Uber Debuts Prepaid Commuter Cards

Commuting in some big U.S. cities may get a bit cheaper through the use of prepaid cards, thanks to Uber.

Uber said on its website that riders can use commuter prepaid cards to pay for uberPOOL, its carpool ride service. The commuting service now accepts cards including WageWorks’ Commuter Prepaid Mastercard and Visa Prepaid card, along with TransitChek’s QuickPay Prepaid Visa Card.

The firm noted on its site that the use of pretax dollars implies that riders can save as much as 40 percent on commuting expenses. Uber also said that existing users can add these benefits to their payment options by adding the prepaid card number.

Initially, the prepaid offerings are being made available in Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C., said Uber. The service itself, when using the prepaid cards, will connect riders only with Uber drivers piloting full-sized vehicles. Uber also cautioned that wait times for rides utilizing the new feature will have “slightly longer” estimated times of arrival.

uberPOOL is up to 55 percent cheaper in some locations than uberX due to carpool riders sharing the cost of a single ride, the firm has stated.