Uber launched a parking reservation feature in its app on Monday, letting riders book garage, lot and valet spaces alongside rides, car rentals and food orders. The rollout follows the company's acquisition of SpotHero earlier this year, which Uber said brings more than 13,000 parking locations across more than 400 cities onto its platform. Uber Parking debuts in 15 cities: Chicago, Nashville, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, DC. The SpotHero brand and app will remain in use, and customers may see SpotHero by Uber branding on garage signage.
Amit Fulay, Uber's vice president of product, said in an interview that parking is a painful problem the company saw as a natural fit for its mission of helping people get around, and that bringing the ease of booking rides into the app extends that effort. To reserve a space, users tap a new Parking icon on the app's home screen, enter a destination and pick a date and time. An interactive map then shows nearby options with pricing displayed upfront, and users can filter for self-parking or valet, garage or surface lot, and amenities such as on-site staff or re-entry. After entering vehicle details including make, model and license plate, users pay with a payment method in their Uber Wallet and access a parking pass in the app, entering via QR code or license plate recognition depending on the location. Reservations can be extended in the app, and Uber said most bookings can be canceled free of charge before the start time.
Uber One members receive 10% back in credits on eligible completed parking reservations, redeemable on future rides and Uber Eats orders. The subscription costs $10 per month and also includes no delivery fee on food and grocery orders, 5% back on rides and 10% back on hotel bookings, among other perks. Uber said it has more than 55 million Uber One members across 47 countries.
Uber said Uber Parking will expand from the 15 launch cities to more than 400 across the US and Canada over the coming weeks and months. The feature is the latest addition to an app that now spans car and bike rentals, hotel reservations and food delivery, giving consumers another reason to open Uber and spend there. The company is also investing heavily in autonomous vehicles, with more than 30 AV partners, and said it plans to explore using parking spots as staging and waiting locations for AVs to reduce deadheading, congestion and vehicle wear while improving fleet efficiency. Fulay said the network could also serve delivery drivers working in areas where parking is scarce or those needing a place to stop in dense urban areas, and that Uber will look to explore those uses once the infrastructure is in place.
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