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Uber Services: The Company’s Ride Options, Products, and Services

Uber boasts an active user base of 91 million people across the world.

Combine this with its 3.9 million drivers and 10 billion trips completed worldwide and it’s obvious that Uber is a rideshare powerhouse.

With this widespread use comes the many services that Uber offers.

However, these services aren’t as obvious as they might seem.

Uber uses many abbreviations to talk about what each service does, including in the name.

If you need some clarity on what services Uber offers and what those services do, then this is the guide for you.

Uber Services: An Overview

vector image showing all the different uber services the company has to offer

Uber is a ridesharing company with a mobile app that was founded back in 2009.

The idea behind Uber was to make it easier to place an order for a ride using your smartphone and has since grown into the transportation tech giant it is now.

Customers on Uber can place orders for all sorts of transportation services using the app, from economy options to high-end luxury rides.

The idea behind Uber is to create a tech-focused answer to the problem of securing transportation.

Cities do what they can to offer public transportation, but gaps in the schedule exist.

Cabs and other private transportation services exist, but if there isn’t a cab nearby, you can expect to wait a long time to get a ride.

That’s where Uber comes in.

Because of all of their drivers and the app, you can easily place orders for a ride and have a driver arrive not long afterward.

Combining this with the huge service selection is what has allowed Uber to service as long as it has.

Ride Options Offered By Uber

screen showing all the different uber ride services available on the app

Uber offers over a dozen different ridesharing options for its users.

These options will differ based on the type of car that will pick you up and how expensive the ride will be, with premium rides being on the higher end.

The options will also be different based on if you’re riding solo or with other passengers.

Here is a list of all the different ridesharing options Uber has:

UberX

UberX is the standard way that folks get around using Uber.

Ridesharing with UberX involves riding in sedans that seat four people.

These cars are also not incredibly fancy as they’re just meant to take you from one place to another.

So, expect the UberX cars that pick you up to be standard, economy-class cars.

This is what makes UberX the affordable option in Uber’s ridesharing services.

Since the cars aren’t highly valued, the driver doesn’t expect high pay thanks to a fancy car.

Uber XL

UberXL works just like UberX, but with a different selection of cars.

The XL in the name refers to the size of the cars that pick you up. UberXL lets you ride with up to six people in an affordable SUV or van of some kind.

These larger cars are the comfortable, economy-class SUVs and vans you see out on the road all the time.

Just like with UberX, UberXL keeps its fees low thanks to the kinds of cars you can ride in with this service.

The fees will be a little higher since the cars are larger and use more gas, but you can ride with more people.

That makes this option great for larger groups.

Uber Transit

The Uber Transit system is different from the other ridesharing options because it works with public transportation instead of someone’s personal car.

Uber Transit offers real-time info on public transportation, like buses and subways, in the Uber app.

The app also gives transit directions so that you can navigate public transportation even if you don’t normally use it.

You can compare costs and travel times between the different Uber services to see if public transport makes more sense for your travel needs.

Public transportation tends to take longer to get to a destination, but can be much cheaper than calling a private ride.

It all depends on what is more valuable: your time or your money.

Uber Lux

In Uber Lux, the Lux stands for luxury.

This ridesharing option is for those times when you want to splurge or celebrate, and a fancy car is a great way to do that.

Uber Lux works like UberX, but with higher-end luxury cars instead of economy-class sedans.

You’ll be picked up by a luxury car for a group of up to four people.

This service also lets you select highly-rated drivers in the area.

This way, you can make sure you’re getting a quality driver with your quality ride.

The price of this ride will be higher than using the UberX or UberXL options but offers a much smoother and high-class ride.

Uber Pool

If you want to save some money and maybe meet other people, Uber Pool is the carpool option from Uber.

With Uber Pool, you agree to have the driver pick up other riders and drive them while also taking you to your destination.

You can bring up to one other person with you on your request, so you can’t use this option for larger groups.

By doing this, the cost of the ride is reduced since more people are tagging along for the ride.

However, since your fellow riders might not be going the same way as you, your travel time will be a little longer than a private ride with UberX.

Uber Comfort

If you want a little extra comfort for your ride, then Uber Comfort is the service you want.

Uber Comfort lets you select certain personal comfort options, like the car’s temperature and pickup time, from the app.

You can also choose a conversation level from the driver, including complete silence.

The cars for this service also tend to be a little newer or higher-end, but not to the levels of Uber Lux.

This service is meant to be something that fits in-between the Lux and UberX ride options.

Uber Green

Uber Green is the rideshare option for the environmentalists out there.

This service lets you focus on hybrid and electric car options for your ride.

Uber touts the fact that the average trip with this service produces 25% fewer carbon emissions than a standard rideshare trip.

The trip is a little more expensive thanks to a $1 extra fee, but this fee has a purpose.

The extra fee is split evenly between the driver of the green energy car and the Green Future Program.

The Green Future Program is a fund trying to help drivers move onto electric vehicles over the next five years.

