Uber’s Bengaluru-based mobility engineering team is leading the technological development of a complex integration with a third-party cab aggregator in the UK, the company’s first-ever such product offering.
‘Local Cab’, is currently being piloted in Plymouth and Oxford in the UK, and allows residents there to book third-party cabs offered by aggregator, Autocab, through the Uber app.
The mobility engineering team led the integration, which included breaking Uber’s tech stack and building a new service, allowing Uber riders to be paired with a third-party driver. The team integrated the Uber app with Autocab’s marketplace with the help of third party (3P) application programming interfaces (APIs) developed for local cabs. Uber acquired Autocab in 2020.
As part of the integration, riders in Plymouth and Oxford will see the option to book a “Local Cab” on their Uber app, and upon requesting a ride, will be routed to the Autocab marketplace, which will pair it with an available operator. The routing to the Autocab marketplace will happen at the backend, with the booking interface continuing to be that of the Uber app.
The product is a win-win as it offers riders access to Uber at the touch of a button. At the same time, it enables Uber to connect with riders in towns and cities where it doesn’t operate.
Commenting on the development of the new product, Manish Bharani, Engineering Manager, Rides Engineering said, “The Rider engineering team has led several innovations for Uber globally, and the third-party integration is the latest feather in its cap. We continuously leverage technology to find solutions for augmenting rider convenience. Offering riders a chance to book cabs through the Uber app even in cities where we aren’t present goes to show the ease of use that comes with the platform.‘’
The Rider engineering team has been the architect of several leading innovations for the Rides business, such as building the UberLite app, launching products such as self-drive Car Rentals in the US, Australia and New Zealand. The team comprises Android, iOS and Backend engineers who closely partner with Product, Operations and UX Designers
