Officially launched last February in Manila, Uber is an on-demand car service with roots in San Francisco and now available in 45 countries and more than 100 cities. Uber was all over the news a couple of weeks ago when LTFRB carried out a sting operation against Uber due to franchise issues, leading to an Uber Black Fortuner being fined Php 200,000. Uber has three categories: UberX for smaller vehicles, Black Car for full size luxury cars and SUVs and just recently, Uber has made available the Wheelmobile for persons with disabilities. We’re not here to put our two cents on the franchise issue so let’s dive into the reasons why we love Uber.
1) More convenient ““ getting your ride with Uber is easy as pie. Just set your pickup location and wait for your ride. The app lets you know the estimated time and exact location of the car so you don’t have to wait and stand outside the streets for minutes. The app also provides you with the number of the driver so you can call or text the driver for directions or exact location. Most often, after requesting a ride, I immediately get text messages or calls from the driver. With Uber, you don’t have to wait for minutes and stand in long lines or wrestle in crowded taxi stands to get your ride.
2) Clean, brand new cars ““ almost all Uber cars I’ve rode are brand new or less than a year old. Unlike taxis, Uber cars are clean, smells fresh and doesn’t have that cigarette smoke odors.
3) Courteous drivers – Every now and then, we experience riding taxis with the driver asking us on how to get to our destinations, circling around the streets or getting lost and asking for directions. Sometimes, we encounter irate drivers speeding up and cursing other drivers or cars on the road. Oftentimes we end up arguing with the driver over these things, especially on the taxi meter or bill. Uber drivers are well-mannered. They engage you in a good conversation and sometimes they open up the doors for you or help you with your things and luggage.
4) Cheaper ““With a regular taxi, you get charged Php 3.50 every 300 meters and Php 3.50 every 2 minutes but usually you’d end up getting surprised (ripped off J) with the fare for the entire trip. Not to mention the “˜plus’ or additional fee they ask you during rush hours. Uber cars are generally cheaper especially with long rides. You can also estimate your fare before you request your ride. And since you use your credit card, Uber charge you with just the exact fare. Taxi drivers normally round up the fare and don’t give you change. Uber also allows you to split your payment with friends who are also using Uber.
5) Feedback system ““ Uber has a good feedback system that allows you to rate or comment on your driver or ride. You also receive a fare breakdown showing the base fare, distance and trip time immediately after your trip.
6) Black Car ““ It’s always fun looking forward to the car you’d get when you book for a ride with Uber. Aside from the variety of UberX cars from Toyota Vios, Toyota Altis, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra to Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota Innova etc., you can also enjoy riding the Black Cars including Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, Mini Cooper, Subaru Forester, Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Ford Everest and Hummer. 🙂
7) Safe ““ safety is everyone’s concern when riding a cab. Uber improves on this by providing you the driver’s name and photo as well as the car model and plate number right after you request your ride. You can also share your ride details and your ETA to your friends and relatives via email and social media.
If you’d like to try Uber, you can download the Uber for Android here and the iTunes version here and register.
You can use the promo code “œuberpinoytechblog” and get 200 pesos off your first ride. (updated July 2015)
Just click on the Uber logo on the top left, select Promotions, enter the promo code and apply.
Visit https://www.uber.com/ for more.