Uber in harmony with Pandora for driver music streaming

Uber said Monday it was teaming with online music service Pandora to allow drivers of the ridesharing service to stream their favorite playlists.

California-based Uber, which operates in dozens of countries, said drivers in the United States, Australia and New Zealand can now play music from their favorite Pandora stations, for free and without advertisements, as they drive.

"We know from your feedback that easy access to high quality music makes a difference and that struck a chord with our team," Uber said in a blog post.

"So with the help of several drivers, we designed a new feature with Pandora in the Uber Partner app so you can enjoy seamless, personalized music throughout your day."

Uber said the feature is now available only for drivers but that passengers may soon be able to do the same if they subscribe to the music service.

Uber has a similar agreement with rival music service Spotify that allows riders to stream music during their ride without incurring data charges.

Uber, which allows users to summon a ride with a smartphone application, has been rapidly expanding around the world even as established taxi operators and regulators seek to put the brakes on the service.