Uber offers riders more legroom, less chatting at a price

NEW YORK — Uber passengers can now get a more spacious ride and a less talkative driver — if they’re willing to shell out a few extra dollars.

The ride-hailing giant launched “comfort” rides in dozens of cities Tuesday. Riders are guaranteed 36 inches of legroom in “newer” cars — meaning those that are under five years old — and they can request a preferred air temperature. Riders can also use the app to tell drivers they don’t want to chat, avoiding what some consider an awkward exchange.

Uber is responding to requests from business travelers and others who say they just want to work or rest quietly when they’re on their way to the airport.

“It’s a way to set up an expectation up front…it takes some guess work out of the process,” said Aydin Ghajar, senior product manager at Uber.

In the early days of ride-hailing, when drivers for Uber and its main U.S. rival Lyft began picking up riders in their personal cars, riders were often chatty, asking the drivers lots of questions.

“It was so new and innovative that a lot of people were curious about other things they (drivers) did,” said Harry Campbell, founder of The Rideshare Guy, a blog and online community for drivers. “Over the years, it’s gotten more transactional.”


Uber rolled out a “quiet mode” for Uber Black — its premium car service — in May, which left some drivers feeling like robots.

“Some drivers like it, they don’t want to have to look at social cues,” Campbell said. “Other drivers feel that it’s a little dehumanizing…I do feel like in our society, everything is turning into an app, and we’re losing the lost art of conversation.”

Comfort rides cost 20% to 40% more for time and distance charges than standard Uber X rides.

The move could help Uber boost revenue, which could nudge the company closer to profitability.

“I think it would help maybe to boost those numbers up a little bit and maybe give some of the analysts on Wall Street something more to hang their hat on to remain bullish on the stock, based on the fact that the company still is not profitable,” said Daniel Morgan, vice president of Synovus Trust Company.

Uber has yet to turn a profit and lost $1 billion in the first quarter of 2019. Executives have said it could take years to make money.

It’s unknown whether the benefits offered by Uber Comfort will be enough to convince riders to cough up more cash. A five-year-old car is not really “newer,” it’s more “middle aged,” said Morgan. And at 6 feet, 5 inches tall, the additional legroom wouldn’t really be enough for Morgan — but it might be sufficient for people who are average height, he said.

“They might try it once and see if it’s that much more of an improvement and worth it,” Morgan said. “If they can’t deliver it and it’s not that much more comfortable, then it’s like well, I’m not really going to pay up for it.”

Uber declined to provide an average age for its drivers’ cars, and said age requirements for vehicles vary by city.

Uber’s smaller rival Lyft offers “Lyft Lux” rides, which are in high-end sedans or SUVs with leather seats and more legroom. Lux cars are driven by drivers with a 4.85-star rating or above, and cost more than a standard Lyft ride or the company’s less-expensive Shared ride. But riders do not have the option of requesting a quiet, conversation-free ride.

Uber already has some premium products that cost more than the basic Uber X. For example, Uber Black includes high-end cars driven by professional drivers and offers a “quiet mode.” Families or groups of six can choose Uber XL to get a van or SUV. Uber Select connects riders with highly rated drivers. On the other end of the spectrum, Uber Pool is the cheapest option, but riders have to share the car with passengers going to other destinations.

Uber says its Uber Black product will generally cost more than Uber Comfort, but specific pricing will vary by city.

Drivers who qualify for can make about 20% more on an Uber Comfort ride than Uber X ride, said Uber spokesman Steve Imm. But some drivers earned less during an Uber Comfort pilot, because their cars qualified for the pricier Uber Select or Uber XL options, and they couldn’t easily opt out of the Uber Comfort option, Campbell said. Drivers will now be able to opt out of Uber Comfort using the app, Imm said.

source: technology.inquirer.net

LOOK: Trudeau rides an electronic jeepney in Makati

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a ride in an electronic jeepney during his meeting with Filipino-Canadian innovators of the vehicle on the second day of his visit in Manila.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Thomas Orbos accompanied Trudeau during the ceremony held in front of The Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati City on Monday noon.

The Canadian official is in Manila for the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit which the Philippines is hosting.

Trudeau also made headlines on Sunday when he visited the famous Filipino food chain Jollibee at the North Harbor branch in Tondo, Manila.

Aside from ordering Jollibee meals, the charismatic prime minister the spent time chatting with some customers and restaurant staff. /je

source: globalnation.inquirer.net

Uber, Grab patrons already having difficult time booking rides

Had a hard time booking a Grab or Uber this rainy Wednesday morning?

Well, that may just be a prelude to what could actually happen on July 26 when thousands of unregistered app-based drivers are expected to be forced out of metro streets.

Transport network companies (TNCs) Grab and Uber are the usual go-to mode of transport of workers whenever it rains. But on Wednesday, netizens lamented that they could not get a ride through the apps.

