Like many college students across the major cities of the country, I have been relying on taxicabs for as long as I can remember. Freshman year, when we ventured anywhere requiring a ride, we would call a cab and hope that another group of freshmen weren’t going to steal it when it pulled up to our dorm. This happened way too many times to count. Cue the entrance of Uber, the ridesharing service company that uses a smartphone app to connect passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire. Chances are, you have definitely heard of Uber even if you haven’t become a fan like myself. As of September 16, 2014, the service was available in 45 countries and more than 100 cities worldwide, and was valued at more than US $15 billion. Casual. The ease of simply taking out your smartphone, typing in your location, and waiting for your ride to call you when the driver arrives has revolutionized the way we think of transportation.
One of the major perks of Uber is the fact that everything is electronic, therefore paying is as easy as having your credit card number saved on the app and the “splitting” of the bill with other users is through the app too, so there’s no hassle there. Additionally, the app makes it simple to identify and locate your Uber driver, if say you leave your purse in the car or need to contact them for some reason. You can even get a fare quote before you head out and share your ETA with your friends. The convenience of Uber cannot be overlooked and it is has nationally changed the way people think about getting from one place to another. Background checks on drivers, the removal of the “hailing a cab” aspect, anonymous feedback from other passengers about your driver, and driver profiles make the experience with Uber not only a great one, but also a very safe one. Perhaps the influx of younger passengers deciding to take Uber instead of driving can decrease drunk-driving rates, especially in major college cities. Time will only tell!
On October 24th, Uber rolled out a very new initiative and deployed UberHealth, a one-time flu shot courier services for users who requested them in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. Yup, that’s right: Uber became a flu shot transmitter on wheels. This one day UberHEALTH pilot program, which was in partnership with Harvard Medical School’s Vaccine Finder program, delivered free flu shots on-demand via a registered nurse to the passenger’s location. The absolute convenience of this home delivery of healthcare is a step in the right direction for people to get proper vaccinations and could become an important addition to our healthcare system.
But for now, until UberHealth becomes a more frequent event, Uber will keep doing what it does best: transporting passengers easily from one place to another all via a smartphone.
Sources:
Mark Scott, Sarah Plass (16 September 2014). “German Court Lifts Ban on Uber Ride Service”. The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
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