Uber's new parking feature has a robotaxi twist
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Uber Parking is a new option in the Uber app. Images courtesy of Uber
Uber built its business on the idea that you don't need to drive your own car. But if you are going to drive, Uber now wants to help you find a place to park.
Why it matters: Uber's new parking service is part of its ambition to become a super-app for everything — transportation, delivery and even hotel bookings. But there's another twist, too: It could help solve a thorny problem for robotaxis: Where do they go to sleep?
Driving the news: Uber is launching Uber Parking, allowing drivers to find, compare and reserve parking through the Uber app.
- The service follows Uber's recent acquisition of SpotHero, whose network includes more than 13,000 parking facilities across 400-plus cities.
- Uber Parking debuts today in 15 U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Boston, Atlanta and Washington, D.C., with plans to expand nationwide.
The intrigue: Uber says it plans to explore using parking facilities in the SpotHero network as staging areas for idle robotaxis.
How it works: Instead of cruising city streets between fares, autonomous vehicles could wait in garages or lots until they're summoned.
- That could reduce empty miles, congestion and vehicle wear while positioning robotaxis closer to potential customers.
- Uber has also invested heavily in charging infrastructure and is looking for ways to bring these assets together, Amit Fulay, Uber's VP of product, told Axios.
The big picture: Uber wants to be the first place consumers turn whenever they're planning a trip — whether they're driving themselves or hailing a ride.
- Fulay expects customers will compare the cost of an Uber ride with the cost of parking their own cars.
- "We have so much expertise running marketplaces efficiently, and matching supply with demand. Parking is similar," he said.
The bottom line: Either way, Uber wins by giving customers more reasons to open its app.
