Whenever you travel to a strange city and you are forced to rely on a taxi and its surly taxi driver, don’t you just want to scream,”Isn’t there another way to get a ride?”
Well, these days there is. It’s called Uber and it is a ridesharing service intent on making it easy, fast and cheaper than a taxi to get around town, to the airport and maybe even do without a car.
Based in San Francisco, the company uses a smartphone application to connect passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire. Customers use the app to request rides and track their reserved vehicle’s location.
How does Uber work?
With Uber, there’s no need to call a dispatcher or hail on the street. You can request a ride with the push of a button and track your driver’s progress to your location. Plus, it will notify you once your driver arrives so you can wait comfortably indoors.
Uber’s technology connects people with cars to people who need rides, meaning drivers on the Uber system are independent contractors. Uber conducts some sort of a screening process to verify that every driver is insured and legally qualified to drive.
Using the latest version of the Uber app for iPhone you can estimate your fare before requesting a pickup. Just tap the “Fare Estimate” option after you’ve set your pickup location and enter your destination address. To sign up to drive visit partners.uber.com.
Interestingly, the service utilizes dispatch software to send the nearest driver to your location. The service provides a no-cash-payment solution that charges your ride directly to the credit card on file with your account.
What types of Uber vehicles are available?
Choose your vehicle type. There are up to five types of vehicle services for Uber, depending on the city you are in. Use the slider at the bottom of the app to set your vehicle preference. The five types of services available are:
Black Car – This is Uber’s original service. Choosing Black Car will send a high-end sedan to your location, with seating for up to 4 people.
Taxi – This calls a taxi that has an agreement with Uber. These taxis are much like any normal taxi, except that you can pay through the app.
UberX – This sends an everyday car to your location with seating for up to four people. This is Uber’s budget option.
SUV – This will send an SUV to your location with seating for up to 6 people. This is significantly more expensive than the Black Car service.
LUX – This will send a high-end luxury car to your location with seating for up to four people. This is Uber’s most expensive service.
For more details about how Uber works, please visit http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Uber
Have you tried Uber? How did it compare to a taxi ride?
