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Uber’s $25-a-month subscription service is now available across the US — except California

Uber’s $25-a-month subscription service is now available across the US — except California

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Discounted rides and food delivery for a monthly fee

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Uber Pass, the subscription service that the company first introduced in 2018, is now available nationwide — minus California.

The expansion of Pass — an Amazon Prime-style subscription service that allows Uber customers to pay a monthly fee for discounted rates for Uber rides, Uber Eats deliveries, and scooter and bike trips — comes at a time when the company is struggling to maintain its financial footing during the coronavirus pandemic and fighting a dramatic legal battle in its home state.

During its test phase, Pass was available in just 10 US cities. Now, that has expanded to over 200 cities, including New Haven, Columbus, Honolulu, Madison, Milwaukee, Nashville, New York City, Portland, Seattle, and St. Louis.

For $24.99 a month

For $24.99 a month, riders will get 10 percent off of UberX, UberXL, and Uber Comfort rides; and 15 percent off Uber Black, Uber SUV, and Uber Premier rides. Pass fares won’t be subject to typical external events like weather, traffic, or surge pricing, and there’s no limit on the number of rides customers can take each month. Subscribers will also get 5 percent off of their Uber Eats deliveries over $15 and free delivery.

Pass used to offer discounts on bike and scooter trips, but no longer. Uber recently offloaded its Jump bike division to Lime as part of a $170 million investment deal, though it continues to offer electric scooters in a handful of cities.

Uber drivers will still get the same earnings based on time and distance, with Uber covering the difference. That means, yet again, Uber is ramping up a new product that will most likely fail to recoup its own costs.

Uber customers who live in California are not eligible for Ride Pass due to the company’s ongoing fight over the status of its drivers. The company has said it would shut down its operations in the state completely on August 20th rather than comply with a court ruling to classify its drivers as employees.