Uber Wants To Be A 'Superapp' For All Things Transportation
As the phrase "I'll catch a cab" slowly transforms into "I'll get an Uber," it's hard to deny that the company started a true revolution in urban transportation. Now, it seems that Uber wants to take things a step further than its current lineup of cars, and we don't mean through food delivery. The company has just announced that it plans to add new forms of booking to its app, including planes, trains, and car rentals. This would be done through a network of partners as well as Uber's own resources.
This move highlights Uber's wish to become the go-to app for all things travel. Jamie Heywood, the regional general manager of Uber UK, said as much by referring to Uber as the "one-stop-shop for all your travel needs." Heywood also mentions that this is a natural progression and expansion of the brand.
While most users switched to Uber instead of using a traditional taxi service, the company also has a successful food delivery branch called Uber Eats. Aside from cars, it also gives users the ability to book bikes, boat services, and scooters. Now, it plans to add new functionalities to the base Uber app, but this won't be available to all users: the new Uber travel features are only being released in the U.K. for the time being. However, that doesn't mean Uber is taking it easy in the U.S — just recently, the company announced the ability to book a yellow New York taxi on the app.
Trains, boats, flights, and maybe even hotels
Starting as soon as this summer, Uber users in the U.K. will be able to book trains, buses, and car rentals. Uber also plans to add the ability to buy plane tickets this year, but mentions that this feature might take more time to roll out. Of course, this doesn't mean that Uber has suddenly purchased a few planes to make its own airline — instead, it means that it has landed some (likely lucrative) partnerships with various travel and booking companies.
Although this has not been said out right, it makes sense that Uber will most likely take a cut for the booking, driving the sales for both the app itself and the partners that sell the tickets directly. The company is yet to release a list of partnerships, but Uber promises to announce these "in the coming months." Some of these companies include national rail and coach companies, and Uber plans to also provide the sales of cross-channel trains.
After all of these new features make it into the app, Uber still has big plans for future expansion. The company has stated that it plans to incorporate more than just travel, and may one day add hotel bookings to the menu. Right now, it's hard to say whether services such as Booking.com need to be worried, but it certainly seems like Uber has plans that are bigger than what most of us have envisioned for the app.