On-demand taxi company Uber is rolling out in-car scales from September across the UK, on some of the busiest airport routes. Jenny Southan reports
According to an Uber survey of 2,000 UK adults aged 19+ who have travelled abroad in the last five years, 86 per cent of British travellers have had to leave items behind due to excess baggage weight. The most common items left behind include shoes, toiletries and food.
At the same time, 47 per cent of Brits have spent up to £100 to board a flight with overweight luggage. Four in ten people also say they find check-in stressful and 25 per cent can’t relax until they board the plane.
To help reduce stress and airport fees for over-weight baggage, select Uber taxis across the country will come with luggage scales so passengers can check the weight of their bags before getting to the airport.
Available in participating cars from September 2022, those taking a journey with select Uber vehicles in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester, will give customers the opportunity to unpack any overloaded cases before setting off. (But presumably the wait time will be added on to the cost of the trip.)
Uber says it “hopes to help customers prevent extra luggage costs by flagging overweight luggage before arriving at the airport, where they can be met with heavy additional charges for luggage that falls over an airline’s weight limit”.
Andrew Brem, general manager of Uber UK, says: “I think everyone dreads that moment of arriving at the airport ready to check-in and kick off a holiday, only to be met with a large bill for overweight luggage.
“As the world gets moving again we’re hoping to minimise this risk for our customers and make sure their holiday gets off to the best possible start as Uber continues to develop our new door-to-door travel experience”.
Uber will be rolling out its Uber Travel platform throughout August 2022, offering new modes of transportation in the app for their users. According to the website, “with Uber Travel, you can view your hotel, flight, and other travel-related reservations all in one place”. “You can also get 10% back in Uber Cash whenever you book a Reserve ride through Uber Travel.”