(Bloomberg) — Uber Technologies Inc. is bringing back its shared ride service after a hiatus during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The carpool service, called UberX share, is now available in a few cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Uber announced on Tuesday.
It will be expanded to more cities over the summer.
After suspending the ride-share feature in March 2020, the company said the decision to bring it back will help passengers “make a sustainable choice.” Uber also acknowledged that shared rides are more affordable, “especially in the current economic climate.” Riders will get a discount if they choose UberX up front and a 20% discount on the total fare if matched with another passenger.
The feature will match riders going in the same direction so that they won’t arrive at their destination more than 8 minutes later than an UberX trip.
The move comes as more city-dwellers return to the office following the pandemic-induced remote work shift.
Lyft Inc. also resumed carpooling in more markets in May.
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