Our Bengaluru-based mobility engineering team is leading the development of a complex integration with a third-party cab aggregator in the UK, our first-ever such product offering. ‘Local Cab’, is currently being piloted in Plymouth and Oxford in the UK, and allows residents there to book third-party cabs offered by aggregator, Autocab, through the Uber app. 

The integration, led by our mobility engineering team, included breaking Uber’s tech stack and building a new service, allowing our riders to be paired with a third-party driver. The team integrated the Uber app with Autocab’s marketplace with the help of third party (3P) application programming interfaces (APIs) developed for local cabs. We acquired Autocab in 2020.

As part of the integration, riders in Plymouth and Oxford will see the option to book a “Local Cab” on their Uber app, and upon requesting a ride, will be routed to the Autocab marketplace, which will pair it with an available operator. The routing to the Autocab marketplace will happen at the backend, with the booking interface continuing to be that of the Uber app. 

The product is a win-win as it offers riders access to Uber at the touch of a button. At the same time, it enables us to connect with riders in towns and cities where we don’t operate.  

The mobility engineering team has led several innovations for Uber globally, and the third-party integration is the latest feather in its cap. We continuously leverage technology to find solutions for augmenting rider convenience. Offering riders a chance to book cabs through the Uber app even in cities where we aren’t present goes to show the ease of use that comes with the platform.