With AAA forecasting that a record-breaking 72 million Americans will travel during the week of July 4, ride-hailing and delivery company Uber is launching various updates to make summer vacations more seamless. Uber is significantly expanding its rental-car delivery service, introducing new airport options for ride-sharing and prescheduled pickups, and adding more flexibility for hotel food deliveries.
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Car rental dropoff expands
One of the biggest updates is the expansion of Uber Rent — the service’s car-rental department — by adding car delivery, which allows users to have a rental car dropped off at their home, office or hotel. This summer, the service is rolling out to 15 additional US cities, including Dallas, Phoenix, Charlotte and Las Vegas, bringing the total to 24 cities nationwide.
Travelers can book a rental car as little as 2 hours in advance or up to six months ahead. Uber also notes that there’s no fee to cancel, as long as it’s at least 2 hours before the scheduled drop-off.
More affordable airport rides
Uber is also expanding Uber Share at Airports, a carpool-style option where travelers heading to or from the airport can share a ride with one other passenger and save up to 25% compared to a standard UberX, which is the regular Uber tier. Even if no match is found, riders still pay the discounted rate.
This feature is now available at more than 40 additional airports, including Chicago Midway, Nashville, Washington Reagan, and international cities like Paris, Lisbon and Stockholm.
Enhanced hotel food delivery
The company is adding new delivery options for travelers relying on Uber Eats while staying at hotels. Users can now select how they want their food dropped off: meeting the courier in the lobby, having the food left at the front desk or requesting direct delivery to their hotel room doorway.
Travelers staying at Marriott properties can also now earn Marriott Bonvoy points on Uber Eats orders, provided their loyalty account is linked in the app.
More airport pickup options in the suburbs
Uber is also expanding its Reserve Airport Pickup feature to 70 more airports in the US and Canada, with a focus on smaller towns and suburban destinations such as Reno, Green Bay and Sarasota. Reserve rides can be scheduled in advance, a convenience for travelers flying into areas with fewer transit options.
These updates are arriving just in time for one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Additional changes are listed in the Uber Newsroom post.