Uber, A modernly social taxi – Guide & Review

I’m sure a few of you have seen in the news a lot of fuss about the new(ish) mode of transport called Uber. Uber is a car share system slowly spreading across the globe. I first tried it out in Melbourne, Australia and these are my thoughts so far.
Uber is simple to use. It’s a free app available to download on both IOS and Andoid systems. You do have to enter your bank or PayPal details but you won’t get charged until you’ve taken your ride. It uses your phone’s GPS to pinpoint where you are so you don’t need to worry about knowing your current address. A map will pop up and pinpoint where you are so the driver knows where you are waiting. You can change the pinpoint if you need to as well.

The app will notify you of how far away your nearest Uber ride is so you know how long you’ll have to wait. In major cities you usually won’t have to wait longer than 5 minutes. You then either type the address or drop the pin down on the map of where you would like to go. A fare estimate will appear and an estimated travel time. You can then confirm your ride and away you go.

My Uber driver is getting close

The thing I love most about this app is also the thing I worried about the most. A taxi is quite obviously a taxi so how would I recognise an Uber car? Well once you’ve confirmed your ride you are notified with your divers name, car type and registration plate. To simplify it even more, Uber tracks your ride in real time so you can watch the car icon on your phone move closer to see where it is. Easy! Once your ride is done you get to rate your driver out of 5 stars. Careful though as they get to rate you too so the next time you get a ride the driver will know whether you’re a bad apple but you read my blog so I already know you’re a good egg 😉

Riding with a friend? No problem. When you order your ride you can select the option to split the fare. Takes the trouble of having to work out the costs and raiding your wallets for change.
You don’t even need your wallet as your fare will automatically be deducted shortly after you arrive at your destination. You will be emailed a receipt with the price broken down and explained which you can use for tax purposes if you are travelling for business.

An Uber receipt

I’ve recently been emailed about Uber crossing over into the delivery service. At one stage if you entered a certain code, you would be delivered ice cream and a month or so ago they would even bring you lunch! More recently they partnered up with Samsung and if you ordered an Uber using a Samsung Galaxydevice you would receive a free mystery gift on pick-up.

If you are still feeling a bit apprehensive, all I can say is just give it a go. I’m socially awkward and hate doing things on my own (yes, I’m an adult sized child) but found riding with Uber solo no trouble.

*Cheeky discount* When you sign up, if you use my code in iaadv you’ll get $25aud/£12.50ish off your first ride.

Have you used Uber before? How do you like to travel?

Helen x 

Bloglovin’ | Twitter |

Instagram | Google+

***

Have you entered my giveaway yet? Win a Shoreditch One Vape Pen kit for you or someone you love. See the post HERE!

***