• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechUber Technologies

Uber’s New Car Device Aims to Help Passengers Find Their Drivers Faster

By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 15, 2016, 7:00 AM ET
Uber's new Beacon device for drivers.
Uber's new Beacon device for drivers. Courtesy of Uber

Uber’s latest creation isn’t a new delivery service or a new take on carpooling—it’s a hardware device.

On Thursday, the ride-hailing giant unveiled a small circular device, in the shape of Uber’s logo, meant to be attached to Uber driver windshields to help passengers more easily spot their ride on the street. The device, named Beacon, can light up and display a variety of colors thanks to eight LED lights inside it.

“Our team was focused on that slice of time between when you request an Uber, and you get picked up,” Uber product manager Nikhil Goel told Fortune about the company’s goal when designing the Beacon.

The Beacon is easy to set: just stick the small magnetized holder to the windshield from inside the car using the adhesive side, then attach the device to the holder. The Beacon is charged via a USB cable, outside the vehicle or while the driver is on the road. Uber says that the device should last for “thousands of charges” before it needs to be replaced. Drivers can seek help for their Beacons by contacting Uber online or stopping by the local center for Uber driver resources.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

This isn’t Uber’s first such device. Last year, Uber quietly ran a pilot program in Seattle for a similar product called Spot. The Spot was a strip-shaped light that could glow in different colors. Like the Beacon, it displayed one of six color options to make it easier for the passenger to identify their Uber ride.

“With Spot, it was important to test our thesis: Can hardware help with the pickup?” said Goel. Though the Spot device yielded positive results during testing, the company did learn that its shape made it hard to position on the windshield, Uber designer John Badalamenti told Fortune. Another lesson from the Spot: cancelation rates, calls, and text messages between drivers and passengers (presumably to find each other), decreased, said the company.

Just a month ago, rival Lyft showed off its own dashboard device with colorful lights, the same day it also debuted a series of cheeky television commercials parodying Uber. (Sadly, Uber had no ads of its own to share this time.) Though Lyft ditched its signature pink mustache in the process, its Amp device is just as funky with its bright colors.

For more on Lyft, watch this Fortune video:

Both companies say their goal is to make the passenger pickup process faster and easier by helping riders and drivers identify each other by a color. In the end, the faster passenger can find and hop into their ride, the more efficient drivers can be with their time—meaning, an increase in the number of rides they can complete.

Initially, Uber will give out Beacon devices in Miami, Denver, Nashville, and New Castle and Belfast in the U.K., though it plans to expand the availability of Beacons in the future. The company declined to share how much it spent to develop the device, but did admit to working with consultants on the project.

About the Author
By Kia Kokalitcheva
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Water storage construction on the Meta data center site in Holly Ridge, Richland Parish, Louisiana.
AIEye on AI
Inside Meta’s chaotic AI boomtown in rural Louisiana
By Sharon GoldmanMarch 26, 2026
9 minutes ago
Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg
SuccessCareers
30-year-old CEO of $11 billion Harvey earned the backing of OpenAI and Sam Altman. He says you have to ‘re-earn’ your role every 6 months
By Preston ForeMarch 26, 2026
2 hours ago
SuccessHiring
Duolingo CEO’s taxi driver test decides who gets hired—before the interview even starts
By Sydney LakeMarch 26, 2026
2 hours ago
chaplin
AIAI agents
‘Intelligence may be scalable, but accountability is not’: A new report exposes the hidden cost of the AI agent revolution
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 26, 2026
3 hours ago
wyle
HealthTV
‘The Pitt’ shows an ER getting shut down by a cyberattack that is totally true to life
By Jeffrey Tully, Christian Dameff and The ConversationMarch 26, 2026
4 hours ago
CryptoCryptocurrency
Foreign exchange startup XFX raises $17 million to help businesses go between cash and stablecoins
By Ben WeissMarch 26, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Success
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
2 days ago
C-Suite
'I didn’t want anybody shooting me': Five Guys CEO gave away $1.5 million bonus to employees over botched BOGO burger birthday celebration
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
22 hours ago
Magazine
The youngest-ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company is fighting Trump's cuts to keep Medicaid strong
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
2 days ago
Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
3 days ago
Success
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon says remote work breeds ‘rope-a-dope politics’ and stunts young workers’ growth
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
1 day ago
Environment
Vail Resorts' CEO says it's time to think beyond the $1,000 ski pass that helped build the empire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
10 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.