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Uber testing monthly subscription for rides, food delivery, and scooters in Chicago

The tech company wants to be a one-stop shop for hailing rides, renting scooters, and ordering food

Illustration by Alyssa Nassner

Uber wants to combine all of its consumer services into a single monthly subscription and will test the program in Chicago and San Francisco. For $24.99 per month, the company will offer a pass that includes discounted ride-hailing trips, free Uber Eats delivery, and free rides on JUMP bikes and scooters.

“From meals to wheels and everything in between, we’re always looking for ways to make Uber the go-to option for your everyday needs,” an Uber spokesperson told TechCrunch, in a statement.

The company already offers users the option to purchase a Ride Pass for discounted rates. The recent move to add its food delivery and micromobility businesses into one subscription could give Uber a competitive edge in two increasingly crowded industries.

In Chicago, Uber’s JUMP-branded electric scooters are taking part in the city’s four-month-long pilot program alongside nine other vendors. Users subscribing to Uber’s pass may be more likely to opt for a JUMP scooter, since the service is already included—although there are just 250 of them on the street.

Uber’s JUMP scooters are included in the pass. JUMP bikes are not currently available in Chicago.
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Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) is evaluating the ten scooter vendors as it decides how the technology fits into the city’s broader transit goals. The city tested JUMP bicycles on the Far South Side last summer, but instead opted to expand the Lyft-owned Divvy system in its place.

Uber’s move toward a subscription-based business model could help the unprofitable company secure recurring revenue streams, notes The Verge. The all-in-one pass could soon be expanded to other cities as well as potentially lay the groundwork for the company’s aspirational driverless taxi service.