Some Features Of The Uber Rider App Explained
Though Uber started as a simple app that allowed individuals to hail a ride close to their locations, it has now expanded, offering a number of valuable features to rideshare riders. From sharing your location with others to splitting the fare with your friends, there are a variety of options that help you get more out of your Uber ride.
Top Features Of The Uber Rider App
Below, we’ve put together a quick guide to every feature in the Uber Rider app. We’ll explain what it is, why it’s valuable, and how to use it.
Uber Share Status
Share Status allows you to share your ride status with up to five friends, family members, or co-workers so they know exactly when to expect you. This gives those who are waiting peace of mind as they can follow along with your journey in real-time.
This feature also helps some riders feel safer because their friends or family know where they are. Though ridesharing is a quick and easy way to get from Point A to Point B, some riders may be apprehensive about riding along with a stranger. With Share Status, that’s no longer a worry.
How to Use Share Status
Share Status is easy to use. Here’s all you need to do to share your location with others:
- Request a ride like you normally would. Once you’ve requested it, swipe up on your app screen and tap “Send Status.”
- Choose up to five people from your contact list that you’d like to share your status with.
- The people you’ve chosen will receive a text that contains a link with your trip details. When they open the link, they’ll see your driver’s name and vehicle information as well as your real-time map location.
Uber Saved Places
Do you often find yourself taking an Uber to the same location time and time again? Whether it’s your office, a friend’s house, or your favorite restaurant or bar, if you often take an Uber ride to the same location, the Saved Places feature can help you get there faster and easier.
When you save a location you frequent to the Uber app, you can call an Uber to take you to this location in just two clicks. By saving important addresses in your Uber app, you won’t need to remember the name or address of a place. You simply pull up the app and click on the destination to start getting there quickly and efficiently.
How to Use Saved Places
Here’s how you can save your favorite places to the Uber app:
- Open the Uber app, then tap “Where to?”
- Then, tap on the “Saved Places” option underneath the search bar.
- Click “Add Saved Place” and enter the address of the location you frequent.
- You can then add a name for this saved location such as “Sarah’s home” or “Work.”
- Hit the black “Save Place” button, and the location has been saved to your Saved Places.
When you’re ready to ride, you can access these Saved Places by opening up the Uber app, tapping “Where to,” and then tapping on the “Saved Places” button. You’ll see a list of all the places you’ve saved. Simply click on the right place to call your Uber.
Split Fare
It’s not uncommon for Uber riders to share a ride with friends or family. Whether you’re going out for a night on the town or just riding to work with a co-worker, it can be challenging to calculate all the IOUs and exchange cash back and forth. Uber’s Split Fare feature makes these difficulties a thing of the past as you can easily divide the cost of the ride with your friends directly in the app, making your ride experience easy and stress-free.
Once you’ve invited other riders to split the fare, the price of the ride will be divided equally among each rider. Each rider will incur a split fare fee of 25 cents. This will show up on the receipt for each rider. If the other riders don’t accept the invitation or don’t have a valid payment method, then the person who requested the ride will be charged for the entire ride.
How to Use Split Fare In The Uber App
To use the Split Fare feature:
- Start by requesting a ride as you normally would.
- Once you’ve requested the ride, you can swipe up from the bottom of your app, select the payment method, and then tap on “Split Fare.”
- Then, simply enter the names and phone number of the other riders and everyone you add will receive a notification request to accept the Split Fare invitation.
Scheduled Rides
Sometimes you know ahead of time that you’re going to need a ride. Whether it’s an important meeting or early morning flight, you can now request a pickup for these occasions ahead of time with the Scheduled Rides feature in Uber. This feature allows you to schedule a ride up to 30 days in advance for events in your calendar.
To lock in your price ahead of your trip, all you need to do is schedule at least 60 minutes before you need a ride. This allows you to know ahead of time how the ride impacts your budget. You can schedule a ride up to 30 minutes in advance to ensure an on-time pickup, or Uber will give you a $10 credit.
How to Use Scheduled Rides
Scheduling a ride is easy with this Uber feature. Follow these instructions to get your ride scheduled:
- Open up the Uber app and tap on the car and clock icon.
