Tired of waiting for cabs to come pick you up {and then never showing up}? Hate public transportation like moi? Don’t have cash to get a cab but literally cannot walk another step in your heels? Got stuck in the Hoboken disco cab? {Not going to lie, usually I like the disco cab…}. I may be late to the party in posting this, but I had just had to share about the novel yet duh-worthy why-didn’t-I-think-of-that app that is UBER {which solves most of those Hoboken problems that I routinely have}.
What it is:
UBER is a car service company that started in 2009 and has now expanded to over 50 cities across the country. They connect drivers to you through an app on your phone {and your phone’s location services}.
A few reasons I particularly love UBER:
1. It’s usually faster than a regular Hoboken cab or regular car service in showing up. Waiting for a cab at 3am is THE. WORST.
2. You can track where the cab you have called is so you know how long you have to wait on your smartphone’s interactive UBER map. No more waiting for 45 minutes for a cab to never show. Been there.
3. You never have to worry about having cash. Once you sign up, UBER app is already connected to your credit card so you can pay automatically. It emails you whenever it charges you so you know what you are spending. Boom.
4. The cost for riding an UBER car in Hoboken is usually about $7 which = the normal price of cabs + a small tip {cabs’ rates have gone up around Hoboken to $6 a ride unless you’re leaving from the PATH station to somewhere in Hoboken, FYI}.
5. You’re not required to tip the driver since it goes on your credit card.
6. You can decide which car you’d like to ride in {depending on who is driving that night and how close they are to you–if you’re in a rush!}. There’s an interactive map that shows which drivers are out and where they are. It shows their name, face, and also the type of car they’re driving. Benz SUV? Yes please. Come on by and pick me up! Oh you fancy tonightttt.
7. There is an option for a black car or SUV {or just a regular car ride with whoever is out and driving around as an UBER driver}. It’s pretty much your choice.
8. UBER provides you with an estimated rate for your trip based on your current location and destination using GPS mapping.
How to Use it:
Sign up on your phone, and then download the UBER app in the app store and sign in. Then you can start calling cabs left and right! For example, say you’re at 400 Hudson Street — you tap a cab (those little black things below on the map), and whichever one you pick comes to pick you up. Once you pick the vehicle, you’ll get an estimate as to how long it will take for the car to get there (and you can track where the car is on the interactive map). Genius.
UBER is pretty much a win all around, especially in Hoboken {since our cab rides are decently priced anyway in my opinion}. UBER just makes it easier and better since you don’t have to worry about cash in hand {story of my life…}. In fact, UBER has pissed off regular cab drivers so much, it caused this to happen in France a few weeks ago. Tsk, tsk cabbies.
PS: If you sign up through this link, you’ll get $20 OFF your first ride {basically a $20 credit aka about 3 cab rides for FREE around Hoboken}. Not bad. Not bad at all…
Happy UBERing! xoxo
