Uber is getting into the parking business. The company launched Uber Parking, a reservation service built on its acquisition of SpotHero, the parking marketplace it bought earlier.

The product lets users book parking spots, extending Uber's app beyond its core ride-hailing offering. It's part of a broader pattern: Uber has steadily layered adjacent services — delivery, transit, now parking — onto a platform originally built to move people in other people's cars.

The more interesting angle is the long game. TechCrunch reported the launch comes with an eye on robotaxis. Autonomous vehicles need somewhere to wait, stage and charge between rides, and a parking-reservation network gives Uber infrastructure and inventory it could repurpose as driverless fleets scale. Owning the parking layer today could mean controlling robotaxi logistics tomorrow.

For now, the pitch is simpler: one more reason to open the Uber app, and one more revenue stream that doesn't depend on a driver taking a cut.