UberPOOL: A More Affordable Uber

Last June 15, Uber Philippines soft launched UberPOOL, a car pool service taken a notch higher. It follows the same basic model as the main Uber service except that you also get to share the ride with passengers headed in the same general direction as you are in exchange for a cheaper fare than the normal Uber rate (around P50 cheaper). The concept is similar to Wunder, a carpooling app that is popular in Europe and recently entered into the Philippine market.

The down side of UberPOOL is that travel time to your destination is longer because of the pick up/drop off detours for the other passengers you're sharing the ride with. Coupled with Metro Manila's perennial traffic and the cheaper fare might not be worth the added travel time. Sometimes you may get lucky if there are no other passengers along the route you're taking, so it will be like getting the regular Uber service at a discounted rate. This will be a hit or miss thing, though.

The good news is that Uber is working towards tweaking the service to gain the most benefit for passengers and drivers alike. Only time will tell if this will take, but in the meantime the service looks promising.

Source: Rappler