Uber users will have to pay an extra fee if their driver takes more than 8 minutes to reach them

Thomson Reuters

• Uber is releasing new features as part of its "180 Days of Change" campaign designed to give drivers more flexibility.
• As part of the campaign, Uber will now charge users if their driver has to travel more than eight minutes on average to pick them up.

Uber will now charge passengers an extra fee when it takes a driver about eight minutes or more to pick them up, the company announced on Tuesday.

When exactly the fee will kick in is subject to change based on the market, but it will typically go into effect between eight and 11 minutes, according to The Verge, which first reported on the change. One example Uber gave The Verge was a user who was charged an additional $5.77 after a driver had to travel 4.2 miles (a roughly 11-minute trip) to pick them up.

The change will have the biggest impact on users attempting to hail cars in less-populated areas. But the move could help incentivize Uber drivers to leave cities for suburban pickups, Aaron Schildkrout, head of driver product at Uber, told the Verge.

The new fee is one of several released under Uber's "180 Days of Change," a program that went into effect following a string of scandals. The campaign is designed to give Uber drivers more flexibility.

Riders will also now be charged if their Uber driver has to wait more than two minutes for pickup, a feature that has been piloted in some cities like New York and Phoenix. Uber will also adjust cancellation fees based on time and distance, so users will have to pay more if they cancel a ride last minute.

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