Uber’s Glorified Bus Service Launches Rides in Atlanta

Uber is simply a convenient service, but sometimes it tin beryllium somewhat expensive. What if instead, the company offered shuttles that transportation aggregate radical astatine once, and analyzed their question patterns to make perfect routes for pickup and drop-off stops? That would marque the rides perchance much businesslike and environmentally friendly, due to the fact that much radical are cramming into 1 vehicle, and a shared thrust could beryllium much affordable than a modular Uber.

Well, you are successful luck. Uber says that starting successful May, it is expanding its Uber Shuttle service to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and volition connection galore routes picking radical up from downtown and midtown, with regular work scheduled for each 30 minutes from 6 AM to 10 PM. The institution already offers Uber Shuttle to and from New York’s LaGuardia and JFK airports. Rides tin beryllium requested done the app, with the enactment to publication up to 5 seats astatine once. Tickets volition commencement astatine $10 one-way successful Atlanta, but yet could max retired astatine $18.50.

We are being a small facetious—of course, Uber Shuttle is simply a glorified bus. Some cities person incredibly mediocre oregon dilatory nationalist transit infrastructure, however. In NYC, taking an Uber Shuttle from Manhattan to JFK tin beryllium cheaper than taking nationalist transit, and somewhat much convenient if not a small slower, depending connected traffic. Anyone who has traversed from Manhattan to JFK connected nationalist transit knows the symptom of having to exit the subway and hold successful that agelong ticketing enactment to transportation to the AirTrain. Another bully payment of Uber Shuttle is if you question during a clip that is not busy, you mightiness get an full autobus to yourself for a fraction of the outgo of a regular Uber.

Still, if you person ethical reservations astir gig services, you mightiness privation to endure done it and instrumentality the train. Despite what companies similar Uber say, galore of their drivers kick of moving grueling hours and seeing wages autumn implicit time, doing it often retired of desperation to marque immoderate speedy money. A report from past twelvemonth recovered that Uber drivers “saw their net for 2024 autumn 3.4% connected mean to $513 a week” portion moving 0.8% much hours. On the lawsuit side, prices person been pushed higher crossed the committee truthful Uber, DoorDash, and the similar tin crook a profit, making deliveries exorbitant connected nutrient that arrives soggy, cold, and unsatisfying.

Bastian Lehmann, the laminitis of Postmates, precocious posted connected X that nutrient transportation “is a gag now,” adding, “I’d beryllium amazed if drivers are making much contiguous than they did erstwhile we launched Postmates. DoorDash is the implicit bottom, but Uber’s not acold behind.”

Last year, Bloomberg reported that Uber and Lyft underwent a strategy successful NYC to systematically fastener drivers retired of the app during dilatory periods truthful it could debar paying them a minimum wage nether recently enacted laws there.

Sometimes, hailing an Uber erstwhile you are bushed precocious astatine night, oregon conscionable trying to get to the airport, is hard to resist, nary substance however overmuch radical consciousness ethically uneasy astir it.

As a part-time gig worker…it's brutal retired there. Simple nutrient delivery, hide it, you're fortunate to get 50 cents a mile successful my market. I dropped Uber Eats and Doordash from my toolbelt a agelong portion back. Even wage connected buying and catering is successful the dregs, though.

— Mike (@TxdoHawk) April 14, 2025

Uber drivers successful Los Angeles lone get 31% of the lawsuit fare! pic.twitter.com/Lczi9xahuc

— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) April 21, 2025