The upcoming yearlong renovation of Metrorail, the subway service of the Washington, D.C. region approaches, Uber is set to cash in on the expected service disruptions to make inroads into the region’s transportation system.
Uber says it will spend at least $10 million and expand its pool service to meet demand sparked by safety-related shutdowns on Metrorail, the Washington, D.C., subway system.
The money will go toward incentives for drivers, customer discounts and creating new features, according to Uber.
Metro plans to temporarily shut down or limit parts of the system for repairs. The SafeTrack plans begin next week, with 13 days of single tracking along part of the Silver and Orange lines.
Uber expanded its pool service coverage area this week to include the D.C., Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and additional Virginia suburbs in hopes of encouraging carpooling during the overhaul.
Previously, its ride-splitting service, UberPOOL only covered the District and Arlington, Alexandria, Reagan National and Dulles International airports.