- Set the date, time, location, destination, and ride type. Then you’ll get a fare estimate.
- Confirm the details of your scheduled ride and tap on “Schedule.”
You can edit or cancel your scheduled pick-up at any time before your ride. However, if you cancel a scheduled ride, it is subject to the same cancellation policy as on demand rides. Though this feature is available in most cities, it is not currently available to schedule a ride from the airport due to variables like flight delays and the time it takes to deboard and retrieve luggage.
Multiple Destinations
The Multiple Destinations feature allows you to add stops along the way to your destination. This is a great feature for those who want to drop off or pick up friends on their way to their destination. With Multiple Destinations, you can add up to two extra stops along your route. And you are still able to add, change, or remove a stop if plans change while you’re on your way.
Multiple Destinations is convenient as it allows for flexibility in your travel plans. Whether you need a last minute pick-up or you know ahead of time that you want to swing by and pick up a friend on your way out, this feature makes it possible. And there’s no need to tell your driver, as you can make these changes in real-time right on the app. You can even use the Split Fare tool to divide the fare with your friends.
How to Set Multiple Destinations In The Uber App
Here is how to use the Multiple Destinations Feature:
- Open the Uber app to request a ride like you normally would.
- Click on “Where To?” to add your destination.
- You can then tap on the “+” button to the right of the destination box. This allows you to add stops to your route. You can add these before or during your ride.
Fare Estimate
Knowing up front how much it costs to get to your destination makes your ride experience simpler, allowing you to have greater control over your budget.
With Uber’s fare estimate, there are no surprises once you arrive at your destination. You know how much the ride will be before you request it.
Uber takes into consideration a number of different factors that impact the fare when calculating the upfront cost. The app uses past data as well as real-time information like traffic, tolls, and surges to estimate the cost before your ride begins. This cost is unlikely to change unless the rider adds extra stops, changes the destination during the trip, or there are unanticipated delays or route changes above a certain time or distance threshold.
How to Use Uber Fare Estimate
Your fare estimate will be automatically calculated when you input your destination into the Uber app. You will be able to see the fare estimate for each Uber service — UberPool, UberX, UberXL, Select, and Lux. Then you can choose the ride that best fits your needs and your budget.
Request for a Guest
Sometimes a rider may want to request an Uber for a friend or family member, either to take them back home or pick them up. With the Request for a Guest feature, friends and family don’t need to have the Uber app to get a ride. Uber users can easily request rides for other adults.
This is a great option for those who may not have the time to pick up a relative from the airport. Whether your friend or family member doesn’t have a smartphone, doesn’t use the Uber app, or you simply want to treat them to a ride somewhere, you can quickly and easily make sure that they make it to their destination safely using this feature.
How to Use Uber Request for a Guest
Using this feature is simple. Here is how:
- When you open the Uber app, tap on “Where to?”
- Above the address box, you’ll see a scroll-down option that allows you to choose the rider.
- After you’ve requested the ride, the person you requested it for will receive a text message from Uber with important trip details. They’ll get information on the driver’s ETA, type of car, and contact information so that they can easily coordinate with the driver themselves.
Calendar Sync
Yet another way Uber makes it easy for riders to conveniently get from Point A to Point B is through Calendar Sync. By syncing your calendar to the Uber app, you can easily request rides when you need them to ensure you’ll make your meetings and appointments on time, every time. When you sync your calendar, your events will appear as shortcuts on the main app screen.
This feature makes it easier to get to where you need to go. Instead of scrambling to find addresses for conferences, meetings, or other events, you simply pull them up directly from your calendar in the Uber app. Riders who use this feature can rest assured their calendars will never be shared with anyone else.
How to Sync Uber With Your Calendar
Here’s how to sync your calendar in the Uber app:
- When you open the Uber app, tap “Settings” from the drop-down menu in the upper left-hand corner. (It appears as 3 horizontal lines.)
- Then, select “Calendar Shortcuts” and tap the slider to connect the calendar from your smartphone to the Uber app.
- Once you’ve enabled this feature, you will see any upcoming calendar events as destination shortcuts in the Uber app.