As those with wanderlust dive headfirst into the summer travel season, Uber is expanding its reach to make sure you get around your destination in a seamless way, especially for those flocking to Europe.
The travel company, known for its app to book rides, is officially launching in hot spots throughout heavily visited countries in the summer, including Greece, Italy, France and Spain. After witnessing travelers opening the app in locales throughout Europe where services weren’t yet available, they made note of the clear demand and are now making themselves available in buzzing cities and must-visit islands. Destinations you will now be able to book rides in include Mykonos, Santorini, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Corfu and more. Considering that airports in locations like Santorini increase the most in popularity from off-season to on-season summer months, this expansion is coming right on time.
“At Uber, we’re expecting a 250% increase in rides from U.S. travelers in Europe this summer,” said Sarita Varouch, general manager of Greece at Uber. “With so many thrilling travel plans on the horizon for our customers, we’re excited to be expanding our services to dozens of dazzling destinations across the Mediterranean and Balearic Seas, meeting folks where they’re heading. Whether it’s using Uber Reserve to book an airport trip up to 90 days in advance, or booking an Uber Boat in Mykonos, we look forward to making your travel more seamless, reliable and magical than before.”
In addition to rides of all kinds being made available to book around Europe, in Mykonos specifically, as Varouch mentioned, you can also reserve an Uber Boat. I had the opportunity to travel to the party island to experience one of the water crafts travelers will be able to secure.
It offered a great opportunity to sightsee and vibe out on the water as my group stopped to nosh on sandwiches, fruit and wine, and synced up our phones to play Afrobeats and Beyoncé.
I also had the chance to experience the seamlessness of Uber Reserve when we were picked up at the airports in Athens and Mykonos. No trying to find a taxi or waiting for a car — they were there as we exited. And the brand’s Uber Van offering was what took me and my travel buddies comfortably around Mykonos, and I’m not talking about a typical minivan. The vans were spacious with up to eight seats available, all, with the exception of the driver of course, facing each other to allow riders to chit chat face to face.
The latest expansion into European destinations definitely made it easy for me to enjoy my travels, and they will certainly do the same for you on your next getaway, whether in Mykonos or Mallorca. Here’s a bit more about the new offerings coming from the brand to the old continent.
Uber Reserve
Why wait? Get to and from the airport in a less stressful way with the Reserve feature. You can book rides as soon as 30 minutes to as much as 90 days in advance for a set price (no surging!), allowing you to have a car waiting for you when you land, even when you deal with delays.
Uber Travel
Available in more than 10,000 cities, Uber Travel will use flight details in Google or Microsoft email accounts to set up rides for you automatically to and from your airports of travel. And you can book more than a ride, as rental cars will also be made available for you to secure through this feature.
Uber Boat
Mykonos is the place to be for a number of reasons, including because you can now book a boat there directly through the app. The experience can take four to eight of your travel buddies (depending on the craft size), allowing your crew to split the price, making it an affordable treat. Use it to see the beauty of the island or to luxuriously get from point A to point B. This new service, available now, can be booked until October.
New Places to Find a Ride
You can ride like a local utilizing Uber Taxi. In Greece, it’s available in Athens, Santorini and Mykonos. And you can enjoy Reserve, Comfort rides (as in, comfy cozy trips) as well as Van (remember, they seat up to eight!) and Taxi options throughout the Greek isles of Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu and Rhodes. Everything can be booked in advance. (For Comfort and Van in the Greek islands, you need to book using Uber Reserve and it has to be at least two hours in advance.) In Italy, you can book Uber Taxi with an upfront fare estimation in the app as well as Uber Black in locales like Sicily, Sardinia and Malta. In Spain, Uber is making its debut in Mallorca and Tenerife with Uber Comfort, Reserve and Van available at your fingertips (Black in Tenerife). Taxi will also be made available in both destinations. As for France, Uber is launching a seasonal summer “pop-up,” making services available along the French Atlantic coast, including Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, La Baule and Le Touquet south of Brittany. They are even launching the Uber Berline in Bordeaux to help travelers looking for a luxe way to see vineyards. Portugal is stacked, offering a variety of services, from Uber Green to Uber X and Package, and in Croatia, services are available in Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Rijeka and Pag island.
You can get more details on the company’s expansion throughout Europe this summer by heading over to Uber.com.