Uber’s Route Share Backlash: Have We Been Too Quick to Judge the Service?
Uber has recently launched its Route Share ride type, a new and innovative concept that has been met with both praise and criticism. The service allows commuters to travel on a predetermined route with a pair of strangers, offering a budget-friendly ride option that is expected to be 50% cheaper than a similar UberX ride. According to Technowize, the feature is a new budget-friendly ride option that will run a regular route every 20 minutes, offering commuters who need to travel along the path the option to ride in a cab with two other riders.
The Uber Route Share system is set to reinvent the bus and slap a new name onto it to make it appear innovative. The service will be available in limited cities like New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, and Baltimore, at launch. Technowize reports that commuters can locate the nearest pick-up points and check the routes to see if they have a drop-off point close to where they need to go. They can then book a ride and walk to the pick-up spot, with drivers allowing for a 2-minute wait time before they zip off.
The main benefit of the Uber Group Ride initiative is that it is expected to be 50% cheaper than a similar UberX ride. If you have to travel to and from work frequently, it can typically get too expensive to take an Uber every day. However, with the new Route Share system, you can expect to be half the price. Technowize notes that the Uber Shared Route feature will also eliminate some of the struggles of waiting along popular pickup routes where all the cabs are often occupied.
“We ask the riders to walk a few blocks to a predetermined point at a predetermined time to participate in a predetermined route which they will share with a couple of other riders. We call that Route Share,” Technowize quotes. The app will also provide you with walking directions to the pick-up point and from the drop-off point to your intended destination, which is a very helpful addition that won’t leave you juggling multiple apps.
The Uber Route Share feature has faced criticism for pulling away commuters from existing services, offering them an alternative to crowd the streets once more instead of utilizing and funding the infrastructure that already exists for their benefit. This feature may make public service less profitable, and with funding already slipping away from their fingers, it could further impact the quality of the public transportation systems available. As Technowize reports, “It has also faced criticism for pulling away commuters from existing services, offering them an alternative to crowd the streets once more instead of utilizing and funding the infrastructure that already exists for their benefit.”
Despite the backlash, Technowize suggests that we should give Uber’s Route Share initiative a chance to see how the driver assignment system and route planning work out, to understand how effective it is. The Uber Pool feature may have suffered, but we can’t fairly criticize a company that’s taking another shot at getting travelers to travel together. As the article concludes, “We think it’s only fair that we give Uber’s Route Share initiative a shot to see how the driver assignment system and route planning work out, to understand how effective it is.”
In conclusion, Uber’s Route Share service is a new and innovative concept that has both pros and cons. While it offers a budget-friendly ride option and a more sustainable alternative to individual cabs, it also faces criticism for pulling away commuters from existing services and crowding the streets. As Technowize reports, it remains to be seen how effective the service will be in getting people around.
Source link
