Review of Uber cab service in Chennai

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!