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Uber Is Making It Easier for Seniors to Book Rides

Caregivers or family members can also submit pickup requests, track their rides and pay on their behalf in the app.

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Headshot of Samantha Kelly
Samantha Kelly Contributor
Samantha Kelly is a freelance writer with a focus on consumer technology, AI, social media, Big Tech, emerging trends and how they impact our everyday lives. Her work has been featured on CNN, NBC, NPR, the BBC, Mashable and more.
Samantha Kelly
2 min read
Uber icon in front of taxis

A new senior profile comes with larger text and icons, uses fewer buttons and has design changes that cater to older Uber users.

 Mario Tama/Getty Images

Uber on Thursday launched a more streamlined version of its smartphone app to better appeal to senior riders. The updated version features a handful of design changes that cater to older users, including larger text, an easier way to find frequently visited destinations — like grocery stores or doctor's offices – and fewer home screen options.

The company is expanding its family profile settings so a user can invite a parent or grandparent to create a senior account. The feature can be turned off in Accessibility settings if the invited older adult does not want to use the simplified version of Uber. 

The update is currently being tested in Phoenix and Orlando, with more cities expected to launch in the coming weeks.

Family organizers can request rides on the senior user's behalf, make payments and follow along in the app in real time. Senior riders can use their own credit card or Medicare Flex cards for medical trips. 

To set up a senior account in the Uber app, visit the Account tab, select Family and create a senior account.

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Uber told CNET it has been working on this feature since last summer. Previously, older Uber riders could call 1-833-USE-UBER to request a ride without needing a smartphone. Meanwhile, Uber Assist has offered additional assistance to senior riders in certain markets.

The news comes as competitor Lyft reportedly plans to launch a similar feature later this year, according to a Bloomberg report. 

Third-party platforms like GoGoGrandparent also connect seniors with ridesharing companies as well as other gig economy services, including Instacart and DoorDash. 

Embracing an older demographic

According to James Hodgson, auto research director at ABI Research, this latest effort from Uber plays into the goal of expanding the company's monthly active user base to sustain its revenue growth and profitability.

"Ride-hailing services have few avenues for genuine competition outside of costly rider subsidies and driver incentives. The service is essentially homogeneous from point A to point B and on demand with some variation in ETA and driver availability," Hodgson said. "Therefore, the user experience of the application is one of the few areas for meaningful differentiation between ride-hailing services."

Some of these services are still perceived politically as "wild west" operations that profit at the expense of public transportation or formal taxi services, Hodgson noted. "Improving senior access to mobility services not only expands a ride-hailing operator's user base, it also better aligns them with the objectives held by various levels of government," he said.