Today, Uber Singapore announced the launch of Uber Commute, a “casual carpooling option” aimed at reducing the cost of transportation for commuters in Singapore.
Expressing their belief that “shared rides will be the future of Singapore”, they hope that with the service, more people will adopt the habit of carpooling and help Singapore in its car-lite vision.
Singapore is said to be the first market in the region to launch this product.
If You’re Familiar With GrabHitch, Uber Commute Is The Same Thing
Just like competitor Grab’s service GrabHitch, Uber Commute is a peer-to-peer product that allows riders to pre-book rides with drivers who are open to sharing their daily commute.
As for its pricing structure, Uber states that according to regulations, fares are limited only to the costs and expenses incurred when carpooling.
This is based on the estimated driver cost per kilometre, comprising of fuel cost, wear and tear maintenance, insurance, and road tax.
There will be no dynamic pricing either, and driver will be expected to bear ERP charges in cases where drivers have to enter an ERP zone to pick up or drop their riders.
Uber Commute rides are expected to be “up to 51% cheaper than uberX (rides)”.
Drivers Get To Keep 100% Of Fares, Rides Only Allowed On Weekdays
Drivers will be able to keep 100% of the fares, and Uber will not charge any commission fees – unlike their other services, which take a cut from drivers’ earnings.
Competitor Grab too doesn’t take commission fees from their Hitch drivers.
Uber has also stated that in order to be compliant with current laws, riders can only schedule their Uber Commute rides between Monday and Fridays, which are the usual business working days.
Drivers can only take up to 2 rides a day, and only 1 pick up is allowed per ride.
The Uber Commute option will be made available on the Uber app from 15 March 2018, and no separate downloads are needed.