You Can Now Ride UberPOOL Tax-Free in Philly

That transit check that helps you get to work could now help you do it in a car.

On Wednesday, Uber announced it had started accepting certain commuter benefits cards for its UberPOOL service. In the U.S., employers are allowed to provide non-taxed transportation benefits up to a certain level.

The idea of employer-provided transit benefits is to encourage people to take transit to work, which is generally better for the environment and also cuts down on road congestion. As UberPOOL cars have up to four riders in them, it counts. UberPOOL rides can now be paid for with WageWorks Commuter Prepaid MasterCard, WageWorks Visa Prepaid Commuter Card and the TransitChek QuickPay Prepaid Visa Card.

UberPOOL customers in Philadelphia are eligible to use one of those cards in the Uber app. It is also available in New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver, Miami, Las Vegas and all of New Jersey.

The service, cheaper than UberX and UberBlack, pairs riders generally going in the same direction with each other. (Our own Victor Fiorillo says it’s decent, but it can take forever to get home.)

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