Uber is gone for good in the Philippines and in other countries across Southeast Asia. On Monday (April 16), Uber app officially became useless in the country, same as the case in all other nations in the region where the ride-hailing service operated (except Singapore, where Uber operations have been extended until next week).
With the exit of Uber in this part of the globe, the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia will never ever have a chance to experience three of its new app features and services. Yes, elsewhere in the world, Uber is going beyond just facilitating hailing of cars for transport.
In the U.S., particularly in Washington, D.C., Uber has announced three new services that will make it not just a ride-hailing firm. The company now has car-sharing, bike-hailing, and new transport ticket purchasing services—features of the app that will never see the light of day in the Philippines.
Uber Bike and Uber Rent
Uber Bike is getting a much-awaited coverage expansion—from San Francisco in California to D.C. The service started earlier this month (April) after Uber bought San Francisco-based Jump Bikes, which facilitates sharing of dock-free electric bikes. Uber Bike is now a pilot electric bike-sharing program that is integrated, where applicable, in the company’s app.
Uber Rent is another pilot program, which is a collaboration with Getaround—a peer-to-peer car-sharing service intended for passengers who prefer to have the entire vehicle to themselves. This service, also in the app where applicable, facilitates finding, renting, and unlocking vehicles listed on Getaround’s platform. It is also initially offered in San Francisco this month.
Public transport convenience
Lastly, Uber is also starting to offer mobile transit ticketing service through a partnership with Masabi, a startup firm. This will allow public transport commuters in selected cities globally to purchase public-transit tickets via Uber app. As of press time, it is still not clear how and when this service will manifest in the Uber app, though it will surely tap debit and credit card payments and ensure, of course, convenience for passengers.
Don’t we all miss Uber?