My First Uber Experience This Morning

[Don M.]

Lon & NancyNGA, I think I should. I'm already seeing "floaties." I read online that it's a warning to see the doctor ASAP. I probably couldn't depend on my family for transportation or support. But then my parents are kept pretty busy with their own needs. Dad is 89, and has been experiencing some chronic problems with his good eye.

I have a regular doctor appointment with my MD on the 13th, to follow up on my blood pressure concerns. I should also go ahead and make an appointment with the proper eye doctor!

If you having "floaters" in your eyes, you Definitely want to see a good eye doctor ASAP. These small flecks that drift across your vision are parts of the back of the eye breaking up. If left untreated, this can be a sign of serious vision problems in the future. I had them 6 or 7 years ago, and they were a nuisance. I spoke to my eye doctor on my next annual exam, and he recommended that I start taking a daily 6mg. Lutein pill and a Fish oil capsule. I started that routine, and within a few months they went away. I take a morning multivitamin, the lutein and fish oil after breakfast, and so far, so good. These supplements are very inexpensive, and seem to be doing the job.

 

[NancyNGA]

Are there no membership fees for Uber? (annual, or otherwise)

 

[Don M.]

Uber is doing quite well financially:

Not Really. Uber is bleeding cash, and losing money at a increasing rate. Right now, they are surviving on the possibility of future growth and investor optimism. They are in a "race" to establish a firm customer base before investors sour on their performance. There are two possible futures for Uber.....1. large numbers of people will begin to depend on their service, at which point rates will go up and Uber will become profitable....or 2, investors will become impatient with the lack of profitability, and close their wallet, in which case Uber will cease to exist.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...es-at-least-1-2-billion-in-first-half-of-2016

 

[AprilT]

Well, I guess it's going to depend on which report you go by, if you pay either any mind.

http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=144524848

But a net of 5.5 billion, sounds pretty good if true. I don't know which is or isn't factual, but, Uber does have at least three different price points for different types of ridership or types of cars. Uber-X, XL, Select, Uber-black service and the latter two aren't on the cheaper actually rather pricy.

 

[zogburr]

It seems that there is a big problem with Uber in that you must be on the internet to use the App to order a ride. I short, no wifi, no ride. Does your destination have wifi? If not you won't be getting home. Am I wrong about this? I just read that Uber drivers make less than minimum wage and are frequently cheated out of earnings. If you read the Uber reviews on the internet, you may be very nervous about using this service. Try the reviews on Yelp.

 

[dpwspringer]

It seems that there is a big problem with Uber in that you must be on the internet to use the App to order a ride. I short, no wifi, no ride. Does your destination have wifi? If not you won't be getting home. Am I wrong about this? I just read that Uber drivers make less than minimum wage and are frequently cheated out of earnings. If you read the Uber reviews on the internet, you may be very nervous about using this service. Try the reviews on Yelp.

I don't think that's quite right since smart phones can connect to the Internet via WiFi or 3G/4G.

 

[AprilT]

It seems that there is a big problem with Uber in that you must be on the internet to use the App to order a ride. I short, no wifi, no ride. Does your destination have wifi? If not you won't be getting home. Am I wrong about this? I just read that Uber drivers make less than minimum wage and are frequently cheated out of earnings. If you read the Uber reviews on the internet, you may be very nervous about using this service. Try the reviews on Yelp.

Sources would be helpful for those claims, my personal conversations with Uber drivers and a friend who drives for them have been mostly positive of course everything isn't super great, but, they know signing own that earnings are up to them and how much they work and cost they must cover and so on.

No you aren't correct about only having access to wifi to be able to obtain Uber, we covered this before, there are other options, but, primarily, Uber was set up for people with access to be able to call via their mobile phones which generally need access to the internet where ever they are making the call from, but, now they've implemented newer programs to assist mainly seniors who don't have this access.

 

[DaveA]

I'm not sure that Uber would work well for us. It's 210 miles to the cottage in Maine and the nearest grocery/drug store is 22 miles away. A month and a half up here then the trip back home?? Not even sure I could raise the Uber guy. No cellphone service at the cottage - -need to get about 3 miles away for the phone to work. Along with that, this is the road past our place, not our driveway. LOL Most likely Uber would not be very cost effective.

