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Uber unveils Route Share rides for Philly commuters looking to save

It is set to be “Uber’s most affordable ride option,” with prices as much as 50% lower than a standard fare, according to the company.

Uber/Lyft drivers pick up arriving passengers outside the baggage claim at the Philadelphia International Airport in July 2021. Uber this week announced the addition of a Route Share option that runs every 20 minutes along busy corridors and costs as much as half of what an Uber X does during rush hour.
Uber/Lyft drivers pick up arriving passengers outside the baggage claim at the Philadelphia International Airport in July 2021. Uber this week announced the addition of a Route Share option that runs every 20 minutes along busy corridors and costs as much as half of what an Uber X does during rush hour.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer

Uber is launching a new, more budget-friendly rideshare option for some Philadelphians who use the service for their daily commutes.

The program, called Route Share, is set to be “Uber’s most affordable ride option,” with prices up to 50% lower than an UberX fare, the company said Wednesday in a statement. UberX is the company’s standard ride, transporting individual riders from one point to another on demand.

“Users tell us they want to save more. And in order to save more, I’m willing to wait a little bit more. I’m willing to walk a little bit more,” Sachin Kansal, Uber’s chief product officer, said while unveiling Route Share at the company’s annual Go-get product event.

In response to that feedback, Route Share will operate on a public-transit-like schedule, with pickups along dozens of routes in large cities. On each route, rides are available every 20 minutes during the morning and evening rush hours, between 6 and 10 a.m. and between 4 and 8 p.m. Kansal said it is set to launch soon, starting in Philadelphia and six other cities, including Baltimore and New York.

An Uber spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about what routes are available in Philadelphia and when exactly the service starts here. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, there appeared to be no options for Uber Route share available to users in Center City.

When Uber riders enter their destination and select Route Share, they will be shown nearby routes, according to the company. The rider will then pick a route, walk to a pickup point, and share an Uber with up to two other riders.

In an example Kansal used in his presentation, a Manhattan commuter who chooses a $13 Uber Route Share may have to walk seven minutes to a pickup point, take a 20-minute ride, and then walk five minutes to the ultimate destination. Riders can choose which route they want to take, he said, and at which pickup time during the morning and rush hours.

As the commuter, “I have a lot of choice,” Kansal said, “but I get predictable pickups and drop-offs, and there are no detours.”

Uber already has a Share option, which allows riders to save 10% to 30% compared to UberX, in exchange for sharing rides with other passengers, Kansal said. But, he said, Uber Route Share will offer greater savings.

Its arrival in Philadelphia comes as SEPTA faces a major budget shortfall that, if not addressed, would result in the elimination of dozens of bus routes and Regional Rail lines and other reductions in service. Analysts also say it would lead to more traffic on area roads.