luvnlifelady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,428 
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Post by luvnlifelady on Aug 4, 2014 16:46:16 GMT
If you're not familiar with it, it's basically a car service that you can order off your smartphone. Everything is handled online including payment (no more ditched cab fares). They cannot accept tips. They are in a number of big cities now (and surrounding suburbs). We used them some during our time in San Francisco recently. We had a car, but DH wanted a break from driving (and driving downtown isn't the easiest place to drive).
When you order the car, you can track it on your phone and our's always showed up within minutes of ordering.
You can be a driver if you have a car newer than 2008. Our first car we got was a Civic and it was cozy for 5 people. The next time we upgraded a bit and got an SUV. We got ourselves in a bit of a bind though and didn't realize the price went up as it got into the evening. We were already downtown by then and away from our car so we decided just to use them again.
We used it about 4 times and all but one of our drivers was really friendly and chatty. Overall, it seems like a good idea if you need to go a short distance since otherwise it seems like it can get quite spendy.
Have you used the service yet?
ETA: 14 yo DS and I were talking about Uber today. He said he heard of a family that used them for a trip to the airport. After dropping them off, the guy came back and robbed them. I guess that is one risk. He probably figured since they had noone to drive them, that the house would be empty.
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,750
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Aug 4, 2014 16:49:35 GMT
I haven't. But I have a friend that lives in the city, doesn't have a car and uses it ALL the time. He loves it.
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Post by Fidget on Aug 4, 2014 16:54:54 GMT
Not yet, but I'm going to SF in late September and I plan on signing up before then and using it while I'm there! My niece uses it all the time and loves it. I heard on the news this morning that some cab companies are upset and say they are seeing a decline in business because of Uber. I think the cab /taxi's will have to become competitive if they want to stay in business.
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Post by papersilly on Aug 4, 2014 16:55:09 GMT
yes, we used it while we were in new York. it was very easy to use and we got great service from all the drivers we had. the cars were super clean and were newer. DH paid for the ride and tip all on the Uber app. The tip was already built into the fee. The driver also gave us bottled water when we got in the car. How nice of him! we would use Uber again.
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luvnlifelady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,428
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Post by luvnlifelady on Aug 4, 2014 17:00:46 GMT
One our drivers said he used to drive a cab but that Uber was way better for him. Two of the drivers commented that they can work whenever it is convenient for them. They just pop on/off using their phones so then only get orders when they're available. I think there is a discount for the first order. We had 14 yo DS handle everything for us though since he's more savvy with stuff like that.  |
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melirez
Junior Member
Posts: 51
Jun 26, 2014 15:46:38 GMT
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Post by melirez on Aug 4, 2014 17:03:06 GMT
We have used in many times in DC while visiting our daughter. I have had nothing but exceptional experiences with it. It is so prompt and convenient. We have probably used it about 30 times and every single driver we have had was friendly and polite. The vehicles are always in good condition and very clean. We don't bother using any other service anymore.
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 4, 2014 17:13:11 GMT
My son just recently used it for the first time, on the morning when he'd planned to get a ride to work with me and then the car wouldn't start. If he'd taken public transportation at that point he would have been late, and we were concerned that a cab might take awhile too. He mentioned Uber, but said he bet I wouldn't want him to use it because "it's not like a standard cab company" or something like that. lol. I said go for it. The car came in three minutes (the guy lived practically around the corner). I had a good time watching on my cell phone as the car moved along the route. lol. Like watching a video game.
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Post by its me mg on Aug 4, 2014 17:15:15 GMT
I use it to get a ride to my company party so I can have fun and not worry about it  There are always promo codes for first rides. I had a great experience, it was very reasonable, and my driver was awesome! |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 7, 2024 22:28:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2014 17:16:28 GMT
I wish! It's against the law in Portland BOO.
I know lots of people who use it in Seattle and San Francisco and everyone loves it.
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Post by annabella on Aug 4, 2014 17:50:41 GMT
Yes I use it all the time, love it!
