Stop trying to get a good cell signal or download an app. Uber is bringing its service right to the curb with new physical kiosks. People who need a ride but don’t have the app can use these touchscreen stations. They make it easy to get a car without having to call.
The idea is a smart move, especially during the busy holiday travel season, because it targets a key group: people from other countries. Many people come to the U.S. without a local data plan, which makes the normal app-based process difficult. These airport kiosks make things easy right at the terminal.
How do Uber’s new kiosks work?
Travelers will find the process easy to navigate. They can walk to the kiosk, touch the screen, select a destination, and choose a ride. You can finish your booking at the station because it has a built-in credit card reader.
Then, it prints out a receipt on paper that has all the trip details, such as the driver’s name and the estimated cost. The goal is for the experience to be as simple as getting a taxi from a line.
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City is now home to the first of these kiosks. But Uber has plans that go beyond this one place. In the following months, the company says it will put up more kiosks at other international airports, hotels, and cruise ports.
Uber has tried out a physical location before, like when it did something like this at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport in 2019.
Uber thinks that big events all over the world are a wonderful time to use this service. A company spokesperson told Bloomberg that the World Cup next year, which will bring many people from all over the world to North America, is a “strong opportunity” for this kind of growth.
Uber is also adding more shuttles to its service, in addition to the kiosks. Uber Shuttle has just begun to operate at Newark Liberty International Airport. This means that all of the major airports in the New York area now have this cheap, fixed-route shuttle service.
In the end, Uber is smart to meet travelers where they are, both physically and practically. The company is installing kiosks in busy transit hubs to help tourists and people without phones get around. It’s clear that Uber wants to make getting around on the ground easy for all kinds of travelers by building stores and expanding its shuttle network.