The payoff for you as the rider is that you earn double Uber Rewards points for using this service.

Uber Black

For the business folks out there, Uber Black is the choice that reflects the elevated perception surrounding business.

This service lets you select premium drivers based on their high average rating.

These drivers pilot higher-end luxury cars with features like leather interiors.

Much like Uber Comfort, you can also set the temperature of the car and the conversation level with the driver in the app.

Uber Black also features flexible pickup times and a premium customer support line.

That way, if there are issues or hiccups with your ride, you can get the issue squared away fast.

Uber Black SUV

Much like UberX and UberXL are the cousins of the economy class, Uber Black SUV is the cousin of Uber Black.

Uber Black SUV features the same kinds of features as Uber Black, but with SUVs and vans.

The same kinds of interiors and comfort options are also available in Uber Black SUV.

The main draw of Uber Black SUV is that groups of up to six can request this service.

That means that if you have an executive meeting with the team, or are picking up clients from the airport, you can do so in the style and class they expect in the business world.

Uber WAV

A newer service that Uber is rolling out is Uber WAV.

This service makes wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) an option for those looking to use the ridesharing service.

Uber’s website mentions that this service is only available in certain cities, so this feature won’t be an option in every city.

The purpose of a WAV is to give those in a manual or motorized wheelchair the chance to get around town without having their WAV.

A relative visiting from out of town could need help getting across town, so grabbing a ride from Uber WAV could be the way you can show this family member around without having your own vehicle.

Uber Taxi

Uber has another service that connects with local transportation called Uber Taxi.

This option lets you hail for a cab inside the Uber app and have a real taxi show up instead of a personal vehicle.

Uber Taxi can help you avoid paying high fees for a surge in pricing on Uber by working with a local taxi company and having the rates set ahead of time.

These rates include a small booking fee as well as a metered rate and a gratuity.

The app tries to estimate your cost but can be off, so that’s something to watch out for when using this option.

Uber Flash

Uber Flash is the combination of UberX and Uber Taxi.

With the Flash option, you can put yourself into a matching system that will pair you with the closest UberX or Uber Taxi driver so that you can get a quality ride quickly.

This is an option available to people in just Hong Kong currently.

Uber offers this service because of how hectic the roads in Hong Kong can be.

To make getting a ride easier, this service tries to pair you with a car fast so you aren’t waiting around forever for your ride.

Uber Auto

With Uber Auto, people in New Delhi can choose a familiar option for transportation.

The Uber Auto services let people in New Delhi grab an auto rickshaw, which is the motorized version of a pull or cycle cart called a rickshaw.

These are traditional and affordable transportation options in India and are considered to be a better deal than getting a cab or rideshare.

Uber Park

Uber Park is the company’s answer to parking space finders like SpotHero.

Normally, folks looking to park their vehicles in urban or downtown spaces have to search out a parking spot.

This feature allows users to save time by showing them a list of open spots that they can park in.

The feature is natively built into the rider app, and if available in your city, the option will appear when the app is opened.

Uber Air

Uber Air is part of the Uber Elevate initiative, a program that is trying to bring ridesharing to the skies.

You probably know this service best by their Uber helicopter offering.

Uber Air is still in development, but it is looking to be a way for you to call a car-drone hybrid transportation option.

Right now, the car-drone hybrid is claimed to travel at around 110mph and take five to seven minutes to recharge.

This means that, if these numbers are true, this service would make traveling quickly across a city much faster than grabbing a normal Uber level.

Flying will be faster than driving thanks to traffic lights and road congestion not factoring into your travel time.

Scooter Options

More and more we’re seeing electric scooter services offered in cities.

Uber is participating in that trend by offering directions and access to electric scooters for traveling around town with their in-app scooter options.

These options include Lime Scooters and LimeBike.

By choosing the Scooter option in-app, you can make your way towards an electric scooter hub and rent one out for yourself.

These scooters have all the features of a normal scooter, but with the pickup and power of an electric scooter.

They accelerate quickly and don’t need much to get going.

Uber recommends that you follow local laws about helmets and pedestrians while on the scooters, so check with your local requirements before hopping on to one of these scooters.

Bike Options

In addition to scooters, Uber also can point towards electric bicycles.

These bicycles work in a similar way to the scooters, including how you navigate to finding one in the app.

Different cities will have different programs that they work with for public transports, so this is why Uber looks for both scooter and bicycle options.

The electric motor of the bicycle compliments the pedaling of the bicycle.

This means that, the harder you pedal, the faster you will go.

The electric motor provides extra power to the wheels, so you won’t have to pedal as hard to go fast on an electric bike as you would a normal bike.

Again, check with your local laws about helmets and where you can take bicycles in your city.

Those rules can vary widely from city to city.

Uber Food Options

screen showing all the different uber food services available on the app

Uber offers more than just ridesharing options.

Since Uber has so many drivers out on the road, Uber has a couple of services that relate to food delivery.

These services make it easier to get food from restaurants and local spots to your front door.

