Uber expanding options to reserve cars in advance, adding airport navigation

As South Florida travelers prepare for spring break and summer travel, Uber wants to make moving around airports and hailing rides easier.

The company announced Tuesday additional services that consumers can use on the Uber app on their mobile devices. People will be able to get walking directions to their Uber pickup spots at many airports and also estimated times to walk from plane arrival gates to baggage claim areas to get their luggage.

Also, Uber is expanding the ability to reserve a car up to 90 days in advance, and the vehicle options now run the gamut from the company’s least to most expensive cars.

Jen You, Uber’s head of product for rides, said the updates to the rideshare firm’s services are intended to make travel smoother for customers.

“We want every Uber experience to feel effortless,” she said. “With travel roaring back, we’ve been innovating on ways to redesign your airport experience from beginning to end, so that you’re not just getting to and from the airport, but also getting through it with less stress.”

Step-by-step directions via the Uber app guiding passengers from airport arrival gates to Uber pickup areas initially is going to be available at about 30 major global airports, including Miami International Airport and airports in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Dallas among others.

Arriving passengers can check the app for the estimated walking time from airport arrival gates to pick up their luggage. Then people should have a better idea when to request an Uber ride. This feature is available at about 400 airports worldwide including Miami, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Orlando International airports.

To use Uber Reserve to book a car for up to three months in advance, customers pay a reservation fee as part of their rate and can see upfront pricing via the app, so they know the cost of fares before they make reservations.

To kick-start the new services, Uber One members can receive $20 Uber cash back for their next Uber Reserve ride booked during March by using the code GORESERVE.

In South Florida, the additional services come after Uber had expanded offerings in 2022 for rides and food delivery. In August, the company announced Uber Charter, a service that allows for rental of buses and vans. In December, Uber Eats began offering food delivery services via self-driven robots in a partnership with Cartken, a California technology company.