Exclusive offer for our readers – Use the promo code ‘motorbeam’ and it would entitle new users to an account credit of Rs. 500/- on signing up.
Technology has come a long way and today we are in the era of smartphones where a command in the form of a touch fulfills our wishes. Uber is one such service provider that has seamlessly integrated the technology into it services to enhance the user experience. Uber calls itself a technology company that seamlessly connects riders to local, licensed, professional drivers. With so much technology being spoken about, I decided to download the Uber app and see for myself what the company really meant by that statement and here is our review. I would definitely not call this just a cab service. With Uber, one can request for a safe, reliable and stylish ride within minutes.
Why do I call it safe? – Uber has collaborated with lot of reputed cab agencies for their fleet. The drivers are trained and professional. Uber calls them “personal drivers”. With their uniform and their behavior, I would not call them anything less than a chauffeur. Once a cab gets assigned to you, the driver’s name and number, and cab’s number comes on your screen. A feature called Share my ETA (Expected Time of Arrival) on the app is worth a while, especially for lady passengers availing the service at night. Thus, you can keep your near and dear ones informed about your arrival.
Why do I call it reliable? – There have been times when I have requested for a cab from other service providers. Yet, the cab never turned up. But with Uber, it is different. The moment I request for a cab, the cab available near my location would be assigned to me and within minutes the cab would arrive at my location to pick me up. Once assigned, there is no cancellation from Uber.
Why do I call it stylish? – Now, this was the most important part of their service. Who wouldn’t want to get pampered with a bit of luxury that comes at a relatively lesser price? Uber’s fleet consists of cars from luxury brands. Some of the drops that I took were in Toyota Camry, Mercedes E-Class, Honda CR-V, Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord and Toyota Fortuner. Of course there are Audis, Jaguars and BMWs too in the fleet. The best of all was the pricing. I was charged on the same base fare irrespective of the cab type. For more details on charges, Click Here.
Listing a few more benefits that I found –
1) Uber cab requests are solely through the touch of the screen.
2) Once the driver and the cab gets assigned, the details are on the screen along with the estimated time the driver would take to reach your location.
3) You can track the driver’s movement on the Uber maps, while he is approaching your location.
4) The driver tracks your location through GPS and thus no calling is required if you have pinned your location correctly.
5) If required, one can contact the driver either by a call or a message through the app.
6) The trip starts when you get into the cab and ends when you reach your destination. Thus, you get charged only for this distance. In few of the other services that I have taken, the distance covered by the driver to reach my location was also charged.
7) The staff is friendly and they treat you like they are your private drivers.
8) I love to travel cashless and Uber lets me do that. While registering, Uber captures the credit card details. Thus, every time I use their services, the money gets paid from my credit card and I receive the receipt in a mail immediately. Indeed a hassle free travel.
Stating the benefits and leaving out the few disadvantages will make this review incomplete.
So here are some of the limitations of the service, which really did not impact me –
1) There is no option to pre-book a cab. You can avail this service only when you are ready to travel.
2) There is no other payment method apart from credit cards.
3) Availability of internet on your phone is a must to use the app.
4) As you move away from the city hub, the likeliness of getting a Uber cab reduces.
5) The service is currently available in Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad only, though they would reach out to other cities soon.
So how to avail this service?
1) Go to uber.com/app to download the app.
2) Sign in to your Uber account or follow the instructions to sign up and confirm your mobile number.
3) You will see a map and a green pin. Position the pin on the map where you would like to be picked up.
4) Confirm the address at the top of the screen.
5) Select the type of car you would like to request on the bottom of the screen. Currently, only Uber Black is available.
6) Press the black bar that reads “set pickup location”.
7) If everything looks correct, press the request button at the bottom of the screen.
8) Uber will send a text message to confirm your ride and when your driver has arrived.
9) Enjoy the ride.
10) No need to hand payment or tip your driver: Uber stores your credit card on file, so payments are automatic and hassle free.
11) If you no longer need your ride, press ‘Cancel’. Rides canceled after 5 minutes will incur a cancellation fee.
Uber is currently running a lot of promotional offers where in you can win some free credits by just referring your friends to Uber. You can use these credits to enjoy some free rides.
We too have some exclusive offer for our readers. You can use the promo code ‘motorbeam’ and it would entitle new users to an account credit of Rs. 500/- on signing up. The code would expire on 31st January 2014. Trust me, based on my experience, you can use this credit amount of Rs. 500 for anywhere between 10-15 kms. Once, you exhaust the free credit, the rest of the amount gets charged to your credit card. Register today and use our promo code to gift your family members or friends a luxury ride.
