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Would you be willing to share a taxi with a stranger, if it meant cutting the cost? 

That's the idea behind UberPool, the latest scheme from taxi firm Uber, which lets users share a journey with another person who is requesting a ride along a similar route.

Cars are booked in the standard way, but if there is a match, the app will notify the user of the other rider's first name.

At the end of the journey, the fare is then split between both passengers.

UberPool (screengrab pictured) lets users share rides and fares with strangers travelling on the same route. Cars are booked in the standard way, but if there is a match, the app notifies the user of the other rider's first name. The driver will then collect the first passenger, before collecting the second

'Since the early days of Uber, we've been excited about the idea of providing transportation so inexpensive and reliable, people can actually sell their cars,' explained the company in a blog post.

'Today, we're announcing a bold experiment straight from the Uber Garage that we believe will be another important step toward that vision, and we're calling it UberPool.'

The feature is being rolled out immediately in private beta, and is only currently available in San Francisco.

One of the first firms to join the scheme is Google.

Throughout the beta, the firm said it will be training more drivers and getting feedback from initial riders taking part in the scheme.

It will then expand the beta to all Uber customers across San Francisco on 15 August. 

'This is also a bold social experiment,' continued the firm. 'There's the interaction between riders in an UberPool - should they talk to each other? When is that cool and when is it, well, annoying?

The feature is being rolled out immediately in private beta, and is only currently available in San Francisco. If the beta is successful, Uber has said it will launch in other areas. Last July, Uber made it possible for friends to split fares through the app (pictured) on any journey

There are already similar services that let people share journeys with strangers in the UK. For example, BlaBla Car as well as goCarShare (pictured) connect drivers travelling to a certain destination or event, with people looking for a lift. Prices are set by the driver and a journey from Bristol to London, for example, starts at £8

'We're going to find out how this brave new world of UberPooling works - we'll iterate on this beta product and get it right, because the larger social implications of reducing the number of cars on the road, congestion in cities, pollution, parking challenge are truly inspiring.'

If the beta is successful, Uber has said it will launch in other areas and customers can sign up to be notified when the scheme launches outside of San Francisco.

Last July, Uber made it possible for friends to split fares through the app.

To do so, they request a ride, select Split Fare and find their friend in the user list.

The other friend has to confirm they are happy to split the fare, and it is divided exactly between the number of people in the car.

Uber launched in in California in 2010 and has grown from 35 cities last summer to 100 in April.

This includes London, New York, Sydney, Mumbai, Moscow, Tokyo, Barcelona, and more.

On average, uberX already costs 40 per cent less than a typical taxi. 

The firm has been criticised by black cab drivers for being anti-competitive and undercutting prices, which they claim is threatening their businesses.