What is Uber Comfort? Is it Worth the Extra Money?

Uber Comfort is a new product that provides riders with more options to elevate their riding experience on a day-to-day basis. Vehicles eligible for Uber Comfort are required to have more head and legroom than vehicles eligible for UberX, the most popular Uber class today. Whether transporting visiting family or in need of a little extra legroom after a long plane ride, Uber Comfort aims to provide the passenger with an option for an elevated ride experience.

Uber Comfort is an elevated economy ride option for up to 4 passengers that’s designed to help the drivers make extra money by giving riders more room than they may get with an UberX vehicle. Uber Comfort is a product for riders and drivers that connects riders with newer, more spacious cars. It includes enhanced rider preferences and a new fee structure that gives riders more time to get to the car.

What can you expect with Uber Comfort as a passenger?

• Higher fares than UberX
• A more streamlined experience with Ride Preferences
• Extended pickup periods (Except for airport pickups, riders using Uber Comfort will have 10 minutes before they can be charged for a driver-initiated cancellation fee.* Riders will pay higher per-minute wait time fees and higher cancellation fees on Uber Comfort than UberX when a driver needs to cancel.)
• Newer, Mid-Size Cars: Arrive in comfort with a car that meets consistent vehicle make and model standards.
• Extra Legroom: Uber Comfort rides will have minimum legroom requirements so you can stretch out and have the space you need.
• Rider Preferences: You can request your ideal temperature in advance and let your drivers know when you’re looking for a quiet ride so you can stay comfortable on the road.

Whether as a passenger you're looking for a reliable way to make your flight, a big meeting on time, or a ride for a special occasion, millions of people rely on Uber every day to get where they need to go. Uber Comfort was built for riders who are constantly on the go and want a little extra comfort. We’ve all been there: You need a little quiet time, prefer to stretch your legs, or simply like an extra comfortable ride out to dinner when friends are in town.

This collection of rider preference features is unique from those found in Uber Black and Black SUV rides, which provides you access to more exclusive in-app options such as request help with luggage, premium support, and pickup by professional drivers.

One of the perks of Uber Comfort for the passengers is Uber’s quiet mode. It is either a useful tool for riders who are deaf or hard of hearing, women who don’t want to have potentially creepy conversations with male drivers, or people with social anxiety or it’s a rude way for rich snobs to silence their drivers with just a tap in an app. I personally don’t care, I usually go with the initial vibe of the passenger. After I politely greet them, I let them take the lead, if they want to talk, we will, if they don’t, I just shut up and drive. There's a very high likelihood that I will never see the same passenger again!

In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with treating yourself to a few extra perks like more legroom and temperature control if you know that these features will make your commute significantly more comfortable. So stop leaving it up to chance and keep Uber Comfort on your radar for your future rides.

What cities is Uber Comfort available in?

Uber Comfort is now available in Albuquerque, Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Bakersfield, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Boise, Boston, Calgary, Central Atlantic Coast, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbia, Columbus, Connecticut, Dallas, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Eastern Shore, Edmonton, Fayetteville, Florida Keys, Fort Collins, Fort Myers-Naples, Fresno, Grand Rapids, Greenville, Hamilton, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Inland Empire, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Kitchener-Waterloo, Las Vegas, Lehigh Valley, Lexington, London ONT, Los Angeles, Louisville, Madison, Maui, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis – St. Paul, Montreal, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, New Jersey, New Orleans, Niagara Region, NYC Suburbs, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orange County, Orlando, Ottawa, Palm Springs, Pensacola, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Piedmont Triad, Pittsburgh, Portland, Quebec City, Raleigh-Durham, Reno, Rhode Island, Richmond, Rockies, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sarasota, Savannah-Hilton Head, Seattle, St. Louis, Tacoma, Tallahassee, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Tucson, Tulsa, Upstate NY, Ventura, Washington DC, Western MA, Wichita, and Worcester.

Riders can expect to pay around 20 to 40 percent more than a typical Uber X trip, according to an Uber spokesperson.

Uber Comfort Driver Eligibility Criteria!

