If you didn’t #DeleteUber and live in New York City, the company is rolling out a few changes today. Namely, an update to a previous change made last year that required all UberPool pickups to happen on street corners to save time. Now, UberPool pickups in New York will happen on street corners, past a traffic light, on the right-hand side of the street. Stopping before a traffic light, Uber explained on its blog, “can be stressful for drivers, especially if they have an upcoming turn.” In theory, this means a driver could pick up several different passengers along a single avenue, Uber also noted, and never change lanes or make a turn.
Uber has also tweaked its algorithm to help drivers avoid congested areas and cut down on turns per mile by 20 percent. (We’ll see!) Drop-off points will also shift for riders, even once they’re in the car. “Rather than give riders a drop-off spot right when they request a POOL, we recalculate the best drop-off spot every few seconds when they are nearing their destination,” Uber explained. These changes are taking effect in New York today. Can’t wait to see what “woke” changes UberPool competitor Lyft Line comes up with in response.
