#ubermanila

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If I can help it, I don't think I will ride a cab ever again. I tried the services of Uber yesterday, and it was just plain awesome. Someone picked me up from my front door. The driver, Enrique, greeted me courteously after asking if I was James, and asked me to jump in. We had a nice little chat after I learned that he knows one of my friends from high school. The drive seemed faster than usual. The radio was even tuned-in to Magic 89.9, one of the few remaining decent radio stations here in Manila after the downfall of the ONLY radio station I have ever listened to when it was still broadcasting--NU Rock. The car, a 2 month old 2014 Toyota Altis, even smelled like lemons--no kidding. Anyway, Enrique asked me for my route preference, in order to make the ride as fast as possible. We diverted from my normal route because of the traffic build-up at MIA road, due to the construction of the airport skyway. This experience is very refreshing, as I've had cabs deliberately going the long way even after specifically telling them the route I want to take to my destination, only to be stuck in traffic because of that simple mistake. We got stuck in traffic again at the Magallanes Interchange, because the DPWH was doing some road work. Afterwards, it was smooth-sailing to Mandaluyong City. For someone who regularly commutes to work via bus, I can definitely say that Uber may seem too luxurious. Imagine being picked up from wherever you are and being taken to your destination, all with the convenience of a driver in a private car. Before the Uber car gets to you, you can see the star rating of the driver, the type of car, and the estimated time for him to get to you. With Uber, luxurious does not always have to be expensive. I will get into this later. One more thing I have realised is that with this service, there would be no more pleading with cab drivers to drive you to your destination because you are late. No more haggling with the price (from Php 50.00 to upwards of Php 400.00 depending on your destination) they WANT to add to the meter because "there are no  people to pick up at your destination". The endless cycle of standing on the street-hailing a cab-opening the door-announcing your destination-being rejected-closing the door-haling another cab- will be forgotten forever. You just need to pull out your smartphone, request for the service, and sit back and relax while waiting for them to pick you up. The mobile application even shows available Uber cars within your service radius. The best part about this is that I can see the service car en route to my pick up location. The driver who picked me up earlier today, Nestor, had difficulty looking for the way to my pick up location. He called me, and asked me for directions. Because I can see where he was, I told him to turn around, turn right when he sees SN street, and just go straight til he gets to where my house is. I didn't blame the driver for not knowing the way, since it was a private road, and was made as a short-cut for people living within the immediate area. Let me get to the best part. I have tried their services twice. The first driver was Enrique, driving a red 2014 Toyota Altis, and the second driver was Nestor, driving a black 2013 Toyota Vios, both cars in pristine condition. I have tried using a cab to work once, and it cost me Php 210.00, with minimal traffic on the road. The meter started when I got to the cab a few blocks away from my house, as I have to walk for around 5 mins to get to the main road. Let's compare this with my Uber experience. This is my receipt with Enrique:

With the same route, notice that it costs Php 30.00 cheaper than a cab ride. This includes the traffic we experienced at MIA road and at the Magallanes Interchange. Non-withstanding, it still costs cheaper to get an Uber ride. Let's compare the same cab ride with my Uber ride from earlier today:

See the difference? With my second Uber ride, the total was just Php 151.17, because we did not experience any traffic, still a whole lot cheaper than the Php 210.00 I have paid the cab for the same scenario. I therefore conclude that Uber definitely costs cheaper then a regular cab ride.:) Speaking of the costs associated with Uber, I did NOT have to pay cash. All transactions were done electronically. Initially, I was given Php 300.00 Uber credits for joining. (I was referred by a friend from the U.S.). When my Uber credits ran out (please see second diagram, lol), the remainder was charged to my VISA card. How convenient was that. It felt awkward when I got to my destination and pulled out my wallet, thinking he needs to swipe my card. But lo and behold, I just thanked the driver for the service, bid him farewell, and he was off! When I fired up my office desktop, I got an email with the receipt, (just like what you saw earlier), and a survey form to rate my driver. Everything went great so I gave the both of them 5 shining stars. With all that said, I definitely look forward to my next Uber ride. It looks like I have to get back to my normal tricycle-bus routine, but in case I need the services of a cab, Uber definitely takes first dibs (as long as my prepaid card has credit).