If the last 18 months have taught us anything, it’s that planning for the future is a fool’s game — life and certain viral monsters will almost certainly have other ideas.
Thankfully, there’s at least one element to your future plans that you can count on being relatively reliable and that’s the arrival of Uber on demand.
Uber Reserve is the new service from the Californian gig economy giant designed to allow users to book at Uber up to 30 days in advance.
UberX rides, Uber XL, and Uber comfort will be available through the new service which is rolling out across most major cities in Australia soon.
Prices for the trips are locked in from the time of booking so users won’t get hit with surge charges either.
Uber has said that it is are using new technology to help its drivers navigate to Reserve trips and arrive early for pick up.
Riders in select cities can also opt for Premier Reserve, which includes luxury vehicles and extended wait times for collection.
Reserve will be rolling out to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and metropolitan Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, Cairns and Geelong over the next few days.
Margarita Peker, Head of Rider Operations in Australia and New Zealand, said Reserve was designed to give riders and driver-partners alike added certainty.
“With exclusive features like upfront matching between rider and driver and price certainty with upfront pricing for your route, Uber Reserve offers riders peace of mind when it’s needed most. And for drivers, Reserve trips offer an option that allows them to more easily plan their time on the road, and select from trips that fit around their schedule,” Peker said.
“After an uncertain couple of years, we know that Australians are excited to get out and make plans that they can rely on. Uber Reserve means you don’t need to leave anything to chance – especially when booking those important trips for things you can’t miss, or for the times when it’s just not fashionable to be late.”
The national rollout of Uber Reserve follows a successful trial in Sydney, Auckland and Adelaide.
“We surveyed riders in the trial group and 8 out of 10 (80%) rated Uber Reserve a great experience, and 94% would use Reserve again. In fact, riders gave driver-partners 5 stars on 95.5% of Uber Reserve trips,” said Peker.
“They told us the key occasions they opted for Uber Reserve was for events (30%), business trips (18%), airport trips (23%), and appointments (20%).
“Whether it’s taking the stress out of airport travel, planning your work commute, or making sure you’ll be at the concert on time, it’s easier than ever to reserve your ride on the Uber app. ”
Uber Reserve will be available for all users in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, Cairns and Geelong by December 15. Uber Premier Reserve will be available for users in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and metropolitan Adelaide.
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.