Not long ago, I took an Uber for the first time, and in case you’ve never taken one but are curious about the process, here’s the skinny! My husband travels often for work, and he has only used Lyft, so Uber was a new experience for us.
The night before my ride, I downloaded the Uber app on my iPhone and set it to utilize my location. Then I typed in my destination and the ride costs displayed. It was as simple as that! I was going to Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Terminal C, and my ride was approximately $48. (More on that later.)
SETTING UP MY ACCOUNT
Now, to officially set up my Uber account to begin requesting rides, I had to put in my name, phone number, and email address (and subsequently verify the email address), and I was required to put a credit card on file.
SCHEDULING MY RIDE
From there, scheduling a ride was as easy as selecting a time and choosing the ride option. The default option is to request a ride for immediate use. I was scheduling my ride in advance because I didn’t need it until the next morning, and I learned only afterwards that I was hit with an $18 reservation fee for doing this. It’s not recommended, as even though I had a “reservation,” it was not guaranteed, and a driver was not even confirmed until half an hour before I needed to leave. (More on this later, too.)
I’m unsure why all the rates I saw included a 30% promotional discount. Maybe because it was my first time using the app and setting up an account. Whatever the reason, it was a welcome surprise! The ride I chose would’ve been around $30 with the discount if it hadn’t been for that $18 reservation fee! The rates do vary depending on demand, FYI.
RIDESHARE RATES
The base rate of an Uber ride is determined by the time and distance of a trip. In some cities, a flat fee might be added to each trip to help support operational, regulatory, and safety costs. I’ve also learned that when there are more riders than available drivers, prices may temporarily increase until the marketplace is rebalanced.
RIDE OPTIONS
When you’re in the app, you choose a ride option based on how many passengers are in your party and what type of “luxury” you prefer. The options are as follows:
- UberX – Economy style for quick trips, seats 4 passengers
- Comfort – Option for a newer model car with more legroom, seats 4 passengers
- Uber XL – Affordable rides for groups up to 6
- Uber Pet – Affordable rides for you and your pet
- Black – Luxury rides with professional drivers
- Black SUV – Luxury rides for 6 with professional drivers
The bold option above is the one I chose. I knew I wanted a newer model ride, so I didn't go for the UberX. My thought was the newer the ride, the less likely we’d have issues with it breaking down! And possibly, owners with newer cars are more careful drivers. Not a proven theory, just my thought. Once we were in our destination city, we used an Uber a couple of times, each time choosing the UberX economy option, and the rides were decent.
DRIVER ASSIGNMENT
As I mentioned above, I was reserving my car the night before the morning of use, so I expected to have an assignment with all the driver details (photo, car type, license plate number) right away. I was concerned that I did not. The app told me that the driver “Herman” was assigned, but there was no other info available for the ride.
After a bit of research, I learned that even for advanced reservations, Uber will not usually start looking for a driver until half an hour or so before your ride is scheduled. So although they had an assignment listed initially (somebody named Herman), it was not guaranteed, and the driver had not accepted the actual assignment. The next morning, I was concerned that I still didn’t have the driver info. But right at 5:00am (my ride was scheduled for 5:30), the app changed status to “looking for a driver” and within minutes, it had been assigned (to a different driver than the “Herman” person) and accepted. Once my driver was assigned, I was able to see his name, a profile photo, type of vehicle, and his Uber rating and status.
I later found myself wondering why I paid an $18 advanced reservation fee if my ride was not confirmed until much later, leaving me in doubt as to whether or not I would be scrambling for an alternative at the last minute. In reality, there was nothing to worry about. When you live in a larger city, there are usually many Uber drivers around, so chances will be very rare for you not to get a driver.
RIDE SAFETY – BEFORE GETTING IN
Our driver arrived in a newer model Nissan Rogue, and I verified the license plate number on the car before getting in. He saw that we had suitcases, so he popped the trunk and got out of the vehicle ready to assist loading.
As one additional failsafe, my husband told me to get into the habit of always asking “Who are you picking up?” This is a smart practice, because I’ve since learned that the Uber app doesn’t always show the license plate number of the driver. And I’ve read about some pretty unfortunate rideshare mishaps in the past. So if you’re expecting a driver, always double check that the ride you’re about to get into is the right one by asking “Who are you here for?”
I confirmed that the driver had the proper destination (he did) and we were in our way.
*Before anyone can drive with Uber, they must undergo a thorough background check—and they’re rescreened every year.
COMFORT OPTIONS
In the app, when I scheduled my ride, there were a few options I could choose:
- Ride comfort (cold, cool, warm, hot). I chose “warm,” and the vehicle was warm to my liking when I got in.
