Uber turns its SpotHero deal into in-app parking in 15 U.S. cities

Uber on Monday launched Uber Parking, a service that lets people reserve and pay for garage and lot spaces inside its app, nine months after it agreed to buy the parking app SpotHero.

The launch pushes Uber into a market it once tried to shrink. For years the company pitched rides as a substitute for owning a car. Now it wants the commuters who still drive. “Commute is one of our largest categories,” Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi said on Uber's third-quarter earnings call, describing parking as part of a package of services for those customers.

SpotHero brings a network of 13,000 garages, lots and valet services across more than 400 cities. Uber Parking starts in 15 U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Miami and Washington.

Users tap a Parking icon in the app, enter a destination and time, and compare spots on a map with prices shown upfront. They can filter for self-parking or valet and for garages or surface lots. After entering their vehicle details, drivers get in with a QR code or license plate recognition, and most bookings can be canceled free until the start time.

The service also feeds Uber One, the membership program that had more than 55 million members as of Sept. 30. Members earn 10% back in credits on eligible reservations, which they can spend on rides or Uber Eats orders.

The longer play involves driverless cars. Uber said the lots could serve as staging and waiting areas for the autonomous vehicles of its self-driving partners, keeping empty cars off the streets between trips and cutting the miles they travel without passengers.