This is a guarded rave for a new service called Uber. It's guarded because yesterday I took my first (and so far, only) trip somewhere via Uber and it's possible I got their one great driver and the unique experience of having everything work exactly as desired. But it sure didn't feel like an outlier. It felt like a quantum leap over the (as of now) old-fashioned way of taking a cab somewhere. If it's always like this, they've got my business…and that's in part because they might force the regular taxi industry to adopt their model.
Here is how Uber works. You sign up at their website, which involves putting a credit card on file. You give them the number of your iPhone or Android (the only smartphones they support at the moment) and you download the corresponding app to put on that smartphone. You also have the option of uploading a photo of yourself for reasons I'll explain. All of this is free.
Okay, so then the moment comes when you want to go somewhere. You go into that app and first of all, you tell them where you are. Or you can let them tell you where you are via the G.P.S. built into your Smartphone. Then you tell them where you want to go, which you can do by entering the address or doing an Internet-type search for the place.
Then you tell them what kind of car you want. The default is the "Black Car," which I gather is a limo-style towncar. In some areas, you have the option of an SUV for larger parties or of something they call "Uber-X." This may be a smaller car or a Hybrid or both. (And in some areas, Uber is not available at all yet. Better check and see if yours is before you get too excited about this.)
They'll tell you how long it will take their nearest driver to get to you. If you want, you can get an estimate of the fare. Then you hit the button to send your order and seconds later, you receive a text message that Harry or Phil or Enrico or whoever is X minutes from you. You also get a photo of your driver and his current recent rating by other Uber customers.
When he shows up, you get another text message that he's arrived. The photo you may have uploaded may help him recognize you…but either way, you find each other, he opens the door for you, you get in and he takes you where you want to go. When you arrive, he opens the door for you and you get out and that, by God, is all there is to it.
There's no tipping. There's no cash handled at all. It's all billed to your credit card. You get an actual record of the trip online and you can download a real receipt. The advantages if you're on an expense account or wish to bill the trip to your company are obvious.
It all sounds very neat and efficient…which brings us to the question of how it works in reality. Yesterday, for me, it was perfect.
I had to go somewhere out in the valley and for reasons I won't bore you with, didn't want to drive. I entered the info. I selected Uber-X. My estimated time of driver arrival was five minutes. My estimated fee for the trip was $25-$28. When I sent my request, I saw a picture of my driver and it said he was George and he had a 4.5 star rating out of a possible five. A second later, I received a text message that said, "Hi Mark, your Uber is en route! George (4.9 stars) will pick you up in 3 minutes." George made it in two. He was driving a new, late model Mercedes Coupe (I think it was a Coupe) and it was as nice and comfy a ride as any I've ever had in my life. There was friendly, spirited conversation all the way, though he made a point of telling me he'd gladly shut up if I preferred, which I didn't.
We got there efficiently and he insisted on hopping out of the vehicle to open the door for me. He also made it clear that they're serious about this "no tipping" thing and that he wouldn't accept cash from me. There is no option in Uber to add a tip to your credit card. Mine was charged $28 for the trip, which was 8.69 miles in 25:46 and the online, downloadable receipt gives you all this info.
So how's the cost? A Black Car or SUV would have been considerably more but I'm pretty sure I couldn't have gotten there by cab for much less. I used a site called the L.A. Taxi Fare Finder and entered the same route. It came back with a price of $31.98 and that's without tip. I tried entering a two-mile trip to my doctor's office and the Fare Finder said $8.10, not including tip, whereas the estimate from Uber for a Uber-X car was $6-$7 with tipping disallowed.
I cannot think of a way in which my experience could have been improved. At my leisure later, I used the Uber App to give George a richly-deserved five-star rating. George was an Armenian gent who told me he worked fifteen years as the head of valet parking for a swanky restaurant up on the Sunset Strip. When it closed, he became a driver for Uber and he is wildly happy with it. So, you may get the sense, was I.
There are apparently other, similar services popping up but this one worked so perfectly that I may not be investigating alternatives. Maybe my next Uber ride will be in a cattle truck driven by a guy with no teeth and photos all over his windshield of Anthony Weiner, who takes me to my doctor's office by way of Lansing, Michigan…but so far, I am impressed.