- Whether or not you want the driver to converse with you. I chose “no preference” and the driver didn’t converse, which I was happy about being that it was 5:30am and I was not fully awake.
I was dropped off at the exact spot I needed to be. The driver opened the trunk, we grabbed our suitcases, and said goodbye.
From there, I was able to use the Uber app to leave a tip and a review for the driver. I did this later, after I had checked into my flight. (This was the time that I first saw the $18 reservation fee charge! I was pretty bummed about this add-on.) Next time, I’ll just wait until I’m ready to go and request a driver at that time. It might require a bit of a wait, but it shouldn’t be too long.
I would definitely use Uber again!
WHY USE UBER?
For traveling to the airport, it was a lot easier than navigating the area in my own vehicle, parking, and paying to park, and it probably worked out to about the same cost for my particular situation. But even aside from the airport, I’d consider Uber as a good option to avoid the hassle when attending concerts at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion or a festival in Town Green Park. For those who enjoy a night out sipping cocktails, a rideshare or designated driver is always a good idea. Also, sometimes you might find yourself without a working vehicle, but with Uber you can still leave the house if necessary!
Play around in the app at different times of day and see how much various trips / routes might cost you. If you’re Ubering from the Village of Creekside Park to Market Street / Woodlands Mall area, an UberX might cost between $13 to $20 one way. If you’re riding with a friend or two, you’d split the cost, so it’s even more affordable. (NOTE: Costs for this same trip can be as expensive as $75, depending on the type of # of passengers, type of vehicle, and whether or not you’re hiring a “professional” driver. (See my note above about RIDESHARE RATES).
ORDERING A RIDE FOR SOMEONE ELSE
You can order a car for someone else too. My oldest daughter was away at school in Alabama last year, and when she needed to leave campus, she'd usually go on the school shuttle or carpool with friends, but we had a couple of instances where I needed to summon a ride for her. It was so easy! (Note: In the future, she’ll use the app on her phone and sign into her own account, and order the ride for herself, but this time, we were on a time crunch. Also, she's taking her car to school for the upcoming year, so she won't likely need to use Uber much.)
When you order the ride, you put in the pick-up location (usually it’s whatever location you’re currently at) and the destination location. When I put in my daughter’s location in Alabama, the app immediately recognized that my physical location was pretty far away from the location that I’d put in as my pickup location, so the app was smart enough to ask “Are you ordering this ride for someone else?” Once I hit “yes,” I was able to put in my daughter’s phone number to connect her to the ride. This allowed her to get updates about the ride, even though I was the primary one monitoring the ride via my app.
Another thing – I’ve learned that you can cancel your Uber ride within minutes after it has been assigned. From what I hear, it has to be within 5 minutes of assignment in order to cancel without paying. So if you are assigned a driver and don’t like the ratings, or if you’re assigned a male but would be more comfortable with a female, you can cancel the ride and re-order a ride should you choose. If you cancel your ride too late, cancellation fees will occur.
UBER TEEN
I don’t know much about the Uber Teen option that is now available, but according to the website, teen accounts give your teenager the freedom to request their own rides and order their own meals, all under your supervision. Plus, with live safety features and real-time updates, you can follow along from pickup to dropoff.
Also, if your teen chooses to set it up, the Audio Recording feature will be automatically turned on for every trip. In addition, they’ll always have access to on-trip safety features, such as being able to call 911, contact Support, or report an issue through the app.
RIDESHARE TIPS:
- In some cities, waiting time fees per minute are charged a few minutes after your driver arrives at the pick-up location. So make sure you’re ready to go when you order your car. If you’re in The Woodlands, there’s a good chance that a car will be available to get to you quickly. (In some locations, a per-minute wait fee can be assessed, and this varies by location.)
- Don’t forget to tip.
- If you need to make a quick stop, you can. If you’re running an errand or need to drop off something, you can add a few extra stops along your route. There’s an option to do this in the app.
- The Uber app has most map locations in its database (pretty sure it’s based on Google maps), so you won’t need the physical address for most businesses. Just type in the business name (but be sure to have the address or at least the street name if you’re headed to a business with multiple locations).
Needless to say, I’m super grateful that we have Uber (and also Lyft) available to us! It’s not too costly, and it's a convenient and useful alternative to having your car with you. I know this article was a bit of a mouthful, but I wanted to make it comprehensive enough to clear up any questions you might have. Hope you found this helpful… and perhaps you’ll consider using Uber in the future.
