Uber is launching a new feature that informs the Driver that the trip that they have accepted would be a long trip. We have heard from a few Uber partners that they have started seeing it.
We were informed by our partner drivers that he received a “Long Trip” >30mins notice on his morning trip on September 8, 2017.
This is a how it would look like – (not actual screenshot)
First-Time-Unlucky
The Uber Driver mentioned that this is the first time he had seen such a feature. He rushed towards the pick-up point (as it had a 2.1X surge) and forgot about taking a photo.
Eventually, the trip was cancelled due to rider’s no show after 5 minutes.
When he checked the trip history, the rider’s destination was indeed a long trip heading toward Changi Airport and would probably take more than 30 minutes during that period.
As far as we know, this is another feature that Uber had yet to announce unlike previous changes like removing the need for acceptance rate for incentives and 7 changes expected in the coming months.
Good Feature to have but is it relevant
Any improvement is a bonus and is readily welcomed by Uber Drivers. The last round of announcement where Uber made 4 changes to help Drivers was well-received by many. This feature was likely to have originated from USA where Uber Drivers were assigned with trips that made them drive across different states.
According to our research, the single longest ever reported Uber trip clocked 1102km and 11.5 hours. The fare? An estimated USD$1000 before Uber fee.
The possibility of Uber Driver in Singapore spending so much time and distance is remotely impossible due to our limited geographical area. However, being the kiasu Singaporean in all of us, having something extra is better than having nothing at all.
Please officially launch it soon Uber!
