NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Starting today, Uber riders in New Orleans will see a new pilot ride option: Uber Pet. This pilot is only available in a handful of other U.S. cities besides New Orleans – including Austin, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Tampa Bay.
This new feature lets you communicate to a driver that you’ll be bringing a furried (or even scaled!) friend onboard your Uber trip. Riders will pay a small surcharge for the Uber Pet selection, on top of their standard trip fare. It’s important to note this does not replace Uber’s service animal policy, as Uber Pet was specifically designed for riders who are pet or non-service animal owners (riders with service animals are not expected/required to use Uber Pet, and can select from any number ride options with paying the surcharge). Cats and dogs are among the most common types of animals expected on Uber Pet trips.
Uber built this feature to give riders peace of mind so they know they’ll be able to arrive at their destination with their pet, without any interruptions or surprises. From the time you select Uber Pet, to your trip’s arrival, and ending with your dropoff — riders and their animal companion(s) can take Uber, together, with ease. Riders will be able to view the Uber Pet surcharge on their receipt, and the surcharge will be added to their upfront price when that option is selected in-app. In New Orleans, that surcharge for riders will be $6.
Uber also built Uber Pet to help drivers have more flexibility to avoid trips where a pet or non-service animal is part of the journey. Drivers can opt-out of Uber Pet trips in the driver preferences menu in the app, while still receiving other eligible trip opportunities. If they choose to accept Uber Pet trips, drivers will also receive a significant portion of that surcharge, on top of their standard trip earnings.
