Benefits of Using a Car Service over Uber
While watching the nightly news or checking the Internet for the latest stories, you have probably heard the name Uber bandied about by many reporters and pundits. Uber is a new service that has come of age with the popularization of the smart phone app. Uber is meant to be a service that provides safe car service to anyone that needs a ride with a simple swipe of a finger. This mobile service is fast becoming competition for classic taxi and car services. However, before you make the move to Uber to start booking cars for your transportation needs, there are a few things that you should know.
Safety
First and foremost, when you are getting into a strange vehicle, you need to be absolutely sure that you are safe. The problem with Uber is that as it provides carpool and car share programs with its users, you cannot always be certain who you will be traveling with or the quality of the vehicle in which you will be traveling. A traditional car service on the other hand only hires professional drivers that have been thoroughly tested and vetted. They also have a fleet of vehicles that are well maintained and safe. Although altercations with Uber drivers are not the norm, there have been reportings of sexual abuse and assault perpetrated by drivers in several major cities.
Identifying Your Vehicle
Another problem that Uber has in regard to your safety is the lack of clear identifying markers on the side of their vehicles. There have been several reporting of passengers getting into the wrong vehicle when they believed that their Uber driver had arrived. This creates a safety issue for both the passenger getting into the mistaken vehicle and potentially the owner of the mistaken vehicle as well. Beyond creating safety issues, the lack of clear identifiers is simply inconvenient and frustrating when you are trying to find your ride.
Security Risks
Uber has also experienced several security issues with the actual app used to book its services. People who have accessed the Uber app on their smart phones have put their personal information at risk. Hackers have been able to break into the app and gather the personal information, browser history, cookies, and other important private information of Uber’s registered users. Uber’s team has since fixed the problem. However, when using apps and Internet technology you can never be completely safe from hackers.
Better Business Bureau
Lastly, Uber does not have the best user rating compared to other similar businesses. One of the oldest and most trusted ways to learn about the quality of a business is by checking with the Better Business Bureau. The BBB has a reliable and measurable method of rating the quality and trustworthiness of a business. Currently, Uber has an F rating with the Better Business Bureau due mostly to their refusal to respond to several costumer complaints. Uber has received over 90 complaints over the past three years and has failed to respond to them in a timely manner. Another reason why Uber has gotten heat from the BBB is its surge pricing strategy. Uber consistently changes the cost of a ride. You can the average fare for a car in one city double, triple, and even rise to ten times that of the standard cost with little warning or explanation. The cost of a rise increases as more people are using Uber’s services, meaning that during rush hour times when you are most likely to need a car, you will be paying a much larger sum of money.
The next time you need the services of a professional car service, think long and hard about the service that you choose to use. While companies like Uber make it very easy to book a ride, they are not always as reliable and safe as a traditional car service. With a simple call ahead, a professional service will offer you the same services and guarantee an excellent experience.
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