Uber's newest features could help you spend less on each ride or grocery order — particularly if you use the app frequently.
The ride-hailing and delivery app unveiled multiple budget-focused offerings at its annual Go-Get conference, from a tool that finds cheaper groceries to a new kind of shared ride aimed at commuters that focuses on the busiest streets in an area.
With the features, Uber wants to make "things a little easier, a little more predictable, and above all, a lot more affordable" for users, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said at the conference Wednesday.
The price-conscious features come as Uber tries to get existing customers to use its app more. Uber's latest quarterly results, which the company reported last week, were driven by "growth that's coming from engagement and frequency, not just price," Khosrowshahi said on a call this month.
The company is also seeing growth in the number of subscribers to Uber One, its paid subscription service that offers discounts and other perks on rides and delivery.
One of the new features unveiled Wednesday is the Uber Eats Savings Slider. Customers will be able to add groceries to their basket, then use the slider to decide how much money they would like to save. As they increase the savings amount, the app will suggest cheaper versions of what they have selected.
The feature could save users 15% to 20% on average and will be available later this year in the US and Canada, Rohan Mathew, Uber's senior director of delivery engineering, said at Go-Get.
"If I care how many swaps Uber makes, I can really crank up the savings," he said. In an example on stage, Mathew increased the savings amount, which swapped a blanket that he had selected for a Snuggy wearable blanket that was on sale.
Uber is also adding an option it calls "Route Share" to its ride-hailing business. Under the offering, users can save as much as 50% on fares by walking longer distances to pick up points along major, busy streets and sharing rides with other passengers, the company said at its presentation.
Route Share is "our most affordable ride offering yet" and "the perfect way to get to and from work without breaking the bank," Uber said in a statement summarizing the new features. Uber started offering the service on Wednesday in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, and Baltimore.
Both Route Share and the grocery feature are aimed at users who would incorporate them into their daily or weekly routines.
Uber's focus on savings and how much customers pay for its services comes as many consumer brands worry about a potential recession, driven in part by the lingering effects of President Donald Trump's tariffs on the economy.
Uber itself has not reported evidence of a downturn, with customers still spending on ride-hailing trips and food deliveries. And Wednesday's presentation didn't include much talk of the state of the economy.
But leaders at the conference made many references to savings, deals, and discounts. While introducing the savings slider feature, for instance, Mathew referenced grocery prices that have remained high thanks to inflation.
And Sachin Kansal, Uber's chief product officer, said at the conference that its route share feature is meant to help daily commuters save money.
Using Uber could also get cheaper if a recession comes, Khosrowshahi said recently, since more people would be likely to turn to working for the app for income.
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