For those of you not familiar with UBER — I just spent 8 weeks in DC living with a family member and traveling around the District every day.
I probably have this wrong, but — UBER is a software company whose app connects people who need a ride with drivers and their vehicles. Install the UBER app on your smartphone; link it to a credit or debit card; list your name and cell phone number and you are in business.
Step out onto a sidewalk, bring up the UBER app. It pulls up your location from your phone’s GPS. It shows a map with your location. Confirm that’s where you are, select an UPBER taxi, Town Car, or SUV, and hit call UBER.
Within about 30 seconds, you have a response — Your UBER will arrive in (3,4,5,7) minutes — photo of the driver, license number of the vehicle and type of vehicle pops up on your screen.
You can track him on your UBER app so you know when he’s getting close.
Cars are clean. Every driver I rode with in 8 weeks was wearing a suit and tie; drivers got out of car to open door for me. Your credit/debit card is charged, a tip for driver is added . . . no cash, no half-wit Ethiopian who is pissed because he didn’t get a fare to the airport, no nasty cab, driver doesn’t refuse to turn on the a/c, drivers don’t pass you up hoping for another fare to the airport
No wonder the cab companies and DMV (which is in the pocket of the cab companies) hate UBER.
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