What's your Uber experience?

[NoName]

Just like short trips being of concern to some uber drivers, some uber drivers also discriminate/knock back low passenger ratings too.

Doing what you suggest on the odd occasion may not have much of an impact, but if you're in the situation where it's a typical route, and you do get lots of inquiries and approach it that way often, your rating will take a hit. Which may make it harder/longer to get a pickup, and worst case results in 're-education/lock-outs' by uber: Uber riders with low ratings to be banned under new rules

I'm not defending the call up practice - just pointing out that the rider rating does have significance.

How many drivers actually care about the passenger rating? I don’t. And in any event, the odd low rating from an irritated scumbag will make no difference to anyone who users the service with any regularity because almost all the other trips will be 5 stars.

 

[Happy Dude]

Perhaps it's time for Uber to give the driver the destination so they can choose to accept the job or not?

"Short" fares from the airport for example may then go back to the taxis who cant refuse.

I don't answer the phone after booking an Uber, if it's an unknown number. And I would tell the driver that I don't answer unknown numbers if he/she had the temerity to ask why I didn't answer.

Has anyone asked a driver calling before pickup why they need to know the destination? Why not say "I'm not telling you that, and if you cancel I'll be contacting Uber"?

 

[Quickstatus]

Perhaps it's time for Uber to give the driver the destination so they can choose to accept the job or not?

"Short" fares from the airport for example may then go back to the taxis who cant refuse.

I don't answer the phone after booking an Uber, if it's an unknown number. And I would tell the driver that I don't answer unknown numbers if he/she had the temerity to ask why I didn't answer.

Has anyone asked a driver calling before pickup why they need to know the destination? Why not say "I'm not telling you that, and if you cancel I'll be contacting Uber"?

Exactly. Uber is trying to be the "good guy" in all this. Drivers and riders getting rated but not the main party in all of this. It is as though Uber is God.

The taxis may actually get better fares because people then start realising uber drivers are picky so might as well line up at the taxi rank.

Alternatively ubers have to line up in a Uber rank so there is no escape.

 

[Batesy]

Last weekend in Melbourne. 3 Uber-X trips. Airport- Sofitel, Flemington- Sofitel, Sofitel to airport. All clean cars, all easy access.
Drivers are starting to morph into the old cab demographic.
Music too loud, on the phone constantly, not wanting to close windows and put on AC and driving stop/start fast/stop.
Pricing was fine, still cheaper than a cab or hire car to city from airport/other way but the trade off on comfort in the car is not so good.

 

[Quickstatus]

Drivers are starting to morph into the old cab demographic.

That was always going to be the case and using all the old and now new tricks.

In the end the Uber driver loses out while Uber and the customer wins

 

[Natalie Z]

Taking an Uber in Sydney, most drivers were rude and unfriendly. Uber in Melbourne and Brisbane? Always friendly. Just my personal experience.

 

[QF WP]

I had a number of good experiences in Perth today - CBD to Cottesloe, then return a couple of hours later. Both drivers were happy to talk, respectfully dressed, drove carefully and were engaging. Both were easy 5*'s with personalised comments thanking them.

By contrast the driver I had from PER Airport to CBD Hotel on Sunday night had a front passenger side with some rubbish and not too fussed about cleaning it up. Only gave him 4*.

Have another from CBD to West Leederville (only a short hop) in about 12 hours.

 

[QF WP]

Another 3 Uber trips today in Canberra. All were Indians and thankfully all liked their cricket. Clean cars, 2 knew Canberra well whereas the last driver had only moved to CBR 3 months ago so this was good for him to pick up knowledge.

Great service from Uber drivers here

 

[Himeno]

My last Uber trip was in Anaheim. I had spent a few days at the Anaheim Hilton for an event at the convention center next door, and had a flight from LAX the next morning, so I was moving to an LAX hotel. Didn't want to get one of the Anaheim-LAX shuttles, because I'd then have to wait at the airport for the hotel shuttle. Didn't want to get a taxi/uber all the way to LAX due to highway traffic, time and thus increased cost.