Uber Comfort sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Well, it was a bit of a shock for drivers in the Phoenix area when it was recently beta tested without their knowledge or consent. Most drivers in the Phoenix area did see the overall upside of Uber Comfort. Unfortunately, the beta test roll-out just wasn’t quite handled very well but that is something Uber does regularly with their algorithms. They test them on drivers before rolling the program out nationwide. Uber has been listening to drivers about the roll out and lack of announcement/information to drivers. According to Uber, “eligible drivers will receive an in-app notification and email letting them know they are eligible and providing more details around the driver experience.” Additionally, drivers will be notified in their apps when a Comfort trip is available.

Uber Comfort was designed to maximize possibilities on the Uber platform. Driver eligibility criteria for Uber Comfort include each of the following:

• Maintain eligibility on a different Uber option such as UberX, Select, UberXL, Uber Black, or Uber Black SUV
• Have a minimum star rating of 4.85 based on at least 250 trips
• Drive a vehicle with more legroom than smaller, compact cars eligible for UberX and that meet the minimum vehicle year requirement (see eligible vehicle list below)

I think it would be good if you have a small SUV, those small to medium sized SUVs out there running as UberX are barely making anything, I see the benefit for those drivers. The UberX driver may like this new addition because they may see it as a kind of raise. (In most cities between 6-8 cents more per mile and on time) Another upside I see is that many of these rides end up being longer rides, which means more money for those who end up taking those fares. An UberX driver would earn more for those rides if they were booked under Uber Comfort, but an Uber XL driver would earn less than they would normally.

How to get access to Uber Comfort trip requests as a driver?

Eligible drivers with Uber Comfort can make more money per trip than with UberX. To see the rates for Uber Comfort in your city, just go to the 'Fares' section of your partner dashboard.

If you already have access to UberX trip requests and you are eligible for Comfort trips and have a Comfort-eligible vehicle, you will automatically get access to Comfort trip requests. If you have access to only Select, UberXL, Uber Black, and/or Uber Black SUV trip requests and you are eligible for Comfort, you can receive access to Comfort by selecting UberX on the Driver Preferences screen in the Uber app. At this time, you can not receive Comfort trip requests without also receiving UberX requests and, where applicable, shared ride requests.

How much more than UberX can drivers expect to make with Uber Comfort?

Uber Comfort fares are guaranteed to be 20% higher than UberX fares and can be as much as 40% higher in some markets before surge pricing even kicks in. While fares are still lower than UberXL fares, this allows traditional UberX drivers with qualified vehicle models to get an income boost, if their cars don’t quite qualify for higher-tier services. This is a good deal for drivers who were already predominantly driving UberX or UberPool, but if you’ve been driving for more expensive services, opting to receive Comfort requests has the potential to drag your income down. This is because UberX is still the most popular and cheapest Uber service, so business travelers and other common Uber Comfort riders will only be a fraction of your new requests.

To see if your vehicle meets Uber Comfort’s special eligibility requirements, see the full list.

Frequently asked Questions:

1. Does Lyft offer any services like Uber Comfort?

Lyft does not currently offer any services that are exactly like Uber Comfort. If you want to earn more money than you would with a standard Lyft request, you’ll need to have a vehicle that’s eligible for Lyft XL (the equivalent of UberXL) or Lyft Lux (the equivalent of Uber Select).

The rideshare app doesn’t allow riders to set ride preferences for any product — though Lyft has reportedly been considering a zen mode — so you’ll still want to ask them about their AC preferences in person.

2. Do I need to be a professional driver to drive Uber Comfort?

No. Because Comfort is not a luxury service, it does not require you to be a professional driver. You’re also not required to hold a commercial license or have commercial insurance, keeping startup costs pretty low for anyone who wants to earn through this service.

3. Will Uber Comfort be available in any countries outside of North America soon?

Uber has not announced any plans for Comfort expansion outside its current United States and Canada markets, as its original beta testing in Phoenix only ended just before its recent roll-out. If Uber Comfort gains traction throughout its current markets, there’s a good chance we’ll see the product in more cities.