Uber is adding more features to its app that are designed to benefit its drivers. Now drivers will be able to set their arrival times and trip preferences, get notifications if a trip is going to take 45 minutes or longer, and set more preferred destinations.

Prior to this update, drivers could set two destinations a day, allowing them to make a trip only in a preferred area, which is supposed to make commuting to and from home more convenient. Uber has now increased the limit to six destinations.

Setting trip preferences means that Uber drivers can switch to making deliveries for UberEats, the companys food delivery service, when car riding requests are slow. By getting a notification if a trip is going to take 45 minutes or longer, drivers will be better informed to decide whether they want to turn down the trip request. And most notably, Uber has made declining a trip less impactful to a drivers account standing.

Its part of the companys PR effort to court drivers after a disastrous couple of scandal-ridden months, which resulted in the companys CEO Travis Kalanick and other top-ranking executives stepping down. The effort, called 180 Days of Change, was announced back in June. As part of the initiative, Uber added tipping for drivers as an option back for Seattle, Minneapolis, and Houston in June. Every month, Uber plans to announce more changes as part of the effort.

Setting an arrival time.

Long trip notification warns driver if a trip will take 45 minutes or more.

Uber increased the driver destination limit from two trips to six.

Drivers can now become UberEats deliverers during slow hours.

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Uber's new app features give its drivers more freedom to decline ... - The Verge