Ride hailing app Uber is moving away from its ‘on demand’ only business model to offer pre-scheduled rides up to 30 days in advance.
It follows a recent move by rival Lyft to pilot scheduled pick-ups in San Francisco.
Uber has started offering the Scheduled Rides program in Seattle and will be expanded to other ‘top business travel cities’ in the future, Uber said in a blog post.
It is currently offered to riders with Business Profiles or a named user in an Uber for Business account.
"Seattle has grown into one of the world’s great technology markets, and we’re excited to see Uber launch new and innovative features here first. With Scheduled Rides, Uber is continuing to help us all make the most of our time," Zillow Group, an Uber for Business customer said.
Customers select UberX on the app and tap the ‘Schedule a Ride’ function and choose a pickup date, time, location, and destination.
Uber sends a reminder 24 hours and then 30 minutes before the pick-up time and a notification will be sent to confirm the ride is on the way and whether surge pricing is in effect.
