Cars & Autos | Friday 23 June, 2017 3:57 am |

Uber celebrates a successful month of giving across the Kingdom this week - a month in which the technology company encouraged people  to make Ramadan just a little bit brighter for those less fortunate.

Following a month of meaningful partnerships and initiatives during Ramadan, including the UberOMO campaign, which allowed thousands to arrange for complimentary pickups of gently used clothing at the push of a button, and a 20% discount on rides to and from Mekkah, to those who travelled to perform Umrah during the holy month. Uber is offering some tips and advice on how to plan ahead and travel smart this Eid and summer. With Uber now available in more than 18 cities across the region, riders can look forward to reliable transport within minutes at the touch of a button. Not to mention, Uber is now accessible in more than 450 cities globally, from New York to Dubai  and Hong Kong to Rio, meaning access to reliable, smarter travel on the go is now easier than ever!

 

The attention of people around the Kingdom will now turn to the upcoming Eid and summer holidays. According to the recent Deloitte Travel & Hospitality Industry Outlook for 2017, technologies that remove the pain points from travel will be more in-demand than ever. With this in mind, Uber shares summer travel tips that people can keep in mind when traveling over the summer months.
 

Airport Availability: Whether you’re staying domestic or flying to another country, you can take Uber to and from over 300 airports around the world. The Uber app will provide instructions for your pickup - and for larger airports, the app enables riders to provide specific pick up instructions - like terminal and door number - to their driver. You can also visit uber.com/airports/ for more information about your airport.

Schedule your ride:  Whether you’re headed out of town, or want to be on time for a dinner reservation, you can have extra assurance knowing your Uber will be available when you need it.  Uber's Scheduled Rides feature is available in more than 300 cities worldwide, and you can request your ride 30 days to just 30 minutes before you need it. If you’re headed to the Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam International Airports this week, why not let Uber get you there at the tap of a button?

 

Check your trip details: To ensure you’re getting into the right car, look for the driver’s name, photo and license plate number in your app, check the license plate number and look in the window to make sure the driver matches the photo. When you open the door, ask for the driver’s name.

 

Share your Trip: This feature is especially handy for solo travelers. While en route, you can not only monitor your own trip in your app but also share your trip details with friends and family. Simply tap the “Send Status” button to immediately send your driver’s name, photo, vehicle, and where you are on the map to a friend or family member, so they know when you’ve safely arrived. They don’t even need to download the app to track your trip!

Save Places: Saved Places will make it easy to bookmark (and forget!) addresses so you can get to the places you need to see faster. On vacation, once you’ve saved the address of your hotel, all it takes is a tap to be on your way back after a day of exploring.

 

Connect your Calendar: For travellers with packed itineraries, every minute counts. Digging to find an address, then copying and pasting it into the Uber app doesn’t get you there any faster.  With Uber Calendar Shortcuts, Uber can assist with your planning. Once you connect your calendar to the Uber app, your upcoming flight, hotel stay, or dinner reservations from your phone’s native calendar will appear as a “shortcut” on the bottom of the screen when you open the app, so you can tap and go.

 

UberXL: Whether you’re travelling with a group or simply have a lot of luggage, UberXL is the way to go. Use the Uber app to check the availability of an UberXL and fit your group (or your luggage) comfortably!

Special Uber services:  In certain regions, you can take advantage of special local offerings like UberBOAT, UberChopper and UberEATS.

With so many great benefits, technologies like Uber are making travelling easier for people  in the Kingdom - allowing for more flexibility, freedom, independence and more security and safety in the process.