Londoners took over 45,000 UberPOOL rides in its first week
More than 45,000 UberPOOL journeys were completed in London within a week of the service going live in the city, Uber said in a press release. UberPOOL allows customers to book a ride to a destination and reduce the cost by sharing part of the journey with a stranger travelling in the same direction. Furthermore, almost two-thirds of drivers using the Uber app in London are thought to have carried out an UberPOOL trip in the last week, being the first week of service.

S ome 45,000 trips were made in the first week of Uber's new car-sharing service, the minicab app has said.

Uber Pool allows up to three strangers to share a car and save money on the standard fare.

The scheme was launched in London on December 4 following success in other major cities around the world.

Uber said almost two-thirds of its London drivers carried out a shared journey in the past week.

Passengers save 25% compared with the standard uberX fare. Each pick-up is restricted to a maximum of two people, with no more than three passengers in a car at any one time.

Uber's London general manager, Tom Elvidge, said: "We're delighted that so many people have already chosen to use our new uberPOOL service in its first week. By sharing their journey with other people going in the same direction, Londoners are saving money and reducing mileage too.

"Every day millions of cars drive on London's roads and most have just one person in them. With this new service we are making it easier and cheaper for people to leave their own cars at home and share an Uber to get from A to B instead."

Uber operates in more than a dozen UK cities, with the latest launch in Belfast on Friday.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.