Uber launches feature which is basically a very small bus

If you want to get a ride from one pre-arranged location along a fixed route to another pre-arranged location, but don’t want to get a bus, UberHop is for you

Minicab company Uber has launched a new service in Seattle which allows riders to save money and time by waiting for their cab in a pre-arranged location, sharing it with strangers, and being dropped off at any point along a predetermined route.

It’s a bus. Uber has launched a bus. Albeit a car-sized bus.

The service, called UberHop, is the second ridesharing feature from the taxi firm. The first, UberPool, launched in London last week, and is a more traditional spin on sharing a taxi: the app automatically pairs riders with someone going in a similar direction, and lets them save money on the overall bill.

But UberPool can also make rides longer, given the car has to go out of its way to pick up and drop off the second passenger. And, Uber noticed, a lot of riders end up travelling along much the same routes. So UberHop was born, allowing riders to congregate at a pre-arranged pick up location (similar to a bus stop) on one of three routes (similar to bus routes) and then be dropped off elsewhere on those routes (similar to a bus).

The company also says in a blogpost that it hopes UberHop will help reduce congestion, like a bus does, by making it easy and affordable for people to share rides, like buses do.

Bron: theguardian, http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...ber-uberhop-bus
Datum: 9/12/2015

Eigen mening: Eigen mening: Uber is een taxidienst die uitsluitend werkt met mensen die via hun smartphone een taxi vragen. Ik vind dat de taxidiensten daardoor benadeeld worden. Ze krijgen minder klanten en voor hun is het vaak hun enige inkomst, de mensen die voor Uber rijden zijn gewone mensen die al een job hebben en mensen mee laten rijden om zo wat bij te verdienen. Door deze nieuwe dienst gaan ook de bussen concurrentie ondervinden van Uber, daarom vind ik dat ze de app zouden moeten afschaffen.