UberPool service adds BART shutdown areas
Uber is temporarily expanding its shared- ride UberPool option to eastern Contra Costa County while BART stations there are shut down.
During commute hours, UberPool rides will cost about half of the same non- shared ride on regular UberX. UberPool is about 25 percent cheaper at other times.
Uber said it saw a 28 percent increase in riders for UberX, its cheapest non- shared ride service, in the affected area on Thursday compared with the same day a week earlier.
BART service between the Pittsburg- Bay Point and North Concord stations ceased on Wednesday and is halted indefinitely while the transit agency tries to diagnose and
fix track problems there. BART is running a bus bridge for passengers between the affected stations.
Uber similarly expanded its UberPool coverage throughout the entire Washington metro area when the DC Metro was closed this week. It said Pool ridership increased 140 percent, and app downloads by new riders increased 70 percent over the previous week.
Both Uber and Lyft have pitched their services, particularly the cheaper shared- ride options, as “last mile” links to public transit.
Lyft’s shared- ride option, Lyft Line, is already available in eastern Contra Costa County. The company did not immediately have information on changes in passenger numbers.