‘We want to partner with cities’: Uber expands into car sharing, public transport with Getaround and Masabi

WITH ride-sharing, bike-sharing, self-driving cars and even flying taxis in the works, Uber has just announced two more travel options.

LONG gone are the days when Uber was just a cheaper taxi.

Following the acquisition of New York bike-sharing start-up Jump, the ride-sharing giant has announced two more trial partnerships as it continues to expand its range of travel options beyond traditional cars.

The first is with Getaround, a car-sharing platform that will give users the ability to earn spare cash as an Uber driver without owning their own car, and the second is with public transport ticketing app Masabi.

“Whether you’re using mass transit for your morning commute, taking an e-bike for a midday meeting, using Pool to take a ride home or renting a car for the weekend, we want Uber to be there with you and we want to partner with cities to be part of our solution moving forward,” Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi told media event in Washington DC according to Tech Crunch.

Getaround, similar to Australian company Car Next Door, allows drivers to rent cars from private owners in five US cities. The trial partnership in San Francisco will allow drivers to rent a car for $US5 an hour, including insurance and fuel costs.

“You can stay car-free and make extra cash driving in San Francisco thanks to a new pilot partnership between Uber and Getaround,” Uber said in an announcement on its website.

“Whether you’re saving up for a splurge or your next adventure, you can start making money with just a few clicks for just a few hours in a car that’s probably just a few blocks away. It’s a simple, stress-free way for anyone with the drive and a few extra hours to make extra cash with no car and no commitment.”

Masabi, which currently operates in 30 cities worldwide including Sydney and Adelaide, allows travellers to purchase train, bus and ferry tickets from their phone and scan the barcode directly from the screen.

The Uber integration will give users the option to book and display public transport tickets directly through the app, “allowing for seamless transfers from ride-sharing to public transit services for convenient multimodal journeys”.

“Uber paved the way for a new paradigm in urban mobility, and we’re tremendously excited to power seamless connectivity between Uber’s options and public transit, reducing the number of cars on the road and enabling more on-demand transportation,” Masabi CEO Brian Zanghi said in a statement.

With the latest news, Uber now either offers or is developing traditional ride-sharing, car rental, public transport, bike-sharing, freight trucks and even flying taxis.

Last month, the company was forced to suspend its self-driving car tests after a pedestrian was hit and killed in Arizona, marking the first pedestrian fatality from a self-driving vehicle.

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Originally published as ‘We want to partner with cities’: Uber expands into car sharing, public transport with Getaround and Masabi