Ride-hailing giant Uber has announced it is partnering with online music service Pandora to allow its drivers access to their favorite playlists.
The feature is only being offered in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, where Pandora is only available, but Uber said it may soon be available to passengers once they subscribe to Pandora.
The program has been available beginning Monday to drivers in the three countries without advertisements for the first six months, giving Pandora the opportunity to strengthen its presence in the key automotive market.
Plug, play, drive . Excited to announce our partnership with @Uber – check it out: pic.twitter.com/ULVED9S5jv
— Pandora (@pandora_radio) June 27, 2016
“So with the help of several drivers, we designed a new feature with Pandora in the Uber Partner app so you can enjoy seamless, personalized music throughout your day,” Uber product managers Holly Ormseth and Bob Cowherd announced on the company’s website.
“With Pandora integrated directly into the Uber partner app, everything you need to play music, discover new artists, and save songs is all in one place. There’s no need to bounce back and forth between apps or fiddle with the radio. And with Pandora’s endless stations right at your fingertips, you won’t have to worry about ads, interruptions, or repetitive songs,” they added.
The move will make Pandora, based in Oakland, California, available to nearly 500,000 active Uber drivers in the three countries, 450,000 of whom are in the U.S.
#Uber partners with #Pandora to give drivers ad-free internet radio – being a a real DJ-hog this pleases me greatly! June 28, 2016
“Pandora is delivering the perfect music experience for both Uber drivers and riders,” said Pandora senior product manager Nick Marcantonio.
“Effortless, personalized and elegantly integrated into the app, the Pandora-Uber solution will transform the in-car listening experience,” he added
The San Francisco, California-based Uber and another music service, Spotify, have a similar deal that enables passengers to stream music for free.
