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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Josh Salisbury

Londoners will be able to book flights and trains through Uber

Uber has been granted a two-and-a-half-year licence for London (Laura Dale/PA) (Picture: PA Archive)

Londoners will soon be able to book flights, trains and hotels through Uber, the company has pledged.

The move is part of the firm’s bid to become a “one-stop shop” for transport, it said in a statement.

As part of the plans, users will be able to book intercity rail and coach tickets.

Flight and cross-channel tickets will also be available later this year.

Plane and train tickets will be available as QR codes within the app, it said, with the feature being organised so the company’s cars can take you to and from the station.

Jamie Heywood, Uber’s Regional General Manager, said: “Everyone values the freedom to make travel arrangements in a simple and convenient way, which is why we’re excited to become a one-stop shop for all your travel needs.

“You have been able to book rides, bikes, boat services and scooters on the Uber app for a number of years, so adding trains and coaches is a natural progression.

“Later this year we plan to incorporate flights, and in the future hotels, by integrating leading partners into the Uber app to create a seamless door-to-door travel experience.”

Uber is most well-known for offering taxi services but also operates an Uber Boat service, e-bikes and fast food delivery via Uber Eats.

While it will not be providing the new services itself, Uber hopes to partner with third pirates to make booking them simple within the single app.

Uber is yet to reveal who it will partner with on these services but it has said it will confirm the list “in the coming months”.

Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, has previously outlined ambitions to turn the app into a full transport service when he joined the company in 2018.

The announcement comes after Uber was granted a two-and-a-half-year licence to operate private hire vehicles in London last week.

The ride-hailing company had previously been denied a licence by Transport for London in November 2019.

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