Uber Gets Into Prepaid Service With UberEvents

Uber is testing out a new prepaid ride service that takes the ride-sharing company into the events space in NYC.

While Uber’s latest product, known as UberEvents, is only being tested in NYC, it will eventually roll out to the full city. UberEvents allows businesses to customize events by setting up rides for guests, which then allow them to enter a unique promotion.

“When planning a company happy hour, client appreciation dinner or even upcoming nuptials, there is a lot that goes into ensuring that your event goes off without a hitch — including how your guests can safely get to and from without any fuss,” Uber Senior Marketing Manager Kimiko Ninomiya wrote on Uber’s blog. “We want to make the experience of planning transportation logistics as seamless as ordering a ride at the touch of button.”

Hosts who want to use UberEvents can set up an event using Uber online and then receive a certain number of guest passes that can then be distributed to guests to be redeemed.

Other Uber news recently announced includes the launch of UberCOMMUTE in Chengdu, China, which Uber said is its top city in the world. UberCOMMUTE allows drivers who commute long distances to share the cost using a carpooling option.

Here’s how the product works, according to Uber’s blog: “Drivers sign into the app and tell Uber where they are going. We then show them requests from riders who are traveling in the same direction, as well as the payment they will receive for the trip. The driver can then decide whether to accept the request or not. For riders, it’s Uber as usual. They simply select People’s Uber+ (our Chinese UberPOOL service), input their destination and then our systems match them with a driver going the same way.”

UberCOMMUTE will eventually roll out to other cities, but no set plans for which city would be next were announced.

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