The LAX hotel was next door to the Mariposa Green Line metro station. The Green Line ends near Anaheim, about 18 miles north west of Disneyland at Norwalk. So I got an uber from the Hilton to Norwalk Station, then the metro the rest of the way to the hotel.
The driver said he was rarely in that area, so used it as a chance to find out where the station was.

One of the last times I got a normal taxi was for a run to CBR. The driver had only gotten short trips all day and had pulled in at home before deciding to take one more trip and lucked out with a 20 min trip to the airport.

 

[Forg]

I just got home via an Uber ... plus a train.
Initially tried Uber all the way home ... estimated cost ~$40, estimated ETA 18mins. TripView tells me a train will be along to get me halfway home in 4mins, for ~$2.50.
Catch train, get off train, try Uber then and it’s ~$11 and 1min ETA.
So a “meh” and a “woohoo” Uber story in the same night.

Work Chrimbo party tomorrow night, probably trying to Uber all the way home from Taronga Zoo; we’ll see, we’ll see ...

 

[RooFlyer]

Note if you want an Uber at Hobart airport. There is a designated pick up area, with 'reserved for uber' markings, but don't go to it. You have to go over or around a fence and the drivers don't go there. Go to the regular pax pick up area immediately adjacent to the uber designated area.

That's been my experience 2/2 times so far.

 

[DeKa]

I’ve just noticed Uber vouchers are available for 4% off through Reward Gateway. If your employer provides Reward Gateway / SmartSpending it may be worth checking out.
No surcharge for Debit.
0.5% for VC/MC Credit
3% for AMEX

 

[burmans]

Recently I have been using Ola a lot more than Uber, on my recent Xmas/New Year trip because there were 4 of us with plenty of bags I used Uber XL to the airport but received a text about Ola SUV (essentially the same deal) which I used on the way back. $81 for the trip to the airport on Uber, $41 back on Ola.

Referal code in the referral forum.

 

[Justinf]

I had a not so pleasant experience at Sydney domestic.
Got in and told the driver that I was going to Camperdown.
He was visibly upset and angry. I didn't think Camperdown was a short trip by any means.
He then proceeds to tell me that his last five fares were "cough short trips" and pulls out and starts driving.
He stops for a young woman crossing the pedestrian crossing and then winds down the passenger window and proceeds to scream abuse at her for not walking quickly enough. Swearing at her while I was in the passenger seat. I was horrified.
He then proceeds to tell me that she was walking too slowly and started swearing again.
I was tempted to ask him to pull over and get out, but I was actually a little frightened.
The rest of the trip was reasonably uneventful, but a $30 estimated trip ended up being $65.
With me not knowing the area well, he went the long way and then some.
I reported him to Uber and also got the extra $35 reimbursed.

 

[N860CR]

This is becoming the norm with Uber drivers in Sydney (Ola is even worse). They're clearly all just old taxi drivers who have gotten the flick (which must be very hard to do, given the low standards!). I've found now it's common to have the Uber driver spend the entire trip whispering into his phone headpiece like they cab drivers do.

I've also had two recent incidents where the driver and the registered account do not match. My assumption is that people are sharing accounts, and the extreme thought is that the drivers probably aren't licensed and could well be on questionable immigration status. Taxi drivers used to pull this all the time, and it's probably a lot harder to enforce with Uber as they have no local regulator.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Currently in a DiDi en route home from MEL - choice of Uber or DiDi bit of a no- brainer:

 

[andyhui01]

So you're back on the Rideshare bandwagon (Uber and Didi have the same drivers)?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

So you're back on the Rideshare bandwagon (Uber and Didi have the same drivers)?

Basically yes to same drivers - I use DiDi when traveling alone - if you have 2 pax and luggage forget about all of them and call Jimmy

 

[Isochronous]

Interesting to see such a big difference. OLA sometimes offers good pricing from airports too.

 

[Boca68]

Basically yes to same drivers - I use DiDi when traveling alone - if you have 2 pax and luggage forget about all of them and call Jimmy

Is Jimmy your cousin? Am I missing something here?

And you have at least 2 AMEX cards..... not much info there, but I'd still edit those screen shots @Cruiser Elite