Photo by Flickr user Another Pint Please…

D.C.’s increasingly saturated non-public transportation market is getting another option: UberPOOL.

It isn’t a direct-to-fancy hotel swimming spot ride, though. The latest Uber service, which launches on October 22, allows users to share their ride with strangers who happen to be going in the same direction, with the point being that fares are cheaper (potentially at the cost of being awkwardly hit on).

Details about exactly how much cheaper are scarce, though the company says it can be up to 50 percent less than an UberX.

The shared ride model has been gaining traction here and elsewhere, with Lyft offering a version called Lyft Line in several cities (D.C. isn’t one of them yet) and Split, a D.C.-based startup whose whole premise is founded on shared rides, joining Sidecar.

“Because of the price point, it definitely appeals for a commuter or someone running errands or activities,” Split’s CEO Ario Keshani told me earlier this year. In other words, they are looking to appeal to people who would normally take Metro or the bus, but who are willing to may a little more to get directly from point to point or simply to avoid the beleaguered system.