uberPOOL Launches Tomorrow - And From What We See, S'poreans Are Excited

M. Shazni

June 30, 2016

Uber, the app that enables you to hire your own private drivers to take you anywhere in Singapore, was recently revealed to have had notified its drivers to attend special online training for a new feature in the app called uberPOOL.

Guess what? The cat’s out of the bag now.

Save The Date: 1 July 2016

Yesterday, Uber Singapore finally announced the availability of this feature, and it will be coming to us tomorrow. Hot on the heels of letting loose uberPOOL in the Philippines two weeks back, Singaporeans will finally get to enjoy this app feature which has been a staple in the US since 2014.

All you regular Uber users may have received this pop-up message too notifying you of the arrival of uberPOOL, if you had used the app from yesterday evening.

For the rest of you who haven’t been using the app, you may have received a friendly email from Uber instead.

If you need a refresher on what uberPOOL is all about, they simply summarised the entire purpose of it into this one liner: “It’s all about getting more butts into fewer cars.”

While Uber is seemingly increasing congestion with its drivers roaming our streets, this could not be further from the truth. They have, ironically, been on a mission to help cities solve congestion and pollution. All of this while providing their drivers with more pickups, and increasing their earnings in the process.

Speaking of drivers, those who have been earmarked to transit into using uberPOOL, have gone through a separate and extensive training – as was mentioned earlier. This was done to prepare drivers to handle multiple riders, as well as multiple destinations, so as to make sure they are fully proficient in using this new feature, as well as to not be caught unprepared with sudden additions of riders in a single job.

But what do riders get in turn? In a statement to Channel News Asia, Uber said that riders can expect up to 25% in savings on each trip if riders were to compare the fares with UberX. The logic behind this is because the overall cost of the trip is shared, so it will immediately turn into more affordable rides, with cheaper fares per trip.

They have also reiterated that the savings will also not translate into significantly longer travel times. Regardless of whether someone is first or second to get into the car, Uber will ensure that you’re never taken to a location more than a few minutes out of your way.

So How Do You uberPOOL?

It’s simple, really.

Within the next 24 hours, as with any new app feature, check for updates and make sure you are on the latest version.

From there, the process is more or less identical to each time you request for an UberX ride. The only difference being that now, there will be a new menu option for you to select uberPOOL when requesting for a ride.

Once you are done, the app will notify you with the driver’s details right away, with his/her name, photo and the details of the car.

After that, the app will then match you with another passenger heading in the same direction, and the driver will pick them up along the way. All these will be available to you as notifications in your Uber app.

Once everyone has reached their destination, pay just like any other normal Uber trip and receive an electronic receipt via email.

The Internet Reacts

Locals who have experienced UberPOOL in the US are generally ecstatic at the prospect of now sharing rides with the strangers of Singapore.

Had only great experiences and conversations with strangers with UberPool in the US, looking forward to #uberPOOLSG @Uber_SING!

— Edwin Waliman (@edwinwaliman) June 29, 2016

have been waiting for #uberPOOLSG since I used it the first time in LAX! Excited 🙂

— Grace Chia (@graceccl) June 29, 2016

While others are happy about doing their part for the environment.

.@uber_SING is launching uberPOOL in Singapore this Friday.. Less congestion half price fare, better for planet! #uberPOOLSG

— jonny singleton (@jonnysingleton) June 29, 2016

Good to learn that @UberSingapore is launching #uberPOOLSG. Less congestion, less gas and CO2 emission, cheaper – what's not to like!

— Jen Ng (@JenNgJT) June 29, 2016

Then there’s this.

Brace yourselves, #UberLoveStories are coming.

21st C romance
"So how did you meet?"
"Well we got in an uberpool together and yknow it was love at first sight" #uberPOOLSG @Uber_SING

— nicolette (@nicolettey) June 29, 2016

This guy has the right idea.

alright @Uber_SING, I am so ready for #uberPOOLSG . Will need to smell good yeah?? pic.twitter.com/gJveYjIs0s

— ryan viduya (@braderrayan) June 29, 2016

Also Uber Singapore is currently holding a Tweet to Win contest on Twitter, where 5 winners will walk away with $50 credits. All you have to do is post the following tweet,