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Uber Is Testing a New Ride-Sharing Feature

There’s a natural difference between a regular cab, a Uber car, a ridesharing service, and all the hybrids in between. The 50 billion big U based in San Francisco wants it all, and it wants it now (sort of like Queen’s famous song).
Uber Is Testing New Ride-Sharing Feature 1 photo
Photo: Uber
The transportation giant has just announced it’s launching an experimental feature that enables drivers to tell Uber where they’re heading so that it can find other trips on their way. It’s the natural step towards a ridesharing service - some would think. Say it does that, providing a way for drivers to share their trips for an extra buck or two, isn’t there a big company offering just that on the market already?

Well, the answer is yes. Its trademark is a pink mustache its drivers put on the front bumper, and it's named Lyft. Also based in San Francisco, the company’s app facilitates peer-to-peer ridesharing by connecting passengers who need a ride with drivers who have a car.

The three-year-old company is already operating in about 65 U.S. cities, but remains a smaller business in comparison with Uber. The latter has been around for a longer period and managed to grow 50 times larger than its competitor. In other words, this new feature may be experimental for now, but may as well become a direct competitor for the pink mustache ridesharing company.

“Starting this week in the Bay Area, drivers will be able to set their destination twice a day when they want to be matched only with riders traveling in a similar direction. Whether it’s commuting to the areas where rides are needed most, driving back home at the end of the day, or running errands around town, drivers can set their destination to earn fares that are along their route.”

On the other hand, it should be mentioned that Uber’s bosses have announced the service is looking to advocate a sustainable urban transport, eventually focusing on services like the one in question. After all, if cars are used to their maximum capacity, the number of vehicles driving on the road should decrease and, therefore, the amount of pollution should also lower significantly.
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