Uber Express POOL may operate in UCLA geofence, provide new commute option
(Daily Bruin file photo)
By David Gray
Feb. 24, 2018 12:46 p.m.
Uber riders can now meet at common locations to get picked up and dropped off to save money on their rides.
Uber Express POOL reduces costs because the app combines users’ routes and requires them to walk short distances before or after they ride together. Drivers transport multiple passengers at once, like uberPOOL. However, the service will currently not work at UCLA, said Uber spokesperson Stephanie Sedlak.
Uber uses a geofencing tool at UCLA that prevents riders from being picked up anywhere but at 12 designated locations across campus during weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
She added Uber’s operations team hopes to make Express Pool available within the UCLA geofence soon.
David Karwaski, senior associate director for UCLA Transportation, said he wanted Uber to launch the service in Los Angeles because he thinks UCLA employees could use it to commute to work and save money.
He added he thinks the service will give the UCLA community another transportation option.
“We want to have a range of options out there,” Karwaski said. “We understand that commuting is a personal choice and people will choose what’s best for them.”
