In anticipation of a busier than usual holiday travel season, Uber is adding a collection of new gifting and ride-sharing features to its app. The most convenient of the new features is “Send a Ride,” a way to purchase an Uber ride for someone else.
Send a Ride lets you cover the cost of a ride directly from the Uber app, making it possible to pay in advance for something like an airport pickup. Uber says you’ll be able to set a number of rides and a spending limit in the app (like two rides up to $50 each) and then the app will generate a link that you can share with whoever you want to get a ride with. When they click the link, the credit will automatically be added to their account and applied to their next visit.
For those whose winter travel includes skiing and snowboarding, Uber Ski is a new seasonal ride option that Uber is adding that lets you book rides to “nearly 40 of the top mountains in North America and Europe.” When you select Uber Ski in the app, you can reserve an UberXL for up to two guests with gear, or an UberXXL for up to four guests with gear. Uber also says it will sell the Epic Pass, a ticket that gives you access to Vail resorts directly through the Uber app.
If you’re planning your own ride home from the airport, Uber is also expanding its Uber Share option to airports, which lets you split a ride home with people going in the same general direction. Uber Share is now available in more than 50 airports around the world, including the newly added John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Orlando International Airport.
Finally, starting in December, Uber will let you add a free video message from stars like Megan Thee Stallion, the Jonas Brothers, or Tracee Ellis Ross to any Uber Eats order you send as a gift. The videos don’t look like they’ll be as personalized as Cameo’s videos, but whoever you send the gift to will be able to choose their own delivery time so that they’re available when their gift arrives.