Uber launches UberHop and UberCommute in Seattle and Chicago

Ride hailing company Uber has announced two new ride sharing services in the United States. The first called Uber Hop debuts Dec. 10 in Seattle, California while UberCommute is for drivers that want to share their rides in the Chicago metro area.

“Today, 76 percent of commuters in the U.S. drive to work by themselves. If they could easily share the trip (and the cost) with one or more fellow commuters that would dramatically cut congestion, improving everyone’s quality of life”, said Uber in a press note.

UberHop is somewhat like a bus service. It uses the uberXL vehicles that can accommodate up to six people. The app will help users team-up with drivers, as well as commuters travelling in the same direction, and get a ride at the pre-determined pick-up location.

Users have to open the app, choose a route and request an UberHop. The service will only be available along select routes during commuting hours, says Uber.

The other service, UberCommute, will be available throughout the Chicago metro area from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Users can simply select UberPool; choose the ‘commuters’ option and enter pickup and destination locations. A user can also share the cost of the journey with fellow commuters. The company is confident this service will considerably solve the problem of congestion.

Back in September, Uber first launched UberCommute in Chengdu, China. It’s basically an extension of uberPool in the United States, which is already operational in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“In Los Angeles, in its first eight months, uberPool cut the number of miles driven across town by 7.9 million and prevented carbon dioxide pollution by 1,400 metric tons”, claims Uber.

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