Millions of drivers around the world use Uber to access and participate in independent work. They come from all walks of life, have a variety of needs, and expect work to fit around their lives. Flexibility is crucial–it’s one of the most important things drivers (and delivery partners) say they value and love about our platform. Flexibility also enables us to support those earning their primary income with Uber, as well as those for whom this is a side gig. In either case, as more and more spend their time on the road with us, we’re moving in parallel by making important improvements to their experience on our platform.

To that end, we’re extending a helping hand to drivers so their first trips are less intimidating, making useful information more accessible at their fingertips, and expanding control around how they accept trips. For unexpected situations, we’re also delivering new features that keep the experience of driving and riding as high quality as possible. To do so, we’re piloting five new features in the driver app:

  • Simulated Trip: We’re piloting this feature to help drivers build additional confidence before they hit the road. Within the app, a driver can experience a walkthrough of a first trip, from getting a trip offer all the way through to dropoff. Our goal is to make that first trip less stressful, by helping visually navigate the experience.
  • Top Opportunities: Driving with Uber is flexible, but not all minutes are equal–we know drivers plan their time strategically and want informed choices about when and where to go. That’s why we’re piloting Top Opportunities, a feature which will present suggestions with top earnings opportunities in a more easily digestible, in-app feed (complementing Trip Planner). This information includes peak earnings hours, promotions, upcoming events in a city, and Uber Pro status updates which will be visible before a driver hits ‘Go Online’.

  • Auto Accept: With this redesigned feature available as an option to drivers, drivers can more easily focus on getting to their next pickup, earn a Consecutive Trip promotion, and have peace of mind knowing their next trip will be offered and accepted, hands-free, with ease. This way they reduce the chance of missing a trip they want.

 

  • Extra Long Trip Notifications: Drivers told us they appreciated long trip notifications when we introduced them last year, but wanted additional insight when trip duration is expected to be longer than an hour. This pilot will show drivers the specific, estimated minutes to destination for extra long trips. We’re evaluating this feature to create more consistency on longer trip pickups and reduce rider cancellations, by providing the additional long trip information before a driver accepts a trip.

 

  • Trip Cancellations Framework: We also wanted to give drivers more in-app information to solve challenges that occur during the point of pickup, such as accidentally accepted trips, too many passengers beyond vehicle capacity, and more. This new feature provides the necessary, situational details a driver needs to know when a cancellation is required, which will also be communicated to riders for future reference.

Drivers continue to tell us that these types of tools help them deliver a quality experience for riders. We take this feedback to heart as we did with 180 Days of Change, and use it to keep our platform working as hard as they do no matter where and how Uber expands next.