So its going to be nearly two months since, Uber, the luxury on-demand cab service provider, officially launched here in Chennai. And being an ardent lover of technology, I am pretty much excited about the new Uber mobile app which provides an easy, hassle-free, affordable and luxurious car ride to anywhere in Chennai.
For
those who don't know, Uber is a San Francisco based startup providing
mobile technology to connect drivers with passengers. The drivers in
the Uber system are independent contractors who are screened and
verified by Uber. Uber is funded by many well known VC's like Google
Ventures, Goldman Sachs, Menlo and others and is available in more
than 35 countries.
The
Uber mobile app is super easy to use. You just tap your phone to
request for a taxi and the app connects with the nearest available
driver and in a few minutes - voila! - a cool Mercedes car shows up
at your place. And there are no cash transactions or tips. The
payments are automatically debited from our account. So in true
style, you can just get out from the car, close the door and walk off
like a queen. ;)
I
first came to know about Uber when I attended the GDG Women
Techmakers Meet last month at The RainTree Hotel. Apart from the
inspiring talks from many women entrepreneurs, an Uber representative
also gave a small presentation there. At the end of the day, we got a
lot of goodies to take back including a cool GDG WTM T-Shirt, 'An
Introduction to GCC book' and also a discount voucher from Uber which
we could redeem on our first two rides.
I
was intrigued by the Uber presentation and wanted to try it out soon.
So, me and my parents planned to take a ride from our home at Anna
Nagar to the famed Shirdi Sai Baba Temple at Mylapore. I downloaded
the Uber Android app to my phone (they also have an iPhone app) and
signed up. While registering, it asked for the credit card details so
that payments can be made automatically. On log in, the GPS points to
our current location in the map. I could also see images of little
black Uber cars moving along the nearby areas. The app showed the
estimated pickup time as approx. 20 minutes. I clicked on the
'Request a Taxi' button and waited. What's so cool was, on the live
map, I could see where the driver exactly was and in which route he
was coming. I also received a text alert when the taxi arrived at my
place. Coming out, I could see a shiny, new Toyota Corolla sedan had
pulled up in front of my house. :) Unlike the conventional call
taxis, there were none of those bumper stickers and so true to what
Uber says, its really 'Everyone's private driver'! We all got inside
the air-conditioned cab and after a smooth ride of 45 minutes,
reached our destination. The app displayed the receipt for the trip.
The tariff too was very reasonable and comparable to other call taxi
services. The app also allows us to rate the ride and provide
feedback. At the end of the ride, I was just left wondering, 'Wow!
Such a cool thing has come up in our Chennai city!'
The
app also offers lot of features. You can check for an approx. fare
quote to your destination before requesting for the taxi. Once the
taxi is confirmed and en-route, the app shows the type of car, the
driver name and photo. There are also options to call/text the
driver, in case you want to provide directions. 'Split the fare'
feature is very convenient when we are travelling with a group of
friends. There is another feature, 'Share my ETA', using which you
can enter your destination and the app calculates the Estimated Time
of Arrival. You can share the ETA as well as the live map with your
family or friends to inform them when you would be arriving. After
the ride is over, your trip details are recorded and in case you have
left any item in the car, the 'Find Lost Items' feature helps you to
recover the item. Cool!
But
there also some cons in the service which I feel can be improved. For
one, it is only an on-demand service. There is no option for advance
booking. So, if you are planning to catch a train or flight in a
hurry, and you open up your app and there are no cabs at that time,
then you are stuck. Two, your phone GPS needs to be enabled, else the
app totally crashes. I don't see why it should rely so heavily on
GPS. If there is no GPS, the app should allow user to enter the pick
up address manually and request a cab. Third, the app doesn't allow
you to specify the number of passengers. Last time, we were five
passengers and after requesting, a Honda City was en-route to my
place. I cancelled the request (if cancellation is done within the
first 5 minutes, they don't charge anything) and placed another
request hoping a Toyota Innova would arrive. But unfortunately, even
the second time, a Honda Accord, which could seat only 3 passengers
arrived. This feature of choosing among different cars is available
in U.S. I guess, it would take some time to roll out to India.
They
have also partnered with some restaurants like Tuscana Pizzeria,
Kryptos, etc. which offer discounts when you take a Uber ride to
there. I hope they partner with some very popular ones like Hotel
Saravana Bhavan, McDonalds, Wangs Kitchen, Dhaaba Express and the
like.
All
in all, I think Uber has leveraged technology to provide an efficient
transportation service. If you want to try out Uber, you can use my
promo code while signing up and get Rs.300 off your first ride. You
can redeem it here.
I
think there are lots more services in Chennai where technology would
really make a difference. Salwar stitching is still a pain in the
neck for many women and I am surprised why an online service hasn't
come up for it yet. Similar to Uber, a live map feature would also
work well for home delivery of food. Imagine if we could just place
an order for pizza, and there is a countdown timer showing the
estimated time it would be delivered, also allowing you to track
where exactly the delivery boy is coming!