Uber Eats

Uber Eats is one of the biggest food delivery apps in the world.

Just like with DoorDash, Postmates, or Grubhub, in the app, you can search for restaurants in the area based on location and type of food and order what you want.

After you pay for the order, a driver will pick up the food when it’s ready and bring it to your front door.

You don’t have to leave your house or wait for a table.

You can also track how far out your order is using the Uber Eats app.

The app will show you where in the delivery process the food is, such as if it’s waiting for pickup or delivery.

That way, you’ll be ready when it arrives at your home.

Suggested:

Cornershop

If you don’t want to splurge on take-out or just like cooking at home, Uber’s acquisition of Cornershop makes getting groceries easier.

With Cornershop, people can place an order at a local grocery shop for their groceries.

You include special requests as well, such as how ripe you want the produce or where to leave the groceries when they are delivered.

You pay for the groceries ahead of time, so the delivery person grabs the groceries and brings them to your home.

Once delivered, you can grab your groceries and bring them inside with no hassle on your part.

Logistics Solutions From Uber

screen showing all the different uber logistics services available on the app

Uber has expanded its services to the delivery service world as well.

Here are some of the ways you can use Uber to deliver a package:

Uber Connect

Uber Connect is a service to make same-day, no-contact deliveries in your area.

You don’t have to pay for postage to send the item in question.

Instead, you pay for someone to take your package and deliver it to the other person, completely bypassing the post office or similar business.

Your responsibility for the package stops with helping the delivery person load the package into their vehicle.

From there, the delivery will go across the city to its drop-off location.

Uber Freight

While Uber Connect is great for short distances, sometimes you need to deliver something to the next town over or across the state.

Uber Freight acts like a booking service for these delivery options, showing you estimated delivery times and costs for your shipment.

What makes Uber Freight stand out is that you can book your delivery at any time of day.

While you may not be able to ship it immediately, you can get a shipping plan much faster than if you had to go to a brick-and-mortar business and figure out timing there during normal business hours.

Staffing Options From Uber

Thanks to Uber’s experience with building its large contractor base, they are trying to expand out into the workforce market as well.

By providing a service that helps workers meet up with jobs, Uber can use its tech-centric approach to help businesses get the staffing they need with the Uber Works service.

Uber Works

Uber Works is a service that tries to connect workers with businesses that need extra labor.

Businesses will post about work that they need doing and the time scale for the work.

From there, potential workers can review what the business needs to be done and decide if they want to take the job or shift being offered.

This can turn almost any job into a contract work position instead of regular employment.

The benefit of this program is that businesses can get the temporary help they need much faster.

Rather than vetting employees or going through the hiring process, a business can get what needs to be done faster by finding qualified workers quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Because Uber is a large company that offers all sorts of services, there are bound to be questions.

Here are some of the most common questions we come across when talking about Uber services:

Is Uber Cheaper Than Lyft?

Because Lyft and Uber are constantly competing, there’s rarely a clear-cut winner in cost between Lyft and Uber.

Instead, you want to compare these two companies in the services and quality they can offer for the price they list.

Has Uber Made A Profit Since 2020?

While the pandemic in 2020 didn’t help Uber’s bottom line, they are starting to see their revenue come back up in 2021.

Uber still has a while to go before getting into the green consistently, however.

Should You Tip Uber Drivers?

While it’s not a requirement to tip an Uber Driver, if your driver was excellent, a tip won’t hurt.

Drivers are free to accept tips according to Uber’s driver policies.

How Do I Call Uber?

To call an Uber, you’ll need the Uber app on your iOS or Android device.

From there, you’ll select one of the services that Uber offers based on your needs, and you’ll book the service.

You pay for the service in-app, so no physical money has to be exchanged with the driver.

Uber also has a phone number you can use in case of emergency.

Can I Call an Uber for Someone Else?

Absolutely! When you set up the service, you can designate who the driver will be picking up when they arrive.

That way, you can make it clear that your friends or family are the ones being driven and not yourself.

Wrapping It Up

Once you know what the abbreviations Uber uses mean, reading service names becomes a piece of cake.

Understanding what Uber’s services offer ensures that you can order exactly what you’re looking for in your transportation in a fast and easy way.

Also, as time has gone on, Uber continues to release new and better services for its customers, increasing the ways you can move fast and easily across the city.

If you’re interested in Uber but want to see some hard numbers on what it costs, we’ve written an article on our blog about some case studies for Uber costs.

Between the costs and this guide on what Uber offers, you’ll navigate Uber like a pro before you know it.

2 thoughts on “Uber Services: The Company’s Ride Options, Products, and Services”

  1. I have received a notice that i was not wearing a mask during one of my previous trips. Fist, i could not ever the car without a mast. Second, if i blow my noise during the trip will I be reported. Third, is next to impossible to find a line on your alleged help app for this very topic. The bottom line is that we always wear our mask except for the occasional sneeze or runny nose.

    Reply

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