Uberpool is one of the most innovative services offered by Uber today. It epitomizes the mission of Uber to offer safe and reliable transportation options for people in high volume at a very reasonable cost.

Uberpool matches riders going in the same direction and share the ride. The implications of the Uberpool service are very far-reaching because it allows Uber to essential brand the company as a “congestion fighting solution provider” while gaining tremendous market penetration and assisting more people all at the same time.

UberX is about 40% cheaper than a regular taxi and Uberpool takes it even a step further by matching riders going in a similar route where you share the ride — and split the cost — with another party (up to a group of 2) who just happen to be requesting a ride along a similar route.

Some riders are nervous about being taken out of their way to pick up the second rider, however, with a significant discount already factored in — the average re-route time added to an Uberpool trip is usually less than five minutes. If you are a fan of the Uberpool service, you should always remember that each rider can bring up to one additional passenger along for the ride for a total of 2 per a group.

In the early mornings, I have conducted Uberpool rides with as many as three parties (total of 3 people with small carry-on luggage only) on the way to catch their flights at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL). Some parties may be on a surge multiple and others may not be….depending on the exact time of their Uber pool request!

As Uber Partners, we are always looking for ways to increase our income. Uberpool raises the bar by boosting demand (i.e. $3.85 flat rate Uberpool promotions, etc.) which means a lot less dead miles and increased profit-to-mile conversion (see “Seven Ridesharing Tactics for Making up to $700 in 7 Days”).  Dead miles are not only costly in wasted gas but they can wreck havoc on the psyche of the average Uber Partner due to boredom.

On UberX, Uber Partners don’t earn money in between trips. With Uberpool, partners get paid while transporting a rider and get paid on the way to pick up riders (i.e. rider #2 while rider #1 party is seated). At the end of the day, more “chedda” in the pockets of Uber Partners is a good thing. Some Uber Partners complain that it is more work on their part because they have to coordinate the process of completing two trips.

With hundreds of Uberpool trips completed, the process is not anymore daunting than UberX. The entire process of Uberpool is micromanaged quite well by the Uber Partner app. The main job of the Uber Partner with Uberpool is simply to keep passengers informed and engaged while providing riders a safe and comfortable ride to their destination.

Getting paid along the way to pick up multiple riders is a great innovation on the part of Uber. As a Uber Partner, you are collecting fares from the first pickup right through the final dropoff. Innovation is the name of the game for Uber!