This New Uber Feature Makes Getting to the Airport Less Stressful

You’re leaving for the airport in an hour, so you check your Uber app and see that there are plenty of cars in your area—perfect. Except that when you actually go to order your Uber, it winds up being a 15-minute wait, making you nervous about catching your flight.

Uber is aiming to fix this issue with its latest update, offering a new on-time scheduled pickup guarantee that allows riders to book a ride up to 30 days in advance—and if your ride is late, you’ll get an Uber credit. To book in advance, you’ll reserve a window of time (usually about 10 minutes) for your driver to arrive. You can schedule the arrival time anywhere from 30 days to 30 minutes ahead of time.

Other helpful tools included in the update include:

• Spotlight: Lights up your phone with a color and then tells your driver what color to look for.
• Pickup messages: Send your driver a message to help him/her find you (like what color jacket you’re wearing) or to let them know that you’ll be right there. These messages will be read aloud to your driver, so they don’t have to take their eyes off the road.

To use the new features, you’ll simply need to update the Uber app on your phone. If you’re not already an Uber user, you can get up to $15 off of your first ride with this link.

• More from SmarterTravel:

  • Would You Take an e-Scooter Ride with Uber?
  • How to Use Uber and Lyft When You Travel
  • Are Uber and Lyft Making City Congestion Even Worse?