PRODUCT REVIEW: Uber: Everyone's Private Driver - Is this car experience worth your time, energy and effort?

(www.PlayTimeCares.com)  -

Uber is an old German word that means super, or extreme or an excessive degree of something.  You can be uber important to someone, or an uber irritant.  You can be uber excited about something or an uber sized bummer to a situation.  All in all, I think you get the gist of what uber is commonly known as in lanugage.


Someone suggested that I download the Uber app on my phone and allow this car service to pick us up to get to an engagement.  My initial thoughts made my frugal meter turn on!  My expectation was truly, with a company that named itself "Uber," not only will the vehicle be extra plush, but that means the fare will be uber pricey.

Despite my fiscal concerns, I decided to download the app and give this product a try.  This app was downloaded many times and had really high ratings...concerns starting to melt slightly.  The operation of the app was pretty intuitive once this small app loaded to my phone.  You essentially have to put in your contact information and payment method to utilize the service.  The app uses your GPS signal to triangulate your location, and the closes vehicles to your location.  This is actually pretty cool...

You essentially have to accept/verify the pickup location and you have the choice to pick different types of vehicles (e.g. uberX or uberXL), under the "uberX" settings; you can choose uberSELECT, which from the name sounds like a fancier model vehicle; or you can choose a "Black Car" with the options of a black car or SUV.

When you click on the different options, you are given estimated time of arrivals if a vehicle of your desire is available.  When you select your location and vehicle, you have the option to use Paypal, credit cards, etc, and even have the option to put in promo codes right away.  Once your payment is selected, you are given the name and car information that is about to pick you up for added safety.

I don't want to get lengthy with this review, but think of this from a safety perspective.  You turn on your GPS in a secure location.  Once you select the type of vehicle you want, you can put in a card to be charged once the drive is over, which means no need to go in your wallet at some strange location and have people sizing you up for what they perceive you have.  They provide vehicle information so you don't actually go from your secure location until you are absolutely sure.  They even give you the driver's name and photo for extra security.

All in all, this is a good program/app to have on your phone when you aren't able to get to a vehicle of your own.  The ride wasn't pricey and the ride itself was in a comfortable cab.  They have many promo codes online for free dollar credits towards your ride's fare. You can even share your specific code to your app with friends that will not only give them dollar credits towards their rides for downloading the app, but also earn you more free dollar credits towards future rides.  You get a fare estimate, so if your ride only cost $10, and you have a $20 ride credit for your initial ride, then you just got a free ride!  Uber believes in feedback from riders, so you best to believe the Uber drivers behave properly!  You can even split a fare with your Uber app having friends that are riding with you.  Receipts are emailed to you, and no need to even tip. 

Download the Uber app as a back up, just in case the unexpected happens to you.  Also, if you are looking to make extra money, or have a primary income in the service industry, you can sign up to be an Uber driver.