Uber has announced Guest Rider, a new feature that makes it easier for you to book rides on behalf of friends, family or colleagues.
This works great if you’re booking rides for Grandma who may not have a smartphone, or perhaps you want to shout your Mum a ride from the airport. Other potential uses include sending your friend to a surprise destination on their birthday or maybe you want to send your Tinder date home safely.
Although a lot of riders already order Uber rides on behalf of someone else, Uber is now formalising the process and providing a more seamless experience.
No more playing the middleman: Uber will send your guest all details needed for the ride, and the driver and passenger can contact each other directly to make sure they get in the right vehicle, so you can skip the screenshots!
How Guest Rider works
Once the Uber account holder makes a booking on behalf of their guest rider, the guest rider will receive an SMS with important trip details including the driver-partner’s name, estimated time of arrival, license plate, vehicle make, and model – so that they can be safe to find the driver-partner and get into the right car. They will also be able to contact the driver-partner either through anonymised text or phone calls, even if the guest rider does not have the Uber app installed on their phones.
Upon accepting the trip, driver-partners can see whether the trip is requested for the account holder or a guest rider, and will be able to connect with the guest rider via text or anonymised phone calls.
As part of Uber’s mission to power movement and help people go anywhere, Uber today announces Guest Rider, a new-and-improved feature that makes it easier for Uber app users to book rides on behalf of others – whether it’s for friends, family or business.
We understand that being able to order a ride for a guest is one of the reasons why people use Uber. The newly released feature provides a more seamless end-to-end experience for everyone.
Guest Rider is ideal for Aussies who are already saving the day – for your grandma who doesn’t have a smartphone, your parents who need a ride from the airport, or if you want to shout some extra TLC for your friend on their birthdays!
In fact, new research commissioned by Uber* found 3 in 10 Australians over the age of 65 would be more inclined to go out if they had easier access to transport, and 4 in 10 Australian seniors believe technology makes it easier to access transport options.
Uber’s Guest Rider feature will now come in handy for those who want to shout a ride for their gran (or family and friends), and avoid that awkward moment trying to connect the driver-partner with your loved ones / colleagues waiting on the street.
We are constantly looking for ways to improve Uber’s platform experience and Guest Rider will provide an elevated experience for guests who currently rely on friends and family to book them an Uber ride.
Hoa Nguyen, Head of Rider of Uber ANZ
Guest Rider makes it fuss-free for users to request a ride for other people, providing everyone including driver partners with live updates, booking details, and peace of mind.
How Guest Rider works
Once the Uber account holder makes a booking on behalf of their guest rider, the guest rider will receive an SMS with important trip details including the driver-partner’s name, estimated time of arrival, license plate, vehicle make, and model – so that they can be safe to find the driver-partner and get into the right car. They will also be able to contact the driver-partner either through text or anonymised phone calls, even if the guest rider does not have the Uber app installed on their phones.
Upon accepting the trip, driver-partners can see whether the trip is requested for the account holder or a guest rider, and will be able to connect with the guest rider via text or anonymised phone calls.
How to order a Guest Rider trip?
- Simply tap “Where to?”, then choose who’s riding on the top of the screen.
- Select the guest rider directly from your address book.
- The guest rider will receive an SMS text message with important trip details like ETA, vehicle make and type, and the driver-partner’s contact information, enabling them to coordinate with the driver-partner directly should they need to get in touch.
- To ensure the guest rider gets on the right vehicle safely, a PIN verification will be triggered if the guest rider and driver-partner’s geographic locations are too far from each other.
The Guest Rider feature is now available in Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 30 countries around the world.
