Uber Foursquare deal will make addresses history
Uber users may soon be able to give up hunting down the address they need to be collected from thanks to a new partnership with Foursquare. In a multi-year deal, Uber users will be able to access Foursquare's “Points of Interest” (POI) data so that they can simply type in the name of the restaurant (for example) where they are instead of inputting an address. Beyond helping drivers and passengers find each other, the updated POI data will also improve Uber's other businesses, like uberEATS and uberRUSH. "For example, if you're a driver picking up food for delivery, you might naturally go to the front of the business but the order might be waiting for you at the back door. By customizing Foursquare's POI data, it will be easier for Uber drivers to identify the right pickup and dropoff locations in many different situations," says Uber in a blog post.



The days of looking up addresses for destinations before entering them in Uber may be over.

Foursquare on Wednesday said it's supplying "Points of Interest" data to Uber in a global, multiyear agreement, letting the ride-share company know the names and locations of restaurants, local businesses and other destinations. What that means is you won't have to look up the addresses of places you want to go but instead can simply type the name in the destination box.

Emil Michael, Uber's chief business officer, called the "breadth and accuracy" of Foursquare's location data "impressive" and said in the Foursquare post that "with the ability to customize location data, we can make the user experience even better for Uber riders and drivers around the globe."

Uber said in a post on its own site that Foursquare's data also will help with products like its food delivery service, UberEats, and its delivery service, UberRush. "For example, if you're a driver picking up food for delivery, you might naturally go to the front of the business, but the order might be waiting for you at the back door," Uber said. "By customizing Foursquare's POI data, it will be easier for Uber drivers to identify the right pickup and drop-off locations in many different situations."