I am writing a separate blog post just for my Uber experience, because I have a lot to say about it.
I learn to use Uber in Kuala Lumpur, because I no longer have a car here. Ben told me many times about the existence of Uber, but I didn’t use it until this week. My short comment is: Uber is a very brilliant innovation!
For those who do not know what is Uber – it is an app based ridesharing service. It allows you to request a driver (with a private car) to pick you up and send you off at the place of your choice. Everything is done in the app with your credit card, so you do not need to pay the driver in cash. The price is usually 20-40% cheaper than the taxi.
I have used Uber for 9 times in these 5 days. The first obvious advantage is that it is much cheaper as compared to Taxi. I went to hair salon from my home and it costs RM3.70. Then, I take a taxi from there to my home (exactly the same distance) and it costs RM6.00.
But what I like the most is that it is relatively safe. As a female staying in KL, safety is always my first concern. I can see the driver’s photo and registration plate number before he comes, and if I feel uncomfortable, I can cancel the ride for free within 5 minutes of my request. And then I can request for another driver again. In my opinion this is the most important feature of Uber. I know it is not good to judge someone by appearance, but I trust my instinct (although it is not always correct). Of course, nothing is 100% safe but I feel it is good enough because Uber verify every driver.
Besides, I do not need to find parking. This is important especially for someone like me who can shop for a few hours in the shopping mall (so I save time and money). Besides, there is no minimum distance of the trip – The nearest trip that I have requested is only 2km away. The driver can accept or reject my request, and I always found a driver who will accept my request.
I have to rate the driver when I arrive at the destination (and driver will rate me too). I think this is a very good feature – so the driver is usually nice because his job availability depends on the good rating!
My average trip rating is 5 star! I am a good rider! 🙂
It is a great job opportunity for many people. Some people have a fulltime job with a flexible schedule, so they can do Uber as part time to increase their income. From my 9 Uber experiences so far (and I am going to use Uber more often), 8 of them are young people and I think some of them are students. There are many advantages to become an Uber driver. Well, if you have time, why not earn some extra money?
It is a shame that I just learn how to use Uber, but I have a car in Wellington so I can’t found a reason to use it. I told Ben that I want to be an Uber driver in Wellington. He said I better give up because I will get a lot of complaints for sure. I am very bad at direction and always ask my passenger to hold GPS for me (for some reason the GPS holder won’t stick to my car’s window). But anyway I do not meet the requirement to be an Uber driver because my car is too old.
I will use more Uber in KL!
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