Uber Event/Complex Location Pickup

This is a product idea I have for Uber. I’m hopeful they will, one day, implement it.

Intent

Allow users to better understand and communicate pick-up locations at complex locations (stadiums, airports, conference centers, etc.) and special events (Super Bowl, Golf Tournament, etc.)

Reason

In many of these instances it is very difficult for a requestor to understand and communicate their location to the driver in a manner that is consistent with the vehicle pick-up regulations.

Example # 1: When a Uber user arrives at the airport their might be four locations where a Uber is allowed to pick-up a passenger (i.e., Terminal A and Teminal B each with Door 1 and Door 2.) When requesting a vehicle there is no method for specifying the correct location to the driver, and in many cases the requester may not even know how to reference a such a location.

Example # 2: A Uber rider is leaving an NFL game and wants to request a vehicle but does not know what the most convenient and accessible area is to be picked up due to street closures, one-way traffic, etc. Uber may have identified there are four accessible pick-up locations after a game – but there is no clear way for Uber to communicate that to a rider and coordinate it with a driver.

Solution

1. The Uber application should identify that the Uber rider may be requesting a ride from a Complex Location and allow the rider to see available designated pickup locations and request a vehicle to a specific designated pickup location.
   1. A Complex Location can be defined by a geographic point (or points) and a radius from the point. This will allow the Uber app to determine if the rider is located in a zone that indicates they me be at a Complex Location.
2. The app will prompt the rider as to whether they are at a Complex Location and allow the user to indicate that they are or are not at such a location.
   1. If the user indicates they are not at such a location (or does not want to use the Complex Location capability) the app will proceed with requesting a ride as normal.
3. The app will then present a specific map (image) created for an event/location.
4. The user will select the appropriate pick-up spot as indicated on the event/location map.
5. Additional information may be requested from the user, if necessary (such as final destination.)
6. This information will be transmitted to the driver.

Experience

I could have personally benefited from this service several times. Two specific examples are after Washington Nationals baseball games and when getting picked-up at Washington Reagan Airport.

In the case of the Nationals the DC police do not want car services picking up passengers everywhere around the stadium, there are specific sides of the street they want passengers picked up on. This is difficult for the passenger and driver to properly coordinate in the current application.

When being picked up at Reagan Airport there are multiple terminals and doors. It is important that the driver know the correct terminal and door, which cannot be communicated by the current application. In addition, Reagan Airport requires that car services know the destination of their pick-up prior to picking them up (again, something not supported by the current application.)