SAN FRANCISCO: Uber on Friday said it will let drivers in the United States see trip details before deciding whether to accept them — a new feature long sought by drivers.
A common lament by drivers at the app-summoned ride platform has been that they have to accept a request before learning where trips will take them, or how profitable they will be.
“Our new trip request screen makes it easier for drivers to decide if a trip is worth their time and effort by providing all the details — including exactly how much they’ll earn and where they’re going — upfront,” chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said in a blog post.
Revealing details only once a driver had accepted a trip was seen as a way to ensure riders would get picked up promptly, and not be snubbed because they were headed to locations deemed undesirable by drivers.
But Khosrowshahi said drivers have made it clear that they want more flexibility and choice.
Uber said the new feature, called Upfront Fares, was tested in several cities and was a success with drivers while resulting in shorter wait times for passengers.
The ride-sharing firm will also shift from sending drivers a single ride request at a time, to letting them pick from a list of detailed passenger requests in an area.
Uber is engaged in a long-term effort to prove that its business model is socially and economy viable.
The “gig economy” — which uses temporary independent contractors for short-term tasks — has grown rapidly since Uber’s launch in 2009 and is promoted as a flexible way for people to earn money without the constraints of a full-time job.
But there has been growing backlash in countries around the world about the conditions and dangers gig workers face.
Uber driver ranks — which shrank during the Covid-19 pandemic — have not rebounded as quickly as demand for rides, and soaring fuel costs have made the gigs less attractive.
The firm in March announced a surcharge on both rides and Uber Eats meal deliveries that would go directly to drivers to help offset high fuel prices.
Uber courts drivers by letting them pick rides
https://arab.news/6w4hx
Uber courts drivers by letting them pick rides
- Revealing details only once a driver had accepted a trip was seen as a way to ensure riders would get picked up promptly, and not be snubbed because they were headed to locations deemed undesirable by drivers
19k ‘Made in Saudi Arabia’ products now reaching 180 markets: industry minister
RIYADH: Products carrying the “Made in Saudi” logo have reached 19,000 and are shipped to 180 countries, according to the minister of industry and mineral resources.
In his opening speech at the third edition of the “Made in Saudi” exhibition, Bandar Alkhorayef indicated that the program now includes 3,700 registered national companies.
He noted that the first half of 2025 recorded the highest semi-annual figure for non-oil exports, valued at SR307 billion ($81.8 billion), after total exports in 2024 reached approximately SR515 billion.
The “Made in Saudi” program was launched in 2021 with the aim of strengthening the presence of local products in domestic and international markets and contributing to the growth of the national economy in line with Vision 2030 targets.
The minister highlighted the efforts of the Saudi Exports Development Authority in facilitating the access of national products to global markets.
This has been achieved through the signing of 108 export agreements, the registration of 433 importers on the Saudi Exports platform, and the licensing of nine export houses whose outbound trade has reached 21 countries with a value of SR390 million.
The “Made in Saudi” program is an initiative of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program. It is managed by the Saudi Export Development Authority, also known as Saudi Exports, a governmental body tasked with increasing the Kingdom’s non-oil exports.
Saudi Exports developed and is managing the program with the strategic intent of supporting the nation in achieving the objectives of its transformative Vision 2030.
The Authority, through the “Made in Saudi” program, has recently participated as a strategic partner in The Big 5 2025, a leading global exhibition for the construction industry held in Dubai in November.
Saudi Exports led a delegation of more than 50 construction companies from the Kingdom to the event, which drew over 2,000 exhibitors from more than 165 countries.
The program also participated as a strategic public sector partner in the National Development Fund’s Momentum 2025 development finance conference in Riyadh in December, reflecting its integral role in Saudi Arabia’s national economic transformation under Vision 2030.
The conference featured over 100 speakers focused on fostering partnerships to expand financing channels, reflecting the NDF’s central role as an enabler and a strategic driver of the national development finance system.
