How 3 Minutes Can Save You $14

Try the new $5 POOL — your first 2 rides are on us! Just enter promo code 2FREEPOOLBLOG. See offer details below.

In May, we redesigned the uberPOOL experience to be more affordable and efficient for commuters. Three months and over 100,000 riders later, the results are clear: Riders who use $5 uberPOOL instead of uberX spend 3 more minutes in the car but save over $14.* In this case losing time, is money. Literally.

Here’s how—

During commuting hours in Manhattan, you’re directed to walk to a nearby corner for a quicker pickup, eliminating time wasted by circling the block. This change has made 63% of uberPOOL routes faster–even though riders are far more likely to be sharing their ride with two or three people.

It might seem counterintuitive, but getting picked up exactly at your request spot often makes your trip longer. Let’s say you request an uberX at 5th Avenue and Washington Square Park to take you to the Upper East Side. The car will arrive in just a few minutes, but once you get in, it will have to head west on Waverly Place and then go south, all the way around Washington Square Park, before even heading toward your destination. Not very efficient. The new uberPOOL experience solves for this by sending you to a corner that’s, on average, less than a block away, so you start your trip off going on the fastest route.

To see exactly how this impacted trips, we compared one week’s worth of uberX and uberPOOL commuting trips in Manhattan.

During the week of July 11, the average Manhattan uberX ride during commuting hours* took 20.94 minutes. In that same period, the average uberPOOL trip took 24.14 minutes. That’s only 3.2 extra minutes, despite making stops to pick up other commuters along the way. Because riders are picked up on corners already in the direction they’re headed toward, the beginning of an uberPOOL trip is more efficient, meaning riders can get to their destinations in nearly the same amount of time as if they were riding alone and sometimes even faster.

As part of this uberPOOL redesign, we’ve also implemented $5 flat rates in Manhattan during weekday commuting hours. The average uberX fare during Manhattan commuting hours was $19.65 for the week of July 11.*** uberPOOL is $5 flat during these same hours. That’s a $14.65 difference for a trip that’s only 3.2 minutes longer.

On average, 3 more minutes saves $14

Since introducing this new $5 flat rate and experience, we’ve noticed that uberPOOL is changing the way Manhattan commuters get to and from work. For example, riders are increasingly depending on uberPOOL to get them to Midtown East, replacing a commute that typically involves the overpacked 6-train.

*Average ride comparing $5 uberPOOL to uberX
**7–10am and 5–8pm
***Accounts for instances of increased fares due to dynamic pricing.

Offer valid for your first 2 $5 POOL rides. Valid Monday–Friday, 7–10am and 5–8pm. Trips must begin and end in Manhattan below 125th Street. $5 POOL only. Expires 10/31/2016, 11:59pm ET.