Uber Fun

Courtesy of Uber

Earlier this week, I was surprised with the opportunity of using an Uber car to get from a business meeting back to my office.  It was so pleasant and so efficient compared to my usual crazy experience in a Washington, DC taxicab or using the Metro that I wish Uber could be my permanent way of getting around town!

Sometimes part of the healing experience can be when someone does something unexpected and nice for you and you just back and enjoy it.  Besides, I have to share with you how cool Uber is!

If you haven't heard of Uber (www.uber.com), it's a transportation company that dispatches private drivers and cars and you can request an Uber car and driver anywhere at anytime on your iPhone or Android.  No cash changes hands because once you download your app and set up your account, everything, including tips, are charged to your credit card. 

Uber may be more practical for business purposes, but I also could see it being convenient for trips to Dulles Airport or other city trips when you may want to treat yourself.  I'm thinking birthdays, anniversaries or holiday celebrations.

Besides Washington, DC, Uber has been launched and is doing business in Boston, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto, Paris, and Los Angeles, and the company is working on adding many more cities.

My experience with Uber was particularly nice because it was raining.  I could have walked the block to M Street, NW to hail a cab but the generous person I was meeting with told me that I didn't need to go outside and hail a cab.  She could order me an Uber from where she was sitting.  After she made the request for the Uber she showed me the map on her phone and said that the Uber car would arrive in four minutes -- which it did.

A beautiful black Town car pulled up and the driver, who was dressed in a crisp shirt and tie, jumped out of the driver's seat and opened the passenger car door for me.  The inside of the Uber was immaculate and small bottles of water sat there just for the taking.

The driver was quiet, not talking or yelling on his phone like most DC taxidrivers.  He wasn't eating and the radio wasn't blasting music or a talk news station.  He took me right to my address, not somewhere near my address, and again, in the rain, got out of the driver's seat and opened the car door to help me with my papers and bags.

I have a feeling Uber is going to do very well in Washington, DC.  According to a post on Uber's website from Travis (no last name), Uber's Co-founder & CEO, "In DC, we've seen more app opens pre-launch, what we call "eyeballs", than any other city we've gone to."