People love the convenience of hailing a ride via Uber, and its drivers love the idea of getting paid to give people rides. And it turns out 80,000 drivers want to get paid on the spot. That’s how many drivers Uber said on Tuesday (Aug. 16) have signed up to use its Instant Pay service. It also announced its expanding the options for how the drivers get their cash instantly.
Instant Pay, which Uber launched earlier this year, is an easy-to-use option that drivers can use to get paid instantaneously. Uber partnered with GoBank to make it possible. Uber said, since the launch, more than 80,000 drivers have signed up for Instant Pay with the Uber Debit Card from GoBank, which is a mobile bank account offered from Green Dot. Uber said it and Green Dot are expanding the Instant Pay options in response to feedback from its drivers. Now, Instant Pay will work with almost any Mastercard, Visa or Discover U.S. debit card that is attached to a traditional checking and savings account — similarly to how PayPal can be linked to most debit cards, making it easy for people to get paid with PayPal but withdraw the money instantly at an ATM machine.
“Whether you’re saving up for something big or hitting the road to pay an unexpected bill, Uber can help you reach your goals on your schedule. It’s your money. You earned it, and you should be able to experience the joy of getting paid anytime you want,” said Uber in announcing the expanded Instant Pay options. “That’s what driving with Uber is all about: work that fits around your life and not the other way around.”
Anyone questioning the business model of Uber may need a new hobby — granted, the service continues to gain in popularity, announcing a new milestone in July. That’s when Uber said it completed greater than 2 billion trips on its app, just six months after completing its first billion rides. In a post on Facebook, Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick said the company reached the 2 billion-ride mark on June 18 when 147 Uber rides started at the same time.