Uber rides can get expensive, even if they are for a short distance. Now Uber is trying to cut costs for passengers and save the environment a little too.

UberPool will debut in New York on a trial run after Paris and San Francisco offered the program as well.

What UberPool aims to do is maximize efficiency and make Uber rides make more sense. Since many riders taking Uber in big cities typically need quick rides to a nearby location, UberPool will make these short rides make more sense.

Here's how it will work: if two passengers are hailing rides in the same general area, UberPool will notice that and instead of ordering two separate cars, it will combine the two passengers' rides into one carpool.

Because less manpower and equipment will be used, Uber says their riders can expect to enjoy between a 20 and 50 percent savings in fare prices.

"On any given day, the vast majority of uberX trips in NYC have a 'lookalike' trip - a trip that starts near, ends near, and is happening around the same time as another trip," Uber said in a blog post. "Most of these trips transport 1-2 people, leaving 2-3 empty seats. With UberPool we can match those lookalike trips together."

The service is coming to all five boroughs in New York Thursday. iOS (Apple) devices will get the service right away and Android will get the service on Dec. 8.

Lyft and Sidecar, direct competitors with Uber, have tried similar services but some regulators claim carpooling in this matter is illegal.

Certainly there's tons of cars and tons of passengers wanting rides in New York, UberPool sounds like a great idea, if regulators will allow it.

What do you think of carpooling with strangers via the Uber app? Is this a good idea? Or too dangerous? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think.