My car was recently in the shop but I had some appointments to get to. Based on everything I’d read and heard, Uber was the answer. I was a new rider, although I’d installed the app on my cell phone “just in case” two years ago. Using it was a little confusing at first, but I managed to schedule a ride to my favorite destination, LabCorp, without embarrassing myself.
Uber sent me a text twenty minutes before my ride arrived, then again about five minutes before. My driver was a pleasant woman of about 40, not that that makes any difference. I sat in the back on the right-hand side, as recommended by Uber and common sense for everyone’s safety in these days of the pestilence. When you schedule a ride, the app asks you to check a box stating that both you and the driver will be masked up. I wore the shoulder belt on all my rides, because I’ve seen some highway carnage.
That first ride was in a small, older Honda, or similar, that rattled going over every bump. When arranging my rides I chose the least expensive, smaller-car option. The cars were decent; they were all clean, inside and out, and fairly new. I used to laugh at the television ads selling the undersized, semi-fluorescent Kia Soul, but my ride in one like the one above was the smoothest and most comfortable of the seven rides I had during the week.
When you’re ready to go home, just select “Now” for the pickup time and your next ride will soon appear. I never had to wait more than ten minutes — maybe there are a lot of people trying to make a living, or just earn some extra money, driving for Uber these days.
My rides were all short, under five miles, with fares ranging from $13 to $17. Uber takes a variable booking fee of 15 to 20% out of the fare, and the driver gets the rest. The charges go on the credit card you signed up with; you’ll get an email receipt later in the day.
At the end of each trip, the app asks you to rate your ride on a scale of 1 to 5. It’s rare for anyone to rate their ride less than 5, resulting in a sort of grade inflation, with every driver carrying a 5 rating or just a shade under. My rides were all 5’s anyway; the drivers drove safely and were friendly but not chatty. In general, a driver will only chat if you initiate the conversation. I thought for a moment about rating my rattle-y first ride less than 5, but the owner-driver already knows her car isn’t brand new, so what’s the point.
When you are asked to rate the ride, the app also asks if you want to tip the driver. I prefer to do that in cash rather than through the app. I try to tip enough that they’ll be happy to see me again. The fact is, most Uber riders don’t tip at all, and the drivers don’t expect it. I think when a driver picks up an old guy like me, they expect it even less. They seem surprised when they do get a tip, and genuinely happy if it’s halfway decent.