Uber on Monday said it is launching a new service that lets customers reserve and pay for parking in major U.S. cities, about nine months after the ride-hailing company acquired parking app SpotHero.
The acquisition, announced back in February, gives Uber access to a network of 13,000 garages, lots and valet services across more than 400 cities, the company said. And while Uber’s initial plans will focus on human drivers, the company also plans to leverage these parking spots to help the dozens of autonomous vehicle companies it has partnered with.
Uber said the parking spots could be used as staging and waiting locations for autonomous vehicles to help reduce congestion and deadheading, which refers to the miles a vehicle travels without a paying passenger or cargo on board.
For now, the company plans to focus on commuters driving their own vehicles. Uber said it will initially launch in 15 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi indicated earlier this month that the company wants the app to be more relevant to commuters.
