May 14 (Reuters) -

Uber Technologies ( UBER ) on Wednesday unveiled a range of

new offerings such as shared fixed-route rides and expanded

membership passes, targeting consumers seeking cost-effective

ways to travel.

The ride-sharing app has been looking to invest in more

affordable transport and delivery offerings to widen its user

base and combat slowing revenue growth in an uncertain economic

environment.

Uber's ( UBER ) new "Route Share" ride option will cost half as much

as the company's UberX ride-hail service, by providing pickups

every 20 minutes along busy commute corridors.

Initially available in cities such as New York, San

Francisco and Chicago, Route Share will operate during weekday

rush hours and Uber ( UBER ) is considering partnering with employers to

integrate pre-tax commuter benefits.

The company is also expanding ride passes that help users

lock-in lower fares and keep costs predictable.

These ride passes will be available in major U.S. cities

such as Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco, and will be expanded

to teen accounts later this year.

Uber ( UBER ) unveiled Price Lock Pass for $2.99 in February and it

was initially available in a few U.S. markets. The feature will

now be available across several cities in the United States and

expand throughout the country and Brazil this year, the company

said.

The company had announced a partnership with Volkswagen

to deploy a fleet of thousands of the German

automaker's fully electric ID. Buzz AD vehicles as robotaxis

next year. The vehicles will also be used for shared

self-driving taxi rides.

Uber ( UBER ) is also scaling its tie-up with Waymo in Austin, aiming

to increase the number of robotaxis to hundreds of vehicles in

the coming months.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika

Syamnath)