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Post by manda on Aug 4, 2014 18:14:09 GMT
Love it. I'm a big fan of not drinking and driving so am quite happy to take advantage of a car service that responds much more quickly than traditional cab companies.
Their rates do increase later at night, but I'm okay with that. Usually the only reason I'm in need of a car service at that time of night is because I've been drinking. I'll take a $40 uber ride over a $10k DUI any day.
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Post by cmpeter on Aug 4, 2014 18:18:07 GMT
Dh uses them all the time when he travels for work. I have used them a handful of times in NYC...we have both had great experiences with them.
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chickenb00
Junior Member
Posts: 74
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Post by chickenb00 on Aug 5, 2014 1:36:18 GMT
I just used it for the first time recently. I prefer lyft over uber. With lyft they give you a picture of the car that is picking you up so you know what to look for where uber just gives you a model and license plate. That's hard for me when I don't know what certain cars look like. Lyft drivers seem a lot more friendly and upbeat to me too. My favorite lyft driver has all kinds of snacks in his car and bottled water.
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Aug 5, 2014 1:42:23 GMT
I'm in one right now . Love it. I love tracking the car, I love the no tipping policy, I love how nice and clean most everything is. |
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Post by gonewalkabout on Aug 5, 2014 1:50:39 GMT
Haven't used it but have seen a lot of ads here looking for drivers (cars here have to be upward of 2004). I had been wondering how popular it was.
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Post by annabella on Aug 5, 2014 1:54:58 GMT
ETA: 14 yo DS and I were talking about Uber today. He said he heard of a family that used them for a trip to the airport. After dropping them off, the guy came back and robbed them. I guess that is one risk. He probably figured since they had noone to drive them, that the house would be empty. I don't think that's fair logic, I've housesat for people and never drove them to the airport. I've noticed on the pod driving people to the airport is a big deal, but amongst my circle people take cabs or the blue shuttle which is a cheaper shared van. I've never asked anyone to take me to the airport. |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Aug 5, 2014 1:57:59 GMT
In South Carolina, the state consumer protection is saying Uber is "not legal" in our state.
I almost used the service in Atlanta recently upon recommendation of the concierge, but I had my own car with me at the hotel and ended up driving myself to dinner. Since then, I've looked into the service a good bit and would not hesitate to use them if the opportunity arose again.
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Post by auntkelly on Aug 5, 2014 2:01:27 GMT
We've used Uber in Oklahoma City. We had great service.
They want to come into Houston, but there is a big stink about it.
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Post by andy on Aug 5, 2014 2:01:56 GMT
I haven't used it, but an old HS friend on FB is a driver - he lives in San Francisco. He loves driving for Uber and claims he'll never go back to a desk or office job if things keep going how they are. He makes his own hours, can not take a job of it's somewhere he doesn't want to go, and gets to test his comedy schtick out on a variety of audiences He jokes that his favorite driving job is taking girls to their booty calls  |
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Post by mrgiedrnkr on Aug 5, 2014 2:19:33 GMT
I used it last week in Phoenix. Was amazing! Clicked the link on my phone, told me the car was 7 minutes away. Showed me the drivers photo and what type of car he had. Driver was great and I actually texted him to use him again on my return trip.
Highly recommended!
Stacy
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Post by cyndijane on Aug 5, 2014 2:20:28 GMT
I used Uber several times last week when I was in Phoenix for a conference. There was a referral system in place, so I never really ended up paying for much, but it was a great way to try it out. I was VERY impressed with the first driver. He was obviously set up for business- very nice, new SUV. He was dressed very well- it was more like a car service than a taxi ride, if that makes sense. Kinda spoiled us, I think. Because everyone else seemed more like regular people in newer vehicles who happen to have free time. Not bad, usually chatty, but not a profession for them.
It was interesting to me to see the difference in the guy who saw it as a multi-million dollar business opportunity, and the guys who saw it on the same level as delivering pizza. Flexible part-time job, but a stepping stone to other things in life.
