The document proposes a "Plan a Trip" feature for Uber Rides to help riders find the optimal departure time for the lowest estimated price. It would allow riders to input trip details and Uber would provide a suggested departure time and price. A prototype is described showing how riders could use the feature. A launch plan is proposed, starting tests of the feature in a few cities before broader rollout. Key metrics are identified to define success, such as increased rides and customer lifetime value. The conclusion is that the feature could encourage more app usage and trust by helping riders save money.

1. Proposal: Improve Uber Rides
With Plan a Trip

2. Table of Contents
I. Brainstorm (3)
II. Opportunity
Assessment (6)
III. Feature Description (8)
IV. Feature Prototype (9)
V. Launch Plan (11)
VI. Conclusion (15)
Photo Courtesy Of: https://dancingastronaut.com/2019/07/new-uber-policy-rave-transportation-difficult/

3. Brainstorm: Uber Rides Overview
Uber Rides uses a two-sided marketplace model, with Riders and Drivers
➔ Riders: individuals or groups interested in traveling from point A to point B
◆ Pain Points:
● Affordability of rides
● Availability of rides
● Safety
➔ Drivers: individuals who transport riders to their destinations
◆ Pain Points:
● Adequate compensation and incentives
● Ease of use of app
● Flexibility of schedule

4. Brainstorm: Riders and Affordability
Recently, Uber launched the following to increase transportation affordability:
➔ Express POOL (Uber Rides Feature): Users can “walk a little to save a lot”
◆ Utilizes transportation by foot to decrease cost
(https://www.uber.com/newsroom/expresspool/)
➔ JUMP Electric Scooters: Users can travel by electric scooters
◆ Utilizes transportation by scooter to avoid traffic or busy streets
(https://www.uber.com/us/en/ride/scooters/)
However, affordability is still a major pain point of users

5. Brainstorm: Ideas
Ideas to address riders’ pain point of ride affordability:
1. Alert riders if price drops to a given desired price within a given departure time frame
2. Offer trip options with public transportation routes and fees factored in
3. Allow riders to plan a trip, where they provide trip details and Uber Rides gives them an optimal
leave time and estimated price
4. Offer trip options with Uber Scooter routes and fees factored in
Ideas 2 and 4 are similar in their integration of other modes of transportation. As Uber has direct access to Uber Scooter data and
Uber Scooters are Uber products, Idea 4 is greater for implementation than Idea 2.
Ideas 1 and 3 are similar in their service of providing lower price options to riders. As Idea 1 is unreliable (in the case the price never
drops), Idea 3 is greater due to its reliability in providing the user an optimal departure time.

6. Opportunity Assessment: Idea 4
➔ Business and Economic Impact:
◆ Would require initial cost and time to build feature and conduct each stage of launch
(decreasing revenue)
◆ Could reduce profits from Uber Rides, encourages shorter trips (decreasing revenue)
◆ Would increase profits of and exposure to Uber Scooters (increasing company revenue)
◆ Could encourage more people to join and use Uber Scooters (increasing revenue)
➔ Customer Experience:
◆ Increases customer satisfaction, as it helps tackle a key pain point
◆ Increases customer trust in other Uber offerings

7. Opportunity Assessment: Idea 3
➔ Business and Economic Impact:
◆ Would require initial cost and time to build and conduct launch (decreasing revenue)
◆ Could reduce profits from rides riders intended to take (decreasing revenue)
◆ Would increase Uber Rides use by riders who would have opted for other modes of
transportation otherwise (increasing revenue)
◆ Could encourage more people to join and trust Uber Rides (increasing revenue)
➔ Customer Experience:
◆ Increases customer satisfaction, as it helps tackle a key pain point
◆ Increases customer trust in Uber Rides, demonstrates Uber’s care for its customers
Idea 4 is reliant upon a new feature of Uber’s and is unreliable due to limitations of scooters, while Idea 3 is solely reliant upon already
existing Uber features (Uber Price Estimator, Schedule a Ride, general Uber Rides features). I will thus proceed with Idea 3.

