Uber CEO should try to book a cab in Uber once.
They’ve tried everything: driver vetting, live location sharing, and emergency buttons for safety. But have Ola and Uber commuters’ issues been resolved? No, instead, as time passes, new types of challenges for users emerge. Because the problems caused by Ola and Uber are not being addressed, a large percentage of the population believes they will continue to exist.
Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber) is a mobility-as-a-service company based in the United States. It is headquartered in San Francisco and operates in more than 72 countries and 10,000 cities. Ride-hailing, food delivery (Uber Eats and Postmates), package delivery, couriers, freight transportation, electric bicycle and motorised scooter rental (through a collaboration with Lime), and ferry transportation (via a relationship with local operators) are among its services. Uber does not own any vehicles; instead, each booking earns it a commission. Fares are stated in advance to the consumer, but they change dependent on the local supply and demand at the time of the booking.
Uber provides a wide range of ride alternatives. UberX is the company’s most popular and standard service. Uber also offers UberXL, Uber Comfort, and Uber Black as additional services. UberXLs are usually SUV-style vehicles that can seat up to six people. Uber Black is Uber’s premium service. Uber Black drivers must have a high rating and drive more opulent vehicles than UberX and UberXL drivers. Uber Comfort ensures a vehicle that is newer and has extra legroom. Customers have more options when it comes to choosing a ride because of the various types of possibilities.
By 2040, Uber plans to be a fully electric, zero-emission platform, with 100 percent of rides taking place in zero-emission vehicles, public transportation, or micromobility. As the world’s greatest mobility platform, it is our responsibility to take a more aggressive stance against climate change. We’ll do so by giving riders more options for going green, assisting drivers in going electric, prioritising transparency, and collaborating with NGOs and the commercial sector to help speed up the transition to a clean and just energy system.
Let’s go over the issues that consumers of app-based aggregators like Ola and Uber experience on a case-by-case basis.
Problems faced by Customers
Arriving late is inconvenient.
The ‘delay’ associated with cab journeys is a significant issue. When a consumer books a Mini or Micro ride using the app, the time advertised for the ride may be as little as 3 or 4 minutes. However, once the reservation is verified, the wait time may increase to 10-12 minutes. Cabbies, on the other hand, take much longer to arrive. Furthermore, they will always ask you to appear from a position where they can comfortably pick you up, regardless of the pickup location you enter.
They can take so long to arrive that you have no choice but to cancel the ride and look for another option. In reality, regular interactions with consumers demonstrate that cabbies frequently arrive early and park the car quite close to the pickup location, generally a colony gate, rather than arriving at the site. The commuter is given a false impression that the cab is approaching her and is compelled to cancel the trip. Also, for no fault of hers, she must pay cancellation fees.
This is the most aggravating! According to a survey published in the Financial Express, many commuters confront this problem daily. Cab drivers take a long time to arrive, and when they do, the driver cancels the journey for no apparent reason. In an emergency, you’ll be perplexed because it’ll be challenging to find another ride quickly away. Cabbies have a habit of waiting for the passenger to call them before arriving. They then push the passenger to reveal the destination, and if it does not suit them, they swiftly cancel the ride! This delays about 15 minutes of valuable time, forcing the passenger to book another cab.
Drivers’ behavioural problems
For many cab drivers, arriving intoxicated and tired for the pickup is standard procedure. Often, drivers cannot drop you off at your desired destination. The saddest aspect is that there is no solution to address the problem. All you have to do is contact customer service and file a complaint, but the entire procedure takes so long that your actual work suffers due to this unwelcome problem for the day. Frequently, you will only receive a letter stating that your complaint is being investigated, with no further communication.
Furthermore, drivers may become overly friendly throughout the journeys and begin speaking with you. Because the driver is so forthright and pleasant, you have the impression that something is wrong. Even while some applications, such as Ola, offer post-paid services, the cab driver may inquire ahead of time if the payment will be made in cash!
This seems amusing, and there has been a slew of memes based on the same topic. They are, in fact, trendy on social media, just as the problem is in our lives. Because most drivers are uneducated and untrained, they begin to seek directions. Passengers like myself, who are unfamiliar with most destinations, contribute by using the GPS navigation system. Another issue could be the GPS voice instruction system’s foreign accent, which most drivers cannot understand. And they miss the turn when they don’t know how to pronounce a ‘Benito Juarez Road’ or a ‘Joseph Broz Tito Marg.’
How to find customers’ belongings that have been misplaced
In a rush to disembark at their destination, such as the airport or the railway station, a person carrying many belongings may forget a file, folder, backpack, or bag. Furthermore, the cabbie may not see the object in the backseat until he picks up the next passenger, who could be a few kilometres away. There is no single customer service number that the traveller can call to get this situation resolved quickly.
Surge Pricing
Surge pricing, particularly during peak hours, is a significant issue that will never be resolved. It only takes a little rain to treble the price of a cab. Furthermore, if the time is critical for getting to work, you will undoubtedly regret booking an Ola or Uber, whether in a shared or non-shared mode.
Cabs have brought a great deal of ease to the lives of individuals in metropolitan areas, but they have also generated a great deal of difficulty. Customers’ expectations for service quality are not being met, so many are dissatisfied with cab service providers. It is becoming clear that service providers such as Ola and Uber are primarily concerned with making money and are uninterested in addressing and resolving these reoccurring issues. Perhaps they believe that they can get away with it in a ‘third world country. On the other hand, customers are entitled to a better bargain than lip service!
Being an Uber Driver Comes With Risks too
Apart from non-compliance with taxes, Uber drivers face great danger when working in cities or countries where the firm is prohibited. Uber is outright banned in several nations.
Others argue that the industry should be regulated or that governments declare car-sharing software illegal.
Apart from government engagement, airport officials have started enforcing Uber driver regulations. The authorities have started charging Uber drivers access fees for dropping off and picking up passengers at the airport. Consumers will pay more for a ride due to the access costs, making the service less competitive when compared to traditional taxis.
NAVIGATION is a good word for a driver. People order Ubers from their bedrooms at the back of their house, within a mall, inside a store, etc. So, where does the app instruct us to go behind their home, inside the mall, or behind the store? Last week, I was picked up in the middle of I 95, a four-lane major highway, because the man had requested it from his apartment complex near an overpass. It just takes us around in circles to get to some spots. I wish they would allow us to express our gratitude to our riders who left us tips in the app. Using the app to send messages to support is a nightmare.
It selects essential terms and then sends us a programmed response based on those words. Most of the time, the replies I get make no sense and have nothing to do with my question. Authenticating identity. It happens at various times, usually when I have riders or on a big highway. I’m going to have to pull over to take a picture so they can see who it is. I understand why they do that, but it shouldn’t happen when driving your car.
