I was going to the airport the other day and decided to finally try Uber. I summoned them on my cell phone and the app said a guy named Jerry (not his real name) would be at my doorstep in 5 minuts. And he was! Right on time.
But after checking, I see they have two services. I chose Uber Black which is the premium option, UberX is the option where anyone can drive you in their car. I didn't know the difference but I'm glad I chose wisely by accident. Uber Black follows all state laws and the drivers are specially licensed. Cars are inspected once a year and the drivers have a $1 million accident insurance policy.
He asked me to sit in the front seat because the airport personelle is still giving them a hard time and if it appears as if he his chaufering people around, he'll get fined. So I rode right next to him. That's a good reason for not having a huge pink moustache on the front grill. The ride was fast and pleasant and Jerry was excited about Uber. He says on a good week he pockets $1000. Not bad for a college student, he told me he goes to class during the week and chauffeurs people nights and weekends.
The good part about Uber is that the charge is all taken care via the phone app, so no money changes hands except for a tip, which I gave him. He just punches in the amount at the end of the ride and the system bills your credit card on file. One problem with the whole thing is that Uber is not allowed to pick you up at the airport, so coming home from my trip, I would have to use a yellow taxi, which is night and day compared to that big black town car. Oh yea, the total for the one way trip to the airport was $21.00, which is about half of the yellow cab cost, but the good part was I didn't pay a thing because your first ride ($30 and under) is free. So all I paid was the tip. And if this was the premium option, I wonder what the cost is for the UberX (free for all) option.
I really see the yellow cab companies as dinosaurs now. You really can't beat the Uber cars with the half price charge and the cleanliness, the speed and the professionalism of the drivers. The whole app is an amazing thing in itself. The person who created the whole system really has something special there.
Get your first ride FREE when sign up for Uber here.