Over the past couple of months, all my friends have been raving about the car service Uber, but I had never tried it myself because I much prefer to drive my own car. Uber is basically like hiring a private car to take you from point A to point B. They have an app that you download onto your phone and once you sign up and register a method of payment, you are good to go. Your phone signal tells them your exact location, you can choose the kind of car you want (there are four options, the cheapest being a Toyota Camry) and once you hit the order button, the nearest car heads right over to pick you up.
My first Uber experience happened last Thursday afternoon when I had an appointment in Brighton and taking my car was not an option because it was being held hostage in my garage while they paved the road leading to the garage entrance. Note to self: pay better attention to those notices telling you when the road will be closed!
I was pretty annoyed about having to take a cab because the taxi system in Boston is awful. There aren't nearly enough cabs, they take forever to arrive when you order them, and some don't accept credit cards even though they are required to by law.
Downloading the app and joining was super easy, and once I ordered my Uber X car (a Toyota Camry) I was told when the car would arrive (six minutes) and was sent a confirmation text message letting me know that my car was on it's way. Once they assign you a driver, their picture pops up on your phone so that you can make sure that the person that arrives is an official Uber driver. Loved that!
About a minute before my driver arrived, I received another message letting me know that my car was about to pull up, plus a phone call from the driver himself. My Uber driver was incredibly friendly and provided a very smooth travel experience, and all for just $29 (including tip). Not bad for Charlestown to Brighton. Because Uber has your payment method on file, the fare and tip are all taken care of automatically and you are free to hop out of the car once you reach your destination.
Shortly after you get out of the car you are sent another message with an option to rate your driver. I was happy to give my guy five stars. I took a second Uber car home from Brighton and I got the same great, friendly service.
There aren't a lot of instances where I am not driving my own car, but if I ever do need a driver in a pinch, Uber is what I will be using. So glad I listened to my friends and gave Uber a try.
Has anyone else tried Uber or a similar service? What did you think?
Blogger Note: The views expressed in this post are my own and I have no affiliation or partnership with Uber.
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