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ExpressMatch: the next evolution in rider experience

August 20, 2020 / Canada

As airport passenger needs and expectations evolve rapidly during this extraordinary time, Uber’s Airports team is working to enhance service offerings at airports to drive improved safety, efficiency, and consistency for riders. The latest in a series of innovations Uber has launched is ExpressMatch, which combines the best parts of Prematch and PIN to fit the needs of passengers and airports today.

A first-of-its-kind technology, Uber’s ExpressMatch is a dynamic, intelligent matching tool that strives to cut rider wait time to almost zero by requesting drivers to airport-approved, dedicated curb space to be ready for rider requests.

At airports with ExpressMatch, we’ve seen a 40% to 65% decrease in wait times for ExpressMatch riders.

Our philosophy

We built ExpressMatch with 3 key concepts in mind:

Safety: By cutting wait time, we help promote social distancing by reducing the chance that crowds build up on terminal curbs.
Speed: Giving riders a short wait experience is more important than ever. ExpressMatch strives to give a near-zero-wait experience by requesting some drivers to wait for riders at the curb.
Efficiency: Our technology accounts for the amount of available curb space and rider demand, so limited space is used efficiently.

How it works

ExpressMatch anticipates rider demand and requests drivers in advance to briefly wait directly at the pickup curb or at a secondary lot located close to the pickup zone(s). For drivers, the technology issues an alert to proceed to the pickup curb only when there’s sufficient curb space available. Riders are then matched directly with a driver and enjoy faster, reliable matching.

Riders will still see the customized airport pickup experience in their app that they’re used to, except now they should experience a near-zero wait time. All the rider has to do is request when they’re ready to meet their driver curbside.

Measuring impact

By the end of August 2020, we will have deployed ExpressMatch at 10 airports across the US and Canada. The results have been extremely positive so far: at airports with ExpressMatch, we’ve seen a 40% to 65% decrease in wait times for ExpressMatch riders

What airports think

“We’re proud to partner with Uber on [ExpressMatch] to reduce wait times and allow for greater physical distancing when passengers are waiting for a ride.”
Kim Day, DEN CEO

Read about DEN’s experience with ExpressMatch

“We’re pleased to see such a positive impact in less than a month of offering this new amenity at SJC. Shorter ride-share wait-times mean less congestion on our Terminal curbsides and better ability to practice social distancing. As passenger traffic continues to recover, Uber ExpressMatch represents the type of innovation that will help us continue to meet traveler needs and keep everyone safe.”
John Aitken, SJC Director of Aviation

Read about SJC’s experience with ExpressMatch

“Nashville International Airport welcomes yet another convenience for travelers, and we are pleased to embrace Uber’s innovative new program.”
Doug Kreulen, BNA President and CEO

Learn more

If your airport would like to explore this technology, be sure to reach out to your Uber partner manager or us-airports@uber.com.

Posted by Uber San Francisco

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