Uber to Pilot Toll-Free Number to Summon Cars
By Paul Riegler on 16 February 2020
Ride-hailing service Uber is testing a new way of summoning a car: the phone.
Specifically, the Bay Area-based company is testing a toll-free number in Arizona that could lead to the widespread deployment of the service.
The service, reminiscent of calling a car service in the pre-app days, may be useful to the approximately one out of four people in the United States who does not have a smartphone.
According to the GSM Association, worldwide penetration of smartphones stands at 66.7%.
Ringing Uber at 833 873-8237, which sands for USE UBER, will connect the caller to an operator who can request the service and provide the final cost of the trip using the same pricing algorithm that is used in the app.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
