Tuesday, June 17, 2014

My First Uber Trip.

Ever since I learnt about the infusion of capital of Uber at an unusually high valuation, and definitely after I came to know about an UberCHOPPER service in Bangalore, I had been awaiting for an opportunity to experience the Uber service myself, complete with the use of the iPhone App, starting from requesting the service 1.

The Uber App is itself a nice mashup with an understandable foundation of Google Maps. Requesting the service was a pleasant experience: The screenshot at right is how it appears when you have determined the pickup location. There are two UberBLACK cars available for service in the vicinity at the time.

Usual smartphone navigation will enable you to make a request for the service very easily and, afterwards, the App monitors the movement of the vehicle until it reaches the pickup location. There is also a minute counter that tells you how soon it will reach the pickup location, a feature immensely useful when your mind is in a hurry.

The ride itself is a pleasant journey: It is as if you are getting ride from someone you are used to. Yes, it is true that you met the driver the first time, and maybe you will never meet him again, but a certain friendly conversation ensues. I used the UberX service for this ride.

The scale of operation possible for a service such as Uber's holds tremendous potential for charging for the service a highly economical price, not to speak of the complementary ability to raise the price according to the demand, all through a click of the mouse.

Probably the most liberating experience is the opportunity to shake hands with the driver and walk away.

I did take part days earlier in a ride where someone else requested the service, and I was one of the riders; being able to request a service for yourself is a more complete experience.

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