Uber launches in-app parking reservations in 15 US cities
Uber Parking, built on its SpotHero acquisition, lets riders reserve and pay for parking in 15 US metro areas, with robotaxi staging in mind.
Uber Technologies has launched Uber Parking, a feature in its main app that lets users reserve and pay for parking in 15 U.S. cities, according to TechCrunch and Engadget. The service is built on Uber’s acquisition of SpotHero, a parking reservation app, which the company announced in February.
What happened
Both outlets reported that the rollout began Monday. Uber Parking is available in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Users open a Parking option in the Uber app, enter a destination and pick a date and time. They can then browse an interactive map of available spots and filter by options such as self-parking, valet, garages or surface lots, TechCrunch reported. Booking uses the vehicle details and payment method stored in the user’s Uber account. Depending on the facility, drivers enter with a QR code or through license plate recognition, according to Engadget.
Engadget said most reservations can be canceled free of charge until the start time and can be extended in the app. TechCrunch reported that prices are shown upfront. Neither outlet published a general price list.
Members of Uber One, the company’s paid subscription program, get 10% back in Uber credits on eligible parking reservations, both outlets said. TechCrunch reported the credits can be spent on rides and Uber Eats orders, and that Uber One had more than 55 million members as of Sept. 30.
Why it matters
The launch is the latest sign that Uber is expanding beyond ride-hailing. SpotHero gives the company access to about 13,000 garages, lots and valet services in more than 400 U.S. and Canadian cities, according to TechCrunch and earlier coverage of the deal. Uber is not offering all of those locations at launch, Engadget noted.
The first target is commuters who drive their own cars. TechCrunch quoted Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, saying on the company’s third-quarter earnings call that commuting is “one of our largest categories” and that parking is a good example of building out services for commuters.
Both outlets also pointed to a longer-term goal: autonomous vehicles. Uber works with dozens of self-driving companies and plans to experiment with using parking facilities as places where robotaxis can wait or stage between trips. TechCrunch said this could reduce “deadheading,” the miles a vehicle drives without a paying passenger. Uber has not said when such use would begin.
What comes next
Uber has not announced a timetable for adding more of SpotHero’s 400-plus cities to the Uber app. It also has not disclosed how much parking inventory is available in each launch city, and base parking rates were not detailed in the coverage reviewed. How the robotaxi staging plan would work in practice is not yet known.
SpotHero was founded as a Chicago-based parking marketplace. Bloomberg reported in February that Uber agreed to buy the company to grow its customer base.
