Uber Advanced Technologies Group has announced plans to expand into Dallas, Texas, building upon its existing presence in Toronto, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. The company will start gathering data in the city in early November, the company revealed in a statement today, and it'll be kicking things off with manually-driven cars. The cars will be driven on the city's downtown streets.
The RideCheck feature Uber first introduced last year is now rolling out widely to users in the United States, the company has announced. RideCheck is a safety feature that uses the sensors located within the driver's and rider's phones to detect unusual behavior related to rides, such as whether they take a strange route or stay stopped for an unusually long time, among other things.
Uber's growing empire has been besieged numerous times and in numerous but that hasn't stopped the company from dreaming big and trying to be big. While it's self-driving plans are still undergoing scrutiny, a part of its company is setting its eyes on something less controversial and potentially more lucrative, too. Uber sets its sights on the the clouds with its Elevate aerial arm and its plans to deliver food on rooftops in just a few months.
Uber has revealed its new autonomous car, a self-driving Volvo SUV that the ride-hailing company says is finally production ready. The reveal comes after controversy around Uber's driverless development, which included a collision in mid-2018 that saw a pedestrian killed by a prototype vehicle.
Though Uber drivers are able to give riders ratings, they never seemed to actually matter. Many obnoxious, rude, or otherwise problematic riders have remained live on the system, but that's about to change. The company recently revealed a change of plans that will result in some riders being deactivated due to very low ratings given by drivers.
Uber users have been requesting some type of quiet mode for years, one that would enable them to make their preference for zero small talk known before the driver picks them up. The company has finally launched this feature, but it isn't available for many of the rides that take place on its platform. In addition to the new quiet preference, riders can also now alert drivers to temperature preference, request luggage help, and more.
Uber is testing a new feature that may greatly simplify airport pickups, the company has announced. Customers who order a ride at Portland International Airport can now participate in a pilot program that enables them to get into the first available Uber vehicle, not a specific one they were assigned. Key to the feature is a six-digit PIN that riders present to drivers.
Popular ride-sharing service Uber has expanded its Ride Pass into 20 more cities, the company has announced, improving the experience for many more customers who rely on the service. With Ride Pass, riders can lock in lower prices to transform Uber into a more consistent option for daily rides to work, the gym, or wherever life takes them.
Prosecutors say Uber has been found not criminally liable in the fatal 2018 crash involving one of its self-driving vehicles. The vehicular accident resulted in the death of pedestrian Elaine Herzberg, who was struck by the vehicle while attempting to cross the road. The self-driving vehicle's safety driver may face charges related to the crash, however.
Uber has expanded its Rewards program to cover all of its riders in the United States, building upon the initial nine cities it was originally offered in. Under this program, Uber customers can earn points for every ride they take and every order they place through Uber Eats. The points are divided up into membership tiers, each offering additional perks for using the service.
Two cities, each represented by a professional football team, will battle it out for honor and glory this weekend. One of those cities will be victorious, leaving the other to weep and, if its residents want, to take advantage of totally free Uber rides. The free rides will be available to Uber Rewards customers during the losing city's "unhappy hour," the ride-sharing service has announced.
Uber has added public transportation route options to its app for users in Denver, Colorado, the company announced on Thursday. The new offering features real-time data on trains and buses, helping users decide whether they want to take an Uber car or just hop onto the nearest public transit option. Uber is offering the route options under a partnership with the Regional Transportation District.