Lately, Uber has faced a lot of issues fueled by the resignation of its CEO. Now, the cab-summoning company hopes to win back its customers with a series of app changes.

To top it all, New York Times reported that Uber will soon allow drivers to get perks in the app instead of receiving cash from customers. In a recent email, the management assured the employees that improvements will be enacted in the next 180 days. On the other hand, the company also issued modifications in terms of payment.

New fees

For one, the tipping button mentioned earlier puts Uber in line with Lyft, its biggest rival. Customers will now have lesser time to cancel a ride before incurring a fee too. They have two minutes to finalize their order before Uber charges $5 to $10. Previously, riders are given five minutes for cancellations.

Moreover, the online taxi company can now charge riders for making drivers wait. Upon the arrival of the Uber cab, the customer must be ready to get in the car in two minutes. After that, the rider must pay for every additional minute. Note that rates will vary by city. (In Chicago, the per-minute charge is 20 cents)

Lastly, the management has acknowledged how annoying teenagers tend to be. Parents who registered their teens for accounts will have to pay an extra fee of $2 each. That amount is meant for each ride.

New features

Riders can now "easily" see how drivers rate them. Under their profile names, a star rating (out of five) is displayed. Clicking on the rating will also show pieces of advice on how to be better commuters.

Consequently, Uber introduces its ability to bookmark places that riders often visit. Lyft offers a similar feature. In it, riders need to tap "Add custom shortcut" to mark a favorite location.

In January, Uber allowed the synchronization of mobile calendars with the app. It makes the setting of destinations easier. For instance, if the rider had a meeting at a restaurant, the app would detect the calendar event and show the option to set the destination to that particular venue. On a different news, Click Orlando reported that Uber and Lyft will soon pick up passengers at the Orlando International Airport.

Tags Uber