Uber Expands Offerings With Vaccine Bookings, Car Rentals

People can now use the Uber app to book vaccine appointments, make car rental reservations, secure rides by the hour for multiple stops and more, according to a company blog post on Wednesday (April 28).

Its new “go get” strategy coincides with the reopening of the country following more than a year of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. These latest features give people the ability to schedule food pickup while in transit on an Uber ride.

“While much of the world stood still over the last year, our team at Uber has been reimagining how the world moves to help us return — not just to normal, but to a better normal,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in the blog post.

The company partnered with Walgreens to give people a free ride to the vaccination site and also schedule an appointment for a shot right on the Uber app.

“We’ve committed 10 million free or discounted rides to help underserved and communities of color get to and from their appointments. And we’ve launched the Vaccine Access Fund alongside Walgreens, PayPal and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to allow anyone to donate additional free rides to those in need. We’ve already raised more than $380,000 on top of initial contributions from the partner companies,” per the post.

Uber Rent coordinates with Avis, Budget, Hertz and other car rental providers to enable people to easily reserve a vehicle. The added Valet service brings the rental to a customer’s doorstep.

The company’s Uber Reserve tool gives people the ability to book a ride up to 30 days in advance and even request a specific driver. Additional benefits include flight tracking, up to 60 minutes of wait time after landing, and curbside pickup.

The hourly booking service gives people the option of staying in one Uber to run multiple errands — including picking up food along the way.

The app also has a new savings hub that aggregates available offers, deals and discounts. There is also the ability to track future discounts through restaurant loyalty programs.

Uber’s Walgreen partnership in collaboration with PayPal donated a combined total of $11 million to the Vaccine Access Fund. The CEOs of each company indicated that the program was rolled out in response to the White House’s request that corporations take action in response to the pandemic.

After rideshare demand dropped off during the pandemic, Uber is now seeing an uptick in the need for its services that is coinciding with a shortage in drivers. To address that end, the company said earlier this month that it was extending bonuses to entice drivers to come back to the platform.