Uber Technologies Inc. is introducing a way for some people to use the ride-hailing service without the company’s signature app.
The rideshare giant plans to install physical kiosks at places like airports, starting with LaGuardia in New York, it said in a statement Tuesday. These outposts, which were designed with travelers in mind, include a large touch screen with a credit card reader and receipt printer. The booking experience mirrors what consumers might be used to on the mobile app.
The first kiosk will be at LaGuardia’s Terminal C, with installations at hotels, ports and other international airports to follow over the coming months, the company said. The experience was intended for “international visitors arriving without a local data plan or anyone who prefers an in-person experience,” it added.
Major events next year drawing large numbers of international travelers, including the World Cup, provide a “strong opportunity,” an Uber spokesperson told Bloomberg.
Uber’s rideshare business is expected to account for half of its total gross bookings for 2025, according to Bloomberg-compiled estimates, and the company is trying to both win over new customers and deepen loyalty from existing ones.
Despite being a market-share leader in the U.S., only 15% of adults in Uber’s top markets have ordered either rides or deliveries, Chief Financial Officer Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah said at an investor conference last week.
Uber will own and maintain the kiosks for now, the spokesperson said, adding that the operational model may evolve as the product scales. When asked whether Uber pays venues a fee to place its kiosks, the spokesperson said the company is exploring a range of commercial models depending on the partner and location.
Uber has spent the last year adapting its rideshare product to address a wider range of customer needs and, it hopes, improve its reach. That has included debuting a simpler app interface for elderly users, launching ride passes for commuters and expanding its lower-cost shuttle rides in the U.S. Uber also said Tuesday that it’s adding two shuttle routes between New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport and Manhattan in New York.
Lung writes for Bloomberg.
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