Facebook and Uber are teaming up to allow users to request rides through the popular Messenger app, and offering quite an incentive to do so.
According to a blog post, users will be able to hail rides directly within Messenger, provided they are located in a city where the ridesharing app currently operates. And, the first time you book a ride within the app, Facebook and Uber will pick up the tab (up to $20) for a limited time.
“With this new feature, you can request a ride from a car service without ever needing to download an extra app or leave a conversation,” Facebook Product Manager Seth Rosenberg said. “It’s super easy and doesn’t take you away from the plans that you’re making with your friends or family.”
In order to call a car, users need only to tap an address or the new car icon found within the app. After ensuring addresses are correct and the user is hailing the right car (it appears that a variety of Uber’s services, including UberX and UberBLACK, are also available to request), the people within the chat will see that the user has confirmed a car has been booked and will be prompted to order cars themselves.
The partnership is another way that Facebook is testing out different services within its communication-focused app. The company is still working on its assistant project, Facebook M, and opened up Messenger for Businessback in March of this year.
The new feature will be in the latest update to Messenger, which is out today.