Uber teams with Hertz’s Oro Mobility; adds Expedia hotels, AI tools

Hertz Global Holdings announced that its new unit, Oro Mobility, will operate Uber’s autonomous taxi program in the San Francisco Bay Area and run driver‑staffed fleets on the Uber platform. Uber introduced new in‑app travel and AI features at its Go‑Get event in New York, including hotel bookings powered by Expedia.

Under the agreement, Oro Mobility will handle day‑to‑day operations for Uber’s self‑driving taxis, including vehicle charging, repairs, cleaning and facility management. Service in the Bay Area is scheduled to begin before the end of the year, with possible expansion into additional cities by 2027, Hertz said.

Oro will also operate its own fleet of vehicles on Uber’s network using drivers employed directly by Oro. That human‑driven program currently operates in Los Angeles and San Francisco and is slated to expand to Northern New Jersey this spring, according to company statements.

Hertz said the arrangement builds on an existing relationship under which Uber drivers rent vehicles from Hertz. Shares of Hertz rose 17.14% to $6.55 in trading after the Oro Mobility announcement.

At the New York event, Uber said it has integrated Expedia hotel bookings into its app, allowing users to search and book from more than 700,000 properties worldwide. The company also introduced Travel Mode for local destination suggestions and restaurant reservations, and an AI voice assistant that accepts spoken ride requests, identifies destinations and recommends ride options.

Uber described two additional services shown at the event. Shop for Me lets users request items from local stores even if those retailers are not listed in the app. Eats for the Way is a pilot for Uber Black and Uber Black SUV riders in select cities; booked vehicles can arrive stocked with coffee or snacks, and riders can add a food or drink order after confirming a reservation.

The hotel booking feature may generate revenue through commissions on bookings; Uber does not own the listed hotels, company officials noted. Uber said the layered services combine transportation, lodging and on‑demand shopping within the app.

Market data showed increased investor interest after the announcements. Options‑market figures cited a put‑to‑call ratio of 0.22 for contracts expiring in mid‑September. One referenced top price target of $87 implies about a 17% upside from current levels. Analysts tracking Uber put a consensus rating of Strong Buy on the stock, with an average price target near $106. Uber’s quarterly earnings report is scheduled for May 6, with analysts expecting revenue near $13.3 billion, a year‑over‑year increase of more than 15%.