Pet owners know how important it is to have the option to bring their pet along with them on rides and how hard that is.
If you’re such a person and you’ve heard about Uber Pet, it might have gotten your attention, and you want to learn more about it. You can do so through the information we’ve gathered below!
What Is Uber Pet In [currentyear]?
As the name suggests, Uber Pet is a ride option that’s meant to cater to people riding with their pets. Uber Pet is available to any driver operating in an area where it has launched and can be turned on from the drivers’ app. If you’re riding with a service animal, then you don’t need to go through Uber Pet.
Read on to learn all you need to know about Uber Pet, including how it works, whether or not it’s worth it, and more!
How To Uber With A Pet
To Uber with a pet, you’d need to adhere to the following general guidelines:
- Ideally, you should have your pet in a carrier
- If not, have them leashed and bring a blanket or towel to lay down where they sit
- Understand that the driver can refuse service if they determine that your pet is unsafe or uncontrollable
- Keep an eye on the animal throughout the ride
- Ask the driver if they prefer where your pet should sit
How Many People Can Use Uber Pet?
Uber Pet allows for two people and one pet to be on a ride at once. You can bring more than one pet, but you’ll need to notify the driver beforehand and ask if it’s okay.
Is Uber Pet A Separate App?
Uber Pet is not a separate app; it’s available within the main Uber app as one of the ride options.
In certain regions, it’s available when you expand the options under UberX and specify that you want a pet-friendly ride.
Where Is Uber Pet Available?
Uber Pet is currently available only in a few cities, but it’s still expanding, so you should check within the app to see if it’s in your area.
Internationally, it’s been rolled out in places like Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Britain.
Uber has also pushed for more pet-friendly rides in other places like South Africa and Ghana.
Is Uber Pet Expensive?
Uber Pet comes at a slightly higher cost than UberX because it’s considered a more specialized service.
If your pet leaves a mess in the car, e.g. vomit or urine, the driver might also charge you a cleaning fee, bringing the total cost higher.
Drivers that do Uber Pet also make slightly more in order to incentivize them to provide these kinds of rides.
From our research, Uber Pet pays drivers using a surcharge that could go as high as $3.20 depending on where they’re based.
Can I Use Uber Pet Without Pet?
You can use Uber Pet without a pet, but it wouldn’t make sense because you’d pay more just to ride in what’s a regular UberX.
Why Is Uber Pet Not Available?
If Uber Pet isn’t available, it might be because it’s yet to launch in your region or because the drivers in your area have the option turned off at the time.
How Do I Turn Off Uber Pet?
You can turn off Uber Pet in the app through the driver preferences section. When you do this, you won’t receive requests for Uber Pet rides but some people might still try to ride with their pet.
Unless it’s a service animal, you have the right to decline their requests without giving any reasons.
Can I Uber Just My Dog?
You can’t Uber just your dog or any other pet because company policy says the animal has to be accompanied throughout the ride.
Even if you’re dropping them off yourself and having someone you trust pick them up at the end of the ride, the drivers are instructed to reject the request.
Is Uber Pet Worth It?
For riders, we’d say that Uber Pet is worth it because there’s less of a chance of getting turned down because you have an animal with you.
Some drivers might be allergic to animals but when you use Uber Pet, you know that there’s no risk of this.
Paying a small premium for each ride might prove worth avoiding the hassle of trying to get an Uber that will accept your pet.
You should keep in mind that you’d need to take extra caution to keep your pet from leaving a mess in the car, something that might impact the rating your driver leaves you.
Is Uber Pet Worth It For Drivers?
Whether or not Uber Pet is worth it for you as a driver depends on your priorities and how you handle what comes with it.
Reception to the program seems mixed, but according to several reports we’ve gathered, though, many drivers say Uber Pet is not worth it for them.
One of the biggest reasons for this is the risk of damage that pets pose to their vehicles with things like urine, vomit, and fur.
Even with the cleaning fees, it still takes a long time to get rid of these effects, something drivers can’t spare.
Uber Pet rides are also not as frequent as other ones, so drivers will still need to provide regular rides to people who might not know that they also do pet-friendly rides.
How they describe the problem is that people get in the car and notice the strong smell, impacting the quality of their experience and the driver’s rating.
With Pet rides being less common, the slightly higher fares ultimately don’t mean much, and neither does the trouble.
Uber also tells these drivers that they can’t charge a cleaning fee for a pet that leaves a smell in the car because it’s expected if they provide these rides.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on what is Uber Freight, what is my Uber rating, and what is Uber Premier.
Conclusion
Uber Pet is a ride type, available within the regular Uber app, for people riding with their animals. If the pet is a service animal then you can use any ride type and don’t need Uber Pet. Uber Pet is currently available in a few regions but is currently expanding.
Drivers that do Uber Pet get slightly more money per trip and have the option to charge more for cleaning fees if the pet leaves a mess in their car. Riders would have to pay more and take extra steps to ensure their pet doesn’t ruin the experience for the driver, e.g. by laying down a towel.
