Talk to me about Uber

[punkncat]

The wife and I have an event tomorrow night where it will be prudent to catch a ride. She cannot drive due to hip surgery and not being cleared yet. Our local fave sushi spot is having a Weller's tasting/pairing and it will be the responsible thing to do. Now, I am "aware" of Uber and understand they have surge pricing and so on but do still have a couple of questions as I have never called up one. I just downloaded the app, tied a payment method to it and seemingly would be ready to go.

First off, is there any issue catching a ride when you have no rating starting out as a "zero" user, no reviews?

Second, it states you can pick the type of vehicle. I know a lot of drivers pick small gas efficient vehicles to do this with. I need a can that can carry at least one crutch and that neither of us have to work particularly hard to get in and out of. Does it break the selctions up into sub-compact/compact and so on upward to truck/van and such?

I appreciate any heads up as it makes me feel considerably better to at least have some clue about how it works.

Last item, do you tip an Uber? Not sure why I would above the cost of the ride but also didn't know if I don't how hard that may make it to catch a ride back home a couple of hours later. I don't see myself being a regular user at all and am already disappointed with the amount of spam coming to my email from registering.

 

[COLGeek]

I've never been somewhere where a 0 reviews driver came up. I suppose all Uber drivers start there. Likely will try to make a good impression.

You can usually select the size/price of the cars available. Depending on what you select, that can impact your wait time.

You tip in the app. No cash is ever exchanged.

Spam from Uber is minimal, but you will receive some emails/text with special offers and service offerings.

Personally, I have never had an issue with any Uber drivers. Weird? Yes. Problems? None.

 

[punkncat]

On the zero point was more thinking about ability to catch a ride. I am not aware if the review or rating thing works for driver as well as passenger(s).

 

[COLGeek]

On the zero point was more thinking about ability to catch a ride. I am not aware if the review or rating thing works for driver as well as passenger(s).

Understood. Likely not an issue. We all had a first.

 

[Rogue Leader]

I am a regular Uber user, and I have a 4.93 rating - this is a badge of honor - highest of anyone in my office. If its a super busy night it may take a little longer to get a car with no ratings but I wouldn't worry about it.

No matter what I pick I've never been in a "small gas efficient vehicle" Lot of Teslas, Camrys, Accords etc as your regular cars. Depending what you pick it will tell you a typical car you may have. There is also an SUV option if you need it, but I wouldn't worry about getting stuffed into the back of a Ford Focus or something.

You do tip in an Uber, in the app. When the ride is done you give the driver a star rating and are prompted to tip usually $1, $3, or $5. Definitely rate the driver this is important for them.

 

[punkncat]

Man, so glad we did not need this. IMO this crap should be illegal.

I already knew about this "surge" or "demand" pricing, but what they are charging is freaking criminal. We watched the app all day yesterday. The lowest price most of the day was $45 without tip to go 10 miles. If we went with the car size we knew we could fit in with a crutch that was over $120, to go 10 miles.

Right as time approached and already knowing that a car could not be here on time unless it was already waiting at the top of the street, the price dropped down into the 20's for a small car and the 50's for a larger car. We opted just to take ourselves, but I did take a moment just to look after the dinner. The price at 9:30 that evening had jumped all the way into $150+ for the size car we knew we needed. We could easily have spent nearly $300 to travel a total of 20 miles and less than 30 minutes of someone's time.

I know they take advantage of certain situations and would certainly be worthwhile over choosing to drive drunk and whatnot. Pricing isn't anything close to a fair fee for what is happening. Makes me yearn for a local taxi service. Program will be deleted from my phone. I will find other methods that have worked for the past 40-something years for me without "rideshare" apps.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Man, so glad we did not need this. IMO this crap should be illegal.

I already knew about this "surge" or "demand" pricing, but what they are charging is freaking criminal. We watched the app all day yesterday. The lowest price most of the day was $45 without tip to go 10 miles. If we went with the car size we knew we could fit in with a crutch that was over $120, to go 10 miles.

Right as time approached and already knowing that a car could not be here on time unless it was already waiting at the top of the street, the price dropped down into the 20's for a small car and the 50's for a larger car. We opted just to take ourselves, but I did take a moment just to look after the dinner. The price at 9:30 that evening had jumped all the way into $150+ for the size car we knew we needed. We could easily have spent nearly $300 to travel a total of 20 miles and less than 30 minutes of someone's time.

I know they take advantage of certain situations and would certainly be worthwhile over choosing to drive drunk and whatnot. Pricing isn't anything close to a fair fee for what is happening. Makes me yearn for a local taxi service. Program will be deleted from my phone. I will find other methods that have worked for the past 40-something years for me without "rideshare" apps.

I've only been caught in insanity on "surge pricing" once that i can recall. My company would pay for a car home if you work past 8 pm. My usual trip home is about $90. One night, surge price, was $200! I couldn't bring myself to do it and charge the company. I took the train like usual.