With the not so enviable IPO that Uber had, the ride hailing giant has been trying to kick things up a notch since then.
Although that blunder may not be forgotten soon, the company is at least trying to draw attention away from it.
The latest ace up their sleeves comes in the form of a loyalty program in the United Kingdom, one that will see Uber drivers gain access to degree courses for free. You’d agree that this is certainly a move in the right direction, wouldn’t you?
The Open University
So, how did they come up with this? Uber partnered with the Open University in the UK, a move that resulted in the institution offering this study scheme. Uber Pro, the company’s loyalty program is the only way to unlock this reward, so drivers have their work cut out for them.
Upon unlocking the reward, drivers will have the option of choosing any one of over 900 undergraduate courses, and that’s not all. The participating driver can also bring their family in on it, with each one allowed an extra slot, restricted only to their family members.
Uber Pro is tiered into four categories (diamond, platinum, gold, blue), and a driver unlocks their reward on the basis of their tier. These categories are like a score card of sorts, with participants earning a higher status based on how loyal they are to the tech giant.
Of course, making more and more trips falls squarely into the loyalty bracket, so the more trips a driver makes, the closer the are to their undergraduate degree.
Thinking about it, this is a pretty smart move from the company. Drivers now have an incentive to go to work, and with more of them out on the road, the better it is for Uber. They’ve got to make profits, don’t they? It is, after all, a business.
Of the tiers, blue is the lowest level, with diamond being the highest. Upon opting into the loyalty program, a driver is automatically on the blue status, and it is then up to them to climb up the ladder.
Unlocking Rewards
To unlock rewards, they have to maintain a passenger rating of not less than 4.85, and their cancellation rate should also be low. While it is agreeable that a customer cancelling his or her Uber request may be out of their hands, how they treat those who they actually pick up is what determines their rating. This, undeniably, falls squarely on their shoulders.
Additionally, each complete trip will earn participating drivers fixed points for three months, and peak-hour trips will command more points.
And if the study scheme had got you elated, wait till you hear that it isn’t the only reward on offer. Based on a driver’s points, they get to have their vehicles inspected for free, have round the clock roadside assistance, and the company will pay for part of their gym membership fees.
The loyalty program is expected to be up and running by January next year, and that it has worked elsewhere such as in Australia, the US, and Brazil makes rolling it out in the UK a piece of cake.
