Market Data 
- Uber is continuing to expand its ride options, and some might surprise you.
- The ride-hailing company launched Uber Shikara in India and Uber Shuttle in the US this year.
- It plans to bring more boat and flight options in 2025.
You might be hopping into an Uber at some point this holiday season — and depending on where you live, that ride could take many different forms.
Uber’s ride-hailing services are currently available in more than 10,000 cities in over 70 countries on six continents, a company spokesperson said. And in many of those places, the company offers more than just car rides.
In some some parts of the world, you can take rides on an Uber Boat, Uber Shuttle, Uber rickshaw, or Uber Shikara, and in the past, the company has also offered more novel travel options like Uber Yacht and Uber Sleigh.
Even more options are coming in 2025.
Uber by air
Uber has been looking to the skies for years, and the US-based tech company has some big aerial plans for 2025.
In 2017, Uber offered helicopter rides, dubbed UberCHOPPER, in the United Arab Emirates, between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, for one day only to visitors of that year’s Formula 1 Grand Prix race. The less-than 30-minute trip, which could accommodate up to six people, cost about $544 per person in today’s dollars.
In 2019, Uber launched an ongoing helicopter ride-hailing service in New York City called Uber Copter. The offering allowed riders to request a copter ride from Manhattan, below 110th Street, to John F. Kennedy International Airport between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For around $200, the service included a ride from your pickup location to the heliport, an 8-minute helicopter flight, and a ride from the heliport to your destination.
The service was short-lived, however, as the company discontinued it in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Uber isn’t done with air travel just yet.
By late 2025, Uber plans to launch electric commercial “air taxis” in New York City and Los Angeles in partnership with Joby Aviation, which manufactures electric takeoff and landing vehicles, or eVTOLs.
Earlier this year, Business Insider’s Taylor Rains toured one of the sleek new eVTOLs, which are much quieter and more eco-friendly than traditional aircraft.
“We’re excited to continue exploring electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) partnerships in the Advanced Air Mobility space,” an Uber spokesperson told BI. “This transformational technology will require connected mobility solutions on the ground and in the air to make this future a reality, especially for trips up to 100 miles.”
Uber by boat
Uber offers a few different ways to glide across the water via river, sea, and lake.
One popular Uber Boat option is a water shuttle service on the River Thames in London, which launched in 2020 in partnership with boat operator Thames Clippers.
Riders can purchase a one- or two-day hop-on, hop-off pass for about $27 or buy Point A to Point B tickets, which can range in price depending on where you’re going. An end-to-end single adult trip costs around $21, while shorter distances can be around $6.
Business Insider took a ride on an Uber Boat in 2021 and reported that it was much more fun than a traditional taxi ride.
And in 2025, Uber is expanding London’s Uber Boat with the UK’s first fully-electric cross-river passenger ferry, which will have capacity for 150 people and 100 bikes.
But if you’re looking for a more upscale way to hit the waves, Uber launched a few higher-end European water transport services over the summer.
In August, travelers could book an Uber Yacht in Ibiza, Spain, to take up to eight passengers on an 8-hour private ride around the island, complete with Champagne, artisanal snacks, and land transportation to and from the skipper. The luxury adventure cost around $1,650.
Uber also started an on-demand “Limo Boat” service in Venice, Italy, in July for up to six people at about $124 per trip. The company also expanded its Uber Boat service in Greece from Mykonos to Athens, Corfu, and Santorini.
Though these higher-end options were seasonal offerings for the summer of 2024, Uber plans to announce more boat options in 2025, a company spokesperson told BI.
In December, the ride-hailing company launched Uber Shikara on Dal Lake in Srinagar, India.
Riders can book a one-hour ride on one of the traditional wooden boats, which are typically canopied and ornately painted, for up to four passengers. Uber says it will not collect any fees on the ride, and the entire amount of the fare will go directly to the Shikara driver.
Uber by land
Uber has also expanded on its original mode of transportation.
Aside from the traditional car options of UberX, UberXL, Uber Share, Uber Black, and others, the company now offers services like Uber Shuttle and Uber Auto.
In October, Uber announced its first-ever airport shuttle, which takes riders in New York City from Midtown Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport in Queens for $18.
Uber Shuttle also operates in cities throughout India, Brazil, Mexico, and Egypt.
You can also catch a ride on an Uber Auto, a three-wheeled motorized rickshaw, in over 60 cities in India. The service is so popular that Uber has expanded it into Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Tanzania, a company spokesperson said.
One of Uber’s newest seasonal offerings is Uber Safari, available through the end of January, which takes up to four passengers on a day trip through the Aquila Private Game Reserve in Cape Town, South Africa for $200.
Or, if you want to take driving into your own hands, the Uber app also lets you book electric Lime bikes and scooters, or get a rental car from a local agency delivered to your doorstep.
In one of its most novel offerings, the company offered free Uber Sleigh rides — yes, on an actual reindeer-pulled sleigh in the snow — in Lapland, Finland for a week in December 2022.
What’s next for Uber
Uber is continually expanding its offerings. And, in addition to bringing more flight and boat services to the app in 2025, Uber is also planning to push into the world of autonomous driving.
The company, which announced its first-ever full-year operating profit in February, is reviving its robotaxi dreams.
And on the business side of things, in 2024, the company’s stock had gained around 6% by late-December, trailing the benchmark S&P 500 index, which had gained more than 27% over the same timeframe. (Main competitor Lyft was up only around 0.8%.)