 

[Lon]

If you have a Smart Phone you can use UBER. I have now used UBER over 30 times. I live in a town of 500,000 & Ubet is readily available every where. I have talked with both male & female drivers & they say they are quite happy with what they are earning, plus, they like being able to work the hours they choose.

 

[zogburr]

If you have a Smart Phone you can use UBER. I have now used UBER over 30 times. I live in a town of 500,000 & Ubet is readily available every where. I have talked with both male & female drivers & they say they are quite happy with what they are earning, plus, they like being able to work the hours they choose.

Now, I am really confused. If I am away from home and NOT near any wifi, how can I order an Uber ride with my iPhone? My iPhone has the Uber App, but that App will require wifi, won't it? Are you saying that you can order a ride with voice phone call?

 

[Lon]

Now, I am really confused. If I am away from home and NOT near any wifi, how can I order an Uber ride with my iPhone? My iPhone has the Uber App, but that App will require wifi, won't it? Are you saying that you can order a ride with voice phone call?

When you install Uber on your Android phone as a rider, you're shown a list of permissions that the app requests (see image). The descriptions of these permissions are created by Google and are worded the same for every app — currently, there's no way for Uber to customize them. So, to make sure you understand what features we access and what data we actually collect, we've provided a more detailed breakdown and discussion of the permissions below. Click on any of the permissions and you'll be linked to Google's official documentation for that permission. (If you're an iOS user, please see our iOS App Permissions.)

 

[AprilT]

I'm not sure that Uber would work well for us. It's 210 miles to the cottage in Maine and the nearest grocery/drug store is 22 miles away. A month and a half up here then the trip back home?? Not even sure I could raise the Uber guy. No cellphone service at the cottage - -need to get about 3 miles away for the phone to work. Along with that, this is the road past our place, not our driveway. LOL Most likely Uber would not be very cost effective.

I don't think the service was meant to be all things to all people, as with many things in life, for some it just isn't meant to be. It's a suitable service for many, not for all. I'd be very sure to know how I plan to get to and from a location so far removed before heading out to stay there. Sounds more like a place that requires one to drive their own vehicle or spend a pretty penny on regular car services who don't require any special connections

There are many services, I am not able to make use of, either due to a variety of reasons, sure wish I could afford a month in a cottage up in Maine each year or even every other year. for the little people like myself who take short rides, Uber makes certain activities more affordable to get to where a cab would just bite to much into my budget if I used a cab more regularly, so Uber it is. Plus I don't spend time wondering where the cab is, I know every second just looking at my phone.

 

[zogburr]

When you install Uber on your Android phone as a rider, you're shown a list of permissions that the app requests (see image). The descriptions of these permissions are created by Google and are worded the same for every app — currently, there's no way for Uber to customize them. So, to make sure you understand what features we access and what data we actually collect, we've provided a more detailed breakdown and discussion of the permissions below. Click on any of the permissions and you'll be linked to Google's official documentation for that permission. (If you're an iOS user, please see our iOS App Permissions.)

Lon, I really appreciate your time, but you haven't answered my question. How did you order your ride home from your Dr's office where there was "NO" wifi signal. Being silly on purpose......You took your phone out of your pocket, you took it out of sleep mode, and then what transpired? Did you activate the Uber App to work in cellular mode? Did you text Uber? Did you make a voice call to Uber? I know that Uber knows where you are, but how does it know that you want a ride?

 

[CurlyQ]

I'm glad to find this topic posted. I downloaded the Uber app a couple of months ago in anticipation of using it to get a ride to O'Hare airport. As it turned out a friend offered to drive me (and pick me up on the return - a wonderful friend!). An average taxi fair to the airport (about 20 miles) is $50 USD, not including tip. Will be flying again in a couple of months and have been hesitant to give Uber (or Lyft) a try. Have also thought about using it for a out patient surgical procedure at the end of January if my daughter can't take me - but I'm not sure the medical staff will release a patient just out of anesthesia to a service like that.