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Post by doesitmatter on Aug 5, 2014 2:27:14 GMT
Is there a screening process for the drivers? Background checks? Checks for insurance etc? Do they work for uber or are they independent contractors? Thanks for any addition all info |
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teddyw
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,072
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Post by teddyw on Aug 5, 2014 3:14:16 GMT
We've used it here-Columbus, Chicago & NYC.
My husband signed up here for early morning airport runs-5-6AM. Rarely is a driver available at that time. They have been very courteous with clean cars. They open the door for me & load the bags. Columbus passed an ordinance making them have background checks & proof of insurance. Someone was suing them over that-possibly the taxi companies.
Chicago they didn't open the doors or talk but were on time.
NYC-more expensive but friendly & courteous. The drivers sometimes had difficulty getting to our exact locations so we would move to another block or other side of the street.
There's another service called Lyft. We haven't used them. They can have any car.
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kate
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,583
Location: The city that doesn't sleep
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 3:30:05 GMT
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Post by kate on Aug 5, 2014 3:22:26 GMT
I haven't used it because I've been able to get a regular taxi cheaper. Many of the other moms in DS's class have set up accounts so the kids can get a car when they need one without having to carry a bunch of cash. These moms ask have Seamless accounts so the kids can order dinner delivered without needing cash.
The general consensus is that Uber is wonderful. So far, I am too cheap to use it myself - but it may be a good idea to have an account in case the kids need to get somewhere in an emergency. I dunno...
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Post by Ryann on Aug 5, 2014 3:24:44 GMT
I have a co-worker that used Uber recently. They were picked up and dropped off at their destination without incident. When the Uber driver came to get them to take them home, they got about half way home before realizing the driver was drunk! They made him get off the freeway and got out and called a friend to get them the rest of the way home. Scary!
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Post by fotos4u2 on Aug 6, 2014 3:41:04 GMT
We used Uber a ton in New York. As it turned out it was good because we were a family of 5 and taxis would have been impossible to find (we had one time we took a taxi instead and ended up in a gypsy cab). We didn't have really any issues with the Uber drivers (although they weren't overly friendly, but that's okay with us). The one thing we found is that sometimes it was not cheaper than a taxi. The kids and I took a taxi to the airport and my mom took Uber--we flew out separately. She paid about $25 more for Uber.
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cakatie
Junior Member
Posts: 77
Jun 29, 2014 4:45:05 GMT
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Post by cakatie on Aug 6, 2014 3:43:33 GMT
I've used it a bunch in San Francisco. It's a great service but you do have to be aware of "surge pricing" during busy times like New Years, big events like Bay to Breakers, etc.
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kimpea
Junior Member
Posts: 87
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Post by kimpea on Aug 6, 2014 3:50:41 GMT
Dh uses Uber exclusively when he travels for work. I've used it several times and have been pleased with the cleanliness of the cars and how friendly the drives have been. Taxis never bothered me until I took the kids to Chicago and our taxi driver got into an altercation with a CTA driver. He went so far as to bump the bus with his taxi to get it to move. Scared the daylights out my kids. Now it's Uber or I drive.
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Post by cadoodlebug on Aug 6, 2014 4:09:54 GMT
I haven't but several weeks ago my son used Lyft. He was stuck on the ACE train from San Jose to our home an hour away when there was a death on the tracks and they knew it would be about a 3 hour wait. He used his phone ~ which was just about dead ~ to order a car through Lyft. The guy was about a minute away from the train station and picked DS up. He was a huge Giants' fan so DS and they had a great conversation all the way home. And this was on a Friday evening in Bay Area commute traffic.
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Post by Karenina on Aug 6, 2014 4:16:31 GMT
Yes I use it all the time, love it! That's what I was going to say! |
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There are always promo codes for first rides. I had a great experience, it was very reasonable, and my driver was awesome!
