Good apps are heart to find. But for one comms person a taxi app that is revolutionsing travel stands out.
by Rob McCleary
Uber is the best app ever. Why? Well, for a start, it was almost definitely sent back in time to me by my future self. The future self who lives stress free and absolutely does not turn into the Incredible Hulk every time he tries to get a taxi late at night.
For anyone who has tried to call a cab late at night, you’re almost always met with the fact that a) you need to stop for cash and b) you’re going to have to agree a fare before you can get in, which will be more than you want to pay.
Uber has changed everything. For those who don’t know, Uber is an app that allows you to book a taxi on your phone, you say where you’re going and it will tell you how much it will cost. So? I hear you say. Where Uber comes into its own is that the driver has no say in the transaction, the fee is based, purely, on how far you travel. No extras. No haggling. Just the fee (and a relatively cheaper one than the normal rates you get in black cabs). The other major thing the app tackles to reduce my rage is that you don’t need cash to pay. You set up an account and the money is taken directly from your bank account, the driver cannot adjust the amount and it’s all done via the app. Genius.
By removing two fundamental flaws in the way we get a taxi it has revitalised the way I use taxis. It’s safer. The app tells you the name of your driver and allows you to rate them out of five and, I love this part, the driver can RATE YOU! How empowering is that?!! You act like a prat and you’ll get rated like one which means you won’t be able to get a cab which will leave more cabs for me. IT’S GENIUS!!
As you can tell, I love it and it’s an example of someone finding a way to resolve issues that have been around forever. It’s a taxi, you haggle and you pay cash that’s the way? Well not anymore, Uber is the way.
Rob McCleary is Media & Publications Officer at Gedling Borough Council.
