Thursday, October 5, 2017

16 Things You Might Not Know About Uber



Uber Technologies, the increasingly popular yet controversial ridesharing app, has so far infiltrated 58 countries around the world in its five-year lifespan and shows no signs of slowing down. The number of new drivers joining the ranks of Uber chauffeurs doubles every six months, and last week the company officially surpassed the $50 billion mark in funding. But for all its popularity, the upstart has had (and will probably continue to have) a bumpy ride, enraging established taxi companies by elbowing its way onto their turf and demonstrating the potential problems with the still nascent sharing economy. While commuters and government decide how to deal with Uber, here are a few things you might not know about the company and the drivers that make it go.

1. Drivers don’t get discounts.

When Barrett, an UberX driver in Tennessee, answered his phone to speak with me, he was walking a mile to the airport to avoid having to pay for a cab. Uber drivers don’t get any discounts or special treatment when they’re passengers, although Barrett does say the company sends drivers discounts for car maintenance like tire rotations and oil changes. 

2. It made life hell for a design firm.

A NYC design firm registered the name Uber Inc. way back in 1999. When the car service with a nearly identical moniker joined the scene, the design firm’s founder became inundated with phone calls aimed at the taxi company, which didn’t (and still doesn’t) provide a customer service phone number. Uber Inc. received 500 phone calls in four months from frustrated passengers and even drivers looking for their paychecks, according to the New York Post. One driver even accidentally sued the design firm for an on-the-job injury. The steadfast Uber Inc. has kept its name, but owner Herta Kriegner told mental_floss she is “still handling phone calls for Uber Technologies and still receiving mail (court orders, requests for wage garnishment, etc.) regarding their drivers.” A Google search lists the company as “not the uber technologies ride share or car service company.”

3. Uber babies get special onesies.

At least one human has breathed its first gulp of air in the back seat of an Uber cab. In March of this year, Zanna Gilbert gave birth to her daughter in a Nissan Altima, which her husband hailed through the Uber app. The baby and mother were both fine, and Uber gave the driver free Knicks tickets for his excellent handling of the situation. The company also paid to have the car cleaned. The baby got a special Uber-branded onesie

4. Cars can be no more than 10 years old.

And they must have at least four doors. “They do a personal inspection of the vehicle before you can drive,” Barrett says. “They check for exterior damage, cleanliness, wear and tear.” In some cities, the inspection is performed by a fellow Uber driver with a high rating who’s been deemed responsible enough to deserve the title of “Pro Driver.” 
“If someone signs up as a potential driver within the vicinity of your turned-on app, you'll get notified and be tasked with going to ‘vet the driver,’” Barrett says. “This means we take their picture, inspect their vehicle, snap pics of their insurance and driver’s license. We essentially serve as the middleman to corporate to ensure they're who they say they are after the background check passes. We're the final step as they also do a test drive with us to officially clear them for driving. It's a 30 minute or so process and we get $20 for our time in vetting the drivers.”


No comments:

Post a Comment