Uber app to receive much-needed makeover

Ride-hailing service Uber is set for a complete redesign for its mobile application next week, its first such change since 2012.

The app has been plagued by slow speeds and a four-year-old design, prompting the company to change its style and functionality.

The new design will be introduced for users next Wednesday, 9 November.

"This is a radical redesign and rebuild of the app from scratch," said co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick during the new app's presentation. "We needed a new system to deal with the growing set of features that were sort of piling up in an older design."

There are several noticeable differences to the redesign, although much of its basic outlines still exist.

Users of the app can now slide through various options once they search for a destination, rather than having to choose from a lengthy list of types of journey.

Additional features include real-time cost and length of journey details which will be made available to the user.

The app will also offer the option of producing timetables for trains and buses when major transport hubs are selected as destinations.

Tech experts have commented on the app's faster loading time, referring to it as the best aspect of Uber's new service.