Uber temporarily ditches 'split fare' feature. Cue the awkward chats with friends about money.
Friendships are about to get a bit more annoying.
Uber is getting rid of its 'split fare', per an email sent to Uber customers.
The email, viewed by Mashable, states that the ridesharing app will be discontinuing the 'split fare' feature, which allows you to share the cost of the trip with friends, colleagues — basically anyone you're travelling with — within the app itself.
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A customer service representative through Uber support confirmed to Mashable the feature is no longer available.
While the email states 21 March as the date of discontinuation, Uber later confirmed to Mashable that this was an error. The feature will actually be temporarily deactivated next month (April), per Uber.
"While we know it can be frustrating to lose a feature that you have come to rely on, rest assured that we are continuously working to improve your Ride sharing experience in other new ways, so watch this space," reads Uber's email.
"All other features will still continue to be a part of your usual Uber experience, and we hope to see you on the road with your family and friends again soon."
Anyone who's ever shared an Uber with a friend will know that this feature comes in extremely handy when splitting the cost of trips. For example, given that Venmo doesn't exist in the UK, it seems likely that it's now going to be more of a faff to share rides with friends if you have different banks and apps. Cue awkward texts reminding friends that they owe you money.
So this news is...annoying, to say the least. But, perhaps something new could be in the works?
An Uber spokesperson said in an email to Mashable: "We are in the process of reworking how riders split fares and the feature will be temporarily removed from the Uber app next month. We know this is a popular feature, so rest assured that we are planning to roll out a new, improved version in the coming months."
UPDATE: Mar. 22, 2022, 5:30 p.m. CET Updated with statement from Uber.
Topics Uber
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
