Uber Pets lets your furry friends join the ride

CHICAGO -- Uber is offering a new feature to make it easier to ride with pets.

The pilot program, called Uber Pets, will let riders tell their driver they'll be bringing a pet on their ride. Riders will then be charged a small surcharge, anywhere from $3 to $5, on top of their regular fare.

Uber said the program is designed specifically for riders who are bringing pets and non-service animals on their rides, and said cats and dogs are the most common types of animals they expect on Uber Pets trips.

The company also said Uber Pets will allow drivers more flexibility to avoid trips were a non-service animal will be on board.

Uber said the new program does not effect to replace their service animal policy. Riders are not charged for service animals, and drivers cannot decline to take service animals in their vehicles. According to Uber, refusal by a driver to accept a service animal in their car can result in permanent deactivation of their driver account.

Uber Pets will be available starting on October 16 in Denver, Austin, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tampa Bay.

CNN contributed to this report.