Uber aims to build travel ‘superapp’ by including trains, planes and rental cars

Uber continues to pursue its goal of becoming a "superapp" for travel.

Uber, whose headquarters is based in San Francisco announced on Wednesday that it will now offer buses, trains, car and planes rentals to its U.K. app in the near future this year.

At the moment, Uber offers local services: rides, scooters, food deliveries, airport ride reservations, and more. This move is currently a part of a pilot program that could soon expand to other countries if it succeeds.


These services aren't offered by the company itself; it partners with companies that provide them, and its app will integrate with those companies to let customers purchase tickets. In the upcoming months, Uber aims to announce its various partners for its new offerings.

The announcement comes just after Uber was approved for a license to continue operating in London for the next two-and-a-half years. If all goes well, the company will expand into other countries.

Uber added options for renting electric bikes and buying London Underground tickets three years ago. Since 2020, Uber has partnered with Thames Clippers to bring a passenger ferry service on the Thames in London, which is currently rebranded as Uber Boat.

Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager for U.K., northern and eastern Europe said that Covid has made it difficult for the company to progress as quickly as it would like. But now, with this big push into different modes of transport, the company wants to signal that this is a very important growth lever for Uber over the coming years. He says that Uber understands that everyone values the freedom to make travel arrangements in a simple and convenient way, which is why the ride-hailing app is excited to become a one-stop shop for all travel needs.