Uber signals push into mainstream travel with ‘one-stop-shop’ expansion

Users of the ride hailing app will be able to book airlines, trains and hotels

Ride hailing giant Uber is to make a push into the mainstream travel arena by allowing users to book airlines, trains and hotels.

Inter-city rail and coaches will be available to book through Uber in the summer, the company reportedly said.

It plans to let users of its app buy tickets for flights and Eurostar later in the year.

Uber will also let people rent cars across the UK and plans to offer hotel booking at a later date.

The strategy is part of a plan to move towards a fully-fledged transport booking system.

Uber northern and eastern Europe general manager Jamie Heywood said the changes would turn Uber into a “one-stop shop for all your travel needs”, according to the Telegraph.

It already allows users to rent bikes and scooters through the app in the UK.

The company, which recently secured a new London licence, is in the final stages of reaching agreements with operators to sell the tickets.

They will be available as QR codes within the app, with journeys organised so that the company’s cars transport passengers to and from stations or airports.

Uber has shown public transport directions on its app since 2019 but has not allowed users to buy tickets through the app.

Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, former boss of Expedia, outlined a plan to turn the app from a minicab provider to a full transport service when he joined in 2018, but  the pandemic and the accompanying surge in its food delivery business delayed the plan.