Introducing Transportation on Messenger
Messenger is your place to communicate seamlessly with everyone – from making plans with friends, sharing pictures and moments with your loved ones, sending money, and talking to your dearest businesses about a purchase or getting updates on your item’s delivery. Millions of people all over the world use Messenger every month to engage with businesses because it’s plain, secure, convenient and keeps everything in one place.
Technology can make all of our engagements with businesses better, and over the past year Messenger has added integrations with select retailers, household brands and hotels to make your most common and every day business interactions more productive.
Today, we’re expanding the services available to you with our launch of transportation on Messenger. With this fresh feature, you can request a rail from a car service without ever needing to download an extra app or leave a conversation. It’s super effortless and doesn’t take you away from the plans that you’re making with your friends or family.
Whether you’re meeting friends for lunch, on your way to a concert, or running late for work, Messenger and our playmates can get you to your destination swifter.
To get began, download the latest version of Messenger. Then, from within a conversation, tap the more menu and choose Transportation. You can also search directly for Uber – our very first playmate – and tap the car icon to request a rail. From there, you’ll receive updates on your driver’s status and notify your friends that you’ve called a rail. With the capability to request, track and pay for a rail in Messenger, we’re making transportation as ordinary as sending a message.
Your very first rail is free
For a limited time, you’ll get a free rail the very first time you use this feature (up to $20 value) with Uber. All you have to do to claim your free rail is link your existing Uber account* or set up a fresh account within Messenger and request a rail. Driver status updates and payment receipts will get delivered to a private conversation inbetween you and Uber. With everything in one place, you can seamlessly keep track of your rail and payment history.
This service is presently in testing and will be available to select users in the locations where Uber operates in the United States. More countries and other transportation playmates will be available soon.
*Update as of 1/Four/16: The free rail for existing Uber users is no longer in effect, but it’s still available for fresh Uber users.