Uber Technologies Inc. looks to add long-distance travel bookings to its U.K. app this year, including intercity trains, coaches, and flights, the Financial Times reports.
Uber aims to expand its ride-booking app into a one-stop shop for travel that could eventually include hotels, including a “seamless door-to-door experience.”
The U.K., one of Uber’s biggest markets outside North America, will pilot the service before a wider rollout. Uber sees the addition of forms of transport boost the core ride-hailing business, with customers using its driver network to move between transit hubs and bring in commissions when customers book train or bus fares.
Uber sees that integrating flight booking and ticketing will boost these higher-margin rides, as airport trips accounted for 15 percent of Uber trips in the pre-pandemic period.
Dara Khosrowshahi began talking about Uber becoming a “super app” offering a more comprehensive range of mobility options in 2018. However, when the pandemic halted the travel and transport industry, Uber dived into expanding its food delivery business.
Last summer, the U.K. was one of the first of Uber’s big markets where passenger numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels. User numbers across rides and food delivery have hit 20 million over the past 12 months. London’s transport authority also granted Uber a 30-month license in March.
