Uber Launches Vouchers To Capture More B2B Market Share

Uber has introduced “Uber Vouchers,” a new product that helps businesses offer discounted or free rides for customers, according to reports.

The product, announced on Tuesday (April 9), is aimed at growing the ridesharing company’s involvement in the B2B market, and it comes just as Uber is expected to announce its initial public offering (IPO) later this month.

It’s available in cities where Uber already operates, and if businesses want to sign up for the service they can do so at ​uber.com/vouchers.

“Companies can create customized Voucher campaigns and programs within a specified budget, set pick-up and drop-off locations, and an established time for an offer. All details can be tailored to an event, promotion or service,” Uber said. “Businesses can send vouchers to their customers through email, social media and mobile messaging.”

The company said businesses will only pay for the amount of rides redeemed under the program, plus whatever administrative fees are applicable.

“When a rider redeems a Voucher, it is added automatically into the Payment section of the rider’s Uber app until it expires. Customers who receive a Voucher can apply it directly to their existing Uber account or will be prompted to download the app to redeem the discounted trip,” Uber said. “A dedicated dashboard shows businesses how many Vouchers are redeemed and allows them to export anonymized trip information streamline reporting and billing.”

Companies that usually offer shuttle cars or rentals can use Uber instead, and bars can give “designated driver” discounts to drinking customers. Sports teams could potentially bundle rides with other fans to go see a game.

Uber beta tested vouchers late in 2018 with more than 100 partners in a variety of industries, including Live Nation, Sprint, TGI Friday’s and European real estate developers Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.

The ridesharing company has recently branched out with more and more B2B services, like Uber Freight and Uber Health. The company also owns the massively successful Uber Eats, which is a huge source of revenue.