How Uber Plans to Become a 'SuperApp'

Uber is making some big changes in their quest to become a travel “superapp”. Uber announced on Wednesday that they are now adding trains, buses, planes, and rental cars to their U.K. app. This is all part of a new pilot program that Uber hopes to expand to other countries in the future.

Uber will not be providing these additional travel services themselves, instead they will be acting as a middle man. Through partnering with various other transportation companies, Uber will allow users to book the additional transportation options on their app while contracting out the services to local providers. However, Uber will take a cut on each booking.

According to CNBC, Jamie Heywood, Uber’s boss in the U.K., said in a statement that Uber hopes to become “a one-stop-shop for all your travel needs.” He added, “You have been able to book rides, bikes, boat services and scooters on the Uber app for a number of years, so adding trains and coaches is a natural progression. Later this year we plan to incorporate flights, and in the future hotels, by integrating leading partners into the Uber app to create a seamless door-to-door travel experience.”

Uber is hopeful that this change will boost app usage as travel starts to pick up again in this “post pandemic world”. This super app announcement from Uber, comes after another recent win by the ridesharing giant. Uber has also recently announced their partnering with New York City and San Francisco yellow cabs. And this is only the beginning as Uber recently disclosed to investors that it wants to include every taxi in the world on their app, “When we look at the next five years, we just don’t see a world in which taxis and Uber exist separately. There’s too much to gain for both sides. That’s why we’ve set a very ambitious goal to put every taxi on Uber by 2025.”

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