Alas, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are over. Autumn is here, and many of us are back to our routines — commuting to work and school and a lot more lunches in the office and the cafeteria.
Uber and Uber Eats are introducing several new features to take some of the economic sting out of all that eating and riding, including meal deals, prepaid passes and price-locked rides.
“As fall routines take shape, daily life shouldn’t feel like a daily battle,” said Amit Fulay, head of rider product at Uber. “With these new features, we’re making it simpler and more affordable to move through your day — whether that’s to the office, grabbing a meal or getting your teen to practice.”
Uber Eats customers can save money by ordering Meal Deals in certain US cities.
Meal deals at $15 or less
US workers are back in the office at the highest rate since before the COVID pandemic — nearly 80%, according to market research from Placer.ai — and they’re as hungry as ever. According to a 2023 survey by ezCater, an online marketplace that connects businesses to restaurants and caterers, workers in big cities spend a bunch for lunch per month, including Los Angeles ($432), New York ($418) and San Francisco ($416).
Uber Eats is rolling out Meal Deals, which will provide popular meals for $15 or less, including all fees. How it works: Participating restaurants will prepare popular lunches and dinners in batches, which will drive the prices down because of the volume. Orders might take a few minutes longer than usual, the company said, since deliveries will also occur in batches.
Meal Deals will be available first in New York, Austin and Miami, and then Philadelphia shortly thereafter. Uber Eats plans to expand the program to more cities in the near future.
Prepaid passes on rides
Uber is offering discounts on rides you take frequently with Prepaid Passes. You can buy bundles of five, 10, 15 or 20 rides. The bigger the bundle, the bigger the savings — up to 20%.
Prepaid passes will be available in more than 75 US cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Louis and Tampa Bay. Uber said it will be adding more cities soon.
Uber customers can save money on commuting by purchasing ride bundles.
Wider reach for price lock passes
Uber rolled out this feature in a few cities in the US in May, and now it’s expanding to every major city, and also major cities in Brazil.
Riders can lock in a price from point A to point B for a 1-hour window each day on their selected routes with a pass that costs $3. The pass is good for 30 days or $50 in savings, whichever comes first. Riders can buy up to 10 passes at a time.
Uber says that if your locked-in price is higher than the upfront price at the time you take the ride, you will get the lower price.
Ride passes for teens
From their accounts, teen customers can buy price-lock passes or prepaid passes. They can use a personal payment method or a card connected to the family profile.
That could come in handy for busy teens going to and from many places, including school, sports and social events.
