" for a while now, but that one still has cars meet customers close to their homes.