8. Feature Description: Plan a Trip
The Plan a Trip feature allows Riders to find the optimal time to schedule or
request an Uber ride, determined by minimized cost for the rider
1. Rider inputs:
a. Desired departure time window and date (earliest and latest departures)
b. Starting location
c. Final destination
d.
2. Uber Rides outputs:
a. Optimal departure time and price (using technology of Uber Price Estimator)
b. Option to Schedule a Trip for the suggested time
i. Time and location are pre-filled, rider simply has to confirm the request

9. Feature Prototype
1. “Plan a Trip” option added to
main menu bar, navigates to view
on right
2. Sample text describing Plan a Trip
feature
3. Click “Select” to choose the
earliest desired departure time
and date
4. Click “Select” to choose the latest
desired departure time and date
5. Type in the starting location
6. Type in the destination
7. Press button to begin trip
optimization
Plan a Trip1
Save money by optimizing
your trip
Give us your trip details and we’ll find
the projected cheapest departure time
Plan a Trip
Where to?
Starting Location
Earliest
Departure Time
and Date
Latest
Departure Time
and Date
PLAN MY TRIP
Select Select
2
3
5
4
7
6

10. Feature Prototype
1. Displays when features 3 or 4
from previous page are selected
2. Displays when features 5 or 6
from previous page are selected
3. Sample text, with date, departure
time, and estimated price
4. Estimated amount saved,
determined by average of other
prices during window
5. Clicking “Cancel” exits the popup
6. Clicking “Schedule” takes user to
option to schedule a ride, with the
trip details filled in
7. Disclaimer taken from Uber Price
Estimator
Tue, Aug 7 | 6:20 AM
Save money by optimizing
your trip
Give us your trip details and we’ll find
the projected cheapest departure time
Plan a Trip
Where to?
Starting Location
Earliest
Departure Time
and Date
Latest
Departure Time
and Date
PLAN MY TRIP
Select Select
[Name], we found
your optimal trip!
Date: Tue, Aug 7
Departure Time: 6:32 AM
Estimated Price:
$17.50 Congrats! You’ll
save $2.50
Sample rider prices are estimates only and do not
reflect variations due to discounts, traffic delays, or
other factors. Flat rates and minimum fees may apply.
Actual prices may vary.
SCHEDULE
1
2
3
4
5 6
7

11. Launch Plan: Overview
Since Uber Rides is available in 700+ cities worldwide, and as cities are more
likely to experience surge prices, I suggest we roll the feature out in the following
test phases, before official launch across all locations:
➔ Phase 1 (~4 months): Release Plan a Trip in a few cities worldwide
◆ Start with Mexico City, London, and Boston, as they experience heavy traffic and capture
data for a diverse user base (http://inrix.com/scorecard/)
➔ Phase 2 (~6 months): Release Plan a Trip in 20-30 more cities worldwide
◆ Once there seems to be success from Phase 1, release the feature in 20-30 more cities
worldwide, chosen at random and with varying degrees of traffic, as this will demonstrate
importance of the feature in less congested areas

12. Launch Plan: Key Metrics & Defining Success
As the original goal of the Plan a Trip feature was to increase affordability for
riders, we define success through the following metrics:
➔ Number of Clicks on Feature:
◆ Number of times user clicks on feature and views feature page
● Demonstrates user awareness of feature, which is necessary for other metrics
➔ Feature View to Feature Use Initialization Conversion Rate:
◆ Ratio of times user views feature to times user begins filling out page fields
● Demonstrates a user interest in using the feature

13. Launch Plan: Key Metrics & Defining Success
➔ Feature Use Initialization to Feature Use Completion Conversion Rate:
◆ Ratio of instances where user begins filling out fields to instances where user completes
filling out the fields and requests an optimized departure time
● Represents ease of use and simplicity, important for feature success
➔ Feature Use Completion to Scheduling or Requesting a Ride Conversion
Rate:
◆ Ratio of instances where riders request an optimized departure time and either
● A) Request a ride within 5 minutes of the suggested time or
● B) Schedule a ride directly from the popup
○ Demonstrates the true use of the results generated by the feature

14. Launch Plan: Key Metrics & Defining Success
➔ Average User Change in Rides Requested:
◆ Rate of change of rides requested, comparing use of the Uber Rides app 6 months prior to
use of the feature with 6 months after use of the feature
● Determines actual influence of the feature in encouraging riders to choose Uber over
other transportation methods when seeking affordable transportation
➔ Average Customer Lifetime Value Change:
◆ Change in average CLV from the year prior to the year after launch of feature
● Helps determine if the feature is beneficial for Uber’s long-term profits

15. Conclusion
Based on Uber Price Estimator, Schedule a Trip, and general Uber Rides features, I
decided to leverage ride estimation data and the opportunity to plan a trip in order to
increase user affordability.
The Plan a Trip feature would hopefully encourage riders to increase app usage and
increase trust in Uber’s dedication to their ride experience.
By introducing this feature, Uber Rides will be better serve its riders and continue to set
the world in motion.