Carpooling across Manhattan for a $5 flat fee

When you need to be somewhere in Manhattan during the notoriously busy rush hour, you may like the new Uber deal. If you don’t mind sharing a cab with a stranger (or two), you will get a nice $5 flat fee.

Uber’s carpool service – a pilot version of what is called ‘UberPool’ – is limited to Manhattan below 110th Street. The service is only offered during peak hours of 7–10AM and 5–8PM, Monday through Friday.

There is a small catch: you may need to walk a block or two, as Uber drivers are only using the best routes, in order to align the routes more efficiently. “Corner pickups and drop-offs make driving routes more direct”, Uber says in a recent blog. According to a report on The Verge, Uber promotes UberPool as a key aspect of its future as a company, touting its ability to reduce automobile emissions and get “more butts in seats.”

Earlier, Uber announced a new feature called UberHop in Seattle, in which multiple riders who are traveling a similar route are paired with the same driver. These riders are given directions to a pick-up location and a time when the driver will arrive.

Further reading on theverge.com

Image by Uber