On-demand ridesharing service Uber has been expanding and growing at a far greater pace than its competitors. Only recently it announced a new service that rivals similar services being provided by Google and Amazon. In its latest move the company is opening up to third party developers. It has released the API which will allow developers to work in Uber’s features within their own applications.
For example a third party app can pass destination address to the official Uber app, provide estimate for fares and access to entire trip history, display pickup times and more all thanks to the API.
One might wonder if calling an Uber driver will be possible through third party apps, currently that can only be done through the company’s own app. Uber has implemented that in the API as well however since it “dispatches a real driver in the real world,” it will roll out this particular feature in a much more controlled fashion. For now only a small set of partners will be able to add the ability to request Uber rides through their apps.
Some of the companies that are taking advantage of Uber’s API include Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, TripAdvisor and United Airlines. To celebrate Uber’s API launch the partners are offering new users up to $30 off on their first ride, but the discounts do vary by country, so keep that in mind before requesting your first ride.