Tech Transformers

Uber announces tie-up with Westfield’s US shopping malls that will feature taxi waiting lounges

Key Points
  • Service to be at all of Westfield's 33 U.S. shopping centers
  • L.A. Center to have an Uber lounge
  • Uber promising on-site customer service
An UBER application is shown as cars drive by in Washington, DC.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

Uber is to have designated drop-off and pick-up areas at all of Westfield's 33 shopping centers in the United States.

The two firms announced a partnership that places the locations on the Uber app, meaning shoppers can see where exactly they can be picked up and dropped off.

The firms said the Westfield malls will each incorporate between one and 10 Uber pick-up and drop-off stations. Some locations will also include kiosks with Uber customer service employees.

"Uber wants to make transportation seamless for everyone, everywhere, but we can't do it alone," said Amy Friedlander Hoffman, Uber's head of business development and experiential marketing, in a joint press release Thursday.

"So we're excited to work together on this first of its kind initiative aimed at delivering the best possible experience to our riders when they're going shopping, dining or catching a movie," she added.

Uber Lounge

The Westfield Century City shopping mall in Los Angeles is to be the first to include an Uber lounge where shoppers can wait for their taxi "in style".

Thomas Hart | Flickr

The lounge will form part of a $1 billion renovation of the shopping center due this fall.

"We are thrilled to be able to partner with Uber to leverage modern technology in a way that makes it more convenient than ever to travel to and from any Westfield destination," said William Hecht, Westfield's chief operating officer in the United States.