Sometimes, a cab just won't do. More likely, they're all booked up and you're late to an engagement. Want to arrive in style, and in time? You'll want the Uber experience.
Uber isn't just a clever name. It's also a clever App, that makes the process of hiring a luxury cab service easy, quick and safe.
How do you hire an Uber car? First you have to live in San Francisco, as that's where the service has been launched - though there are plans to open up in New York in the near future.
If box one is ticked, you then download the app, on iPhone or Android, and register with Uber to supply your credit car details. Using the app you then request a car from your location, pick a destination, and pay. All via the app. The car arrives, takes you to your destination by the most efficient route, and you can just step out in style. It sounds remarkably simple, but that's because all the complication is hidden from the customer and handled by Uber themselves.
Uber has partnered with dozens of luxury sedan businesses to hire their drivers, each of whom are connected to the service via iPhones of their own. When you request a car (which can also be done by text), the driver nearest to your location receives the message and sends you an ETA.
There are already 10,000 customers registered with Uber, which shows there's a market for the service, even with prices at least 40 percent above that of a regular cab fare. The fares are variable though, which means they automatically increase in times of high demand, so don't expect your ride to come cheap on New Year's Eve. Still, Uber promises you'll always get a car whatever the date. You just have to pay for the privilege.
The company used to be known as UberCab but complaints from the City of San Francisco over the use of the word 'cab' (when the company isn't registered with the city as a taxi firm) left them known as Uber.
Still, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and the service itself remained popular. Uber wants to expand to every major city, so if you're ever stuck for a cab, you could always pick an Uber experience...
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