Uber launched its UberPool program in D.C. this month. The carpool ride-sharing feature is the latest addition to the burgeoning list of options the company has been adding of late.
"We've wanted to bring UberPool here for some time," said Zuhairah Washington, Uber's general manager for the D.C. area. "We've had more requests for it pre-launch here than other cities."
Uber's contribution to the tradition of carpooling functions like calling any other Uber car, but with the addition that the car may pick up other passengers going somewhere near your own destination. The fare is then split with whomever else gets a ride, making it cheaper overall. Requests have to be places within the District, but the drop-off can be anywhere that an Uber car would normally go in the greater D.C. area.
"We're aiming particularly at those who havent tried Uber before, maybe because of the cost," Washington said. "Our goal is to continuously grow the pie of users."
D.C. isn't a virgin market for carpooling by app though. Local startup Split has been operating with a similar kind of system for months, while Boston-based Bridj has been running its commuter mini-buses in D.C. since earlier this year. Slightly stretching the definition, there's also Getaround, which is almost like a carpool without the driver in that you can rent someone's car when they aren't using it for a bit. If anything, that just testifies as to the popularity of the idea of finding cheap, easy transportation in a city with what sometimes feels like perennial, or at least high-profile public transportation issues.
"D.C. is known for embracing innovation and tech."
"D.C. is known for embracing innovation and tech," Washington said. "And carpooling is a popular concept itself."
D.C. marks the sixth UberPool city for the company, but it's clearly an idea that Uber thinks is a winner, with uberPOOL making up almost half of all its San Francisco trips. And D.C. would be expected to embrace UberPool even if there weren't already signs that there was user interest, Washington said. The way people in the city pick up on the kind of services Uber provides makes the company plenty confident.
"The city is full of early adopters," Washington said. "It was true with Uber Black and UberX too."
There are still questions of safety though. Uber has taken steps to improve how it screens drivers in light of the rare but still horrific stories of robbery and assault by Uber drivers on passengers. More intensive screening in general is ongoing and biometrics are under discussion to check on drivers as well. But that doesn't apply to passengers, who, even if they are fine on their own in the car, may have some unfortunate chemistry with other passengers.
Perception can be a problem for Uber, and it would only take one case of a fight in the backseat of an UberPool for people to get nervous. Even if it seems obvious that Uber is blameless, it will have to try and weather that possible storm. Washington acknowledged that, but pointed to ways Uber tries to eliminate possibly belligerent customers.
"We use the same rating system with the riders to ensure safety," Washington said. "We also have special resources for our partner drivers too, primarily around making sure they understand the tech. We plan on being a resource to them throughout."
If Uber is right about just how big the pie for transportation apps can be, and how much UberPool can expand it, then the new feature may mark the beginning of increased competition with its rivals, locally and nationally. Added to the other delivery and transportation services that Uber, Sidecar and other companies are working on and it really will seem like a different, and hopefully less congested, environment on the streets of D.C.
"It's part of the broader vision of the company, moving people and things around holistically and scaling the platform."
"It's part of the broader vision of the company, moving people and things around holistically and scaling the platform," Washington said. There's a lot of traction and we'll have more exciting announcements to come.
