Uber Says Half of All Its Calls in San Francisco Are For Its New Car Pool Service

Yeah, ok, not that kind of car pool. But the apparent success of Uber's car pool service has a number of interesting implications. Often viewed as an elite indulgence of the urban technorati, the carpool growth story, if true - and sustainable -  suggests a broader base of Uber support is possible thanks to the lower cost per rider, which means potentially greater revenues - though the impact on profits is not clear.

But the impact of the car pool service on competing bus and taxi businesses may heighten regulatory scrutiny  as well as calls for new taxes. Either way, Uber has now exited the strategic surprise era in which competitors and local authorities were unsure how to respond to its aggressive tactics.

It has now entered a co-evolutionary development phase in which every move it makes will elicit a countermove from others which may suppress revenue and profits as well as begin to define the framework of the market opportunity. This is a natural phenomenon for a maturing business and may also be why high powered investors like Carl Icahn and Bill Ford are putting money into Lyft. JL

Carmel DeAmicis reports in re/code:

Started last August, the service allows passengers heading the same direction to share a ride and cut the cost.
During Uber’s fifth anniversary celebration, CEO Travis Kalanick released new data on its carpool product, UberPool. Turns out half of all Uber rides in San Francisco are for UberPool, beating out UberX, UberBlack, UberSUV and the other Uber offerings, according to Kalanick. (That tees up with what drivers have told me.) UberPool has become significantly popular in San Francisco in a short amount of time. Started last August, the service allows passengers heading the same direction to share a ride and cut the cost. Uber says that since then, millions of UberPool rides have been taken.