Uber Pet has launched in Manchester – but they’re nowhere to be seen

Uber has announced that customers in Manchester will be able to select a pet friendly ride, meaning you’ll never have to choose between your furry friend and the comfort of a cab ride again. Or at least you shouldn’t – but the announcement isn’t all it seems.

Allowing pets in an Uber is up to the driver’s discretion, and if the current uptake is anything to go by, drivers don’t seem too keen. One quick search from the Manchester Evening News office in Oldham into Manchester city centre came up with a ‘no cars available’ message, but a normal UberX without the pet option was only three minutes away.

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This seems to be the case throughout the region. We searched for journeys from addresses in all ten of Greater Manchester’s boroughs, and couldn’t find a single available Uber Pet.

Jen Thomas, who lives in Salford with her eight-month-old rescue dog Minnie said the new scheme was “brilliant news, if drivers actually offer it. I definitely wouldn’t mind paying a little more to be able to bring Minnie along (the Terms and Conditions at the bottom recommend bringing a towel along which is fair). Just depends if many drivers will accept, but at least it’s upfront.”

However she, similarly to us, found that she could not select a pet friendly ride and was met with the same ‘no cars available’ message. “Good idea in theory, but not if nobody offers!” she commented.

Some pet owners were enraged by the pet surcharge, which will add £3.20 to a journey in London and £2 to a journey in the rest of the country.

Uber Pet journeys are currently available in Manchester, London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol and Bath.

The company will donate £1 from every Uber Pet fare to the All Dogs Matter charity which works “in and around London to transform the lives of unwanted and abandoned dogs”.

An Uber spokesperson said: “We’re working hard to sign up more drivers to Uber Pet and we are sorry that there have been issues in Manchester.”