Netizen @memyselfJAM said that she has been trying for “15 minutes” to book a ride to no avail.

The Inquirer also observed in Makati City that office workers who could not book a ride in the apps instead waited out in the rain to hail taxis.

Grab said that their drivers are not out on a strike today. But noted that the fewer number of drivers servicing commuters may be caused by their fear of being apprehended by authorities for operating without a valid franchise.


Historically, Grab said that drivers would usually go out when it rains to address the demand for ride-hailing services. It noted though that despite the surge pricing mechanism, drivers still have the last say on whether they want to go out or not.

Last week, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered Grab and Uber to seize the operations of their drivers who they included in their platforms even if these drivers do not have valid franchises.

Of the 56,000 drivers in both of their platforms, only 3,700 have valid franchises.

Because of their violation of the terms and conditions of their accreditation, the TNCs were made to pay a fine of P5 million. Uber has settled their fine Tuesday afternoon, while Grab is set to pay theirs Wednesday.

A technical working group meeting to iron out the issues of the TNC industry will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the LTFRB. IDL

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Want to escape traffic? Take a flying taxi

While Uber has changed ground transport in many cities, Sao Paulo’s infernal traffic jams have sparked a new app that opens the sky to commuters: Voom, a helicopter taxi service that charges according to distance and the passenger’s weight.

It’s a godsend for those in a rush — but only if the weather permits.

Gustavo Boyde, a Brazilian living in the United States who goes to Sao Paulo for business, is one of those who says the hops above the city are the only way to get around.

“I’ve opted for helicopters,” he said, pointing to the metropolis sprawling beyond the horizon as he choppered from a chic central district to the airport.

Sao Paulo — South America’s biggest city, home to 12 million residents within its municipal limits and millions more in satellite towns — is regularly choked by gargantuan traffic jams.

There are 5.9 million vehicles, or one for every two people. At peak hour, traffic can be backed up as much as 576 kilometers (358 miles).

Not so pricey

A new venture launched in April by Europe’s Airbus, Voom has taken a page out of Uber’s marketing manual to put clients above it all — at a competitive price.

The app asks passengers to enter their weight and that of any baggage, then immediately sends the calculated fare.

Boyde’s run, from the southeastern neighborhood of Itaim Bibi to the airport some 30 kilometers (20 miles) away, takes nine minutes and costs $150.

Compare that with the market rates before Voom became available. Individual helicopter companies wanted 10 times more — and trips needed to be booked at least two days in advance.

“Our goal is to make helicopter transport accessible to more people, so that the helicopter is seen as an alternative,” said Voom’s executive director, Uma Subramanian.

In Boyde’s case, taking a helicopter through the app was a no-brainer. Using a traditional taxi on the clogged roads would have cost him $50 and an hour and a half of frustrating stop-and-go.

“I chose Voom because it fits within my travel budget, it’s economical and it’s practical,” Boyde said.

“Those are two hours I can now use for work, which is handy given the tight schedule I have,” he said.

According to Subramanian, saturated roads in Latin America mean that “people lose up to 10 hours a week” stuck in traffic.

Biggest fleet

Sao Paulo topped a list of 500 cities Voom considered for its debut, for a variety of reasons.

The city, which sits in a state of the same name whose population exceeds 45 million, has the biggest fleet of helicopters in the world.

ANAC, the National Association for Civil Aviation, says 700 choppers, or nearly a third of Brazil’s total number, are located there, alongside 528 helipads.

Brazil’s deep recession also means that many in Sao Paulo’s aviation sector have embraced Voom.

“In the current situation of a contracting market, the arrival of this service is a positive,” said Arthur Fioratti, head of the ABRAPHE association of Brazilian helicopter pilots that covers some 2,000 professional flyers.

Back during Brazil’s boom time, between 2010 and 2013, the sector flourished. ABRAPHE said there were 2,000 helicopter flights a day in Sao Paulo state.

Today, there are 1,300.

Voom has deals with three helicopter companies which operate five helicopters in Sao Paulo’s metropolitan zone.

Business travelers are the company’s target clientele — an elite used to taking a lift to the top of a glass-and-steel tower to be picked up on the rooftop helipad.

But it hopes to eventually broaden the appeal of flitting across the sky by bringing fares down to below what a taxi would charge.

Eye on the weather

Currently, between six and 10 people use Voom’s service daily.

“When my friends saw me using a helicopter to get to the airport they asked if I’d become a millionaire. When I told them how much it cost, they were surprised,” said Lucas Amadeu, head of marketing for Voom.

“I think that once people know what it costs, the service will grow a lot,” he added.

But while market forces are one thing, Mother Nature is another, and the sometimes violent storms and tropical rain that lash Sao Paulo can ground Voom’s fleet.

At those times, users are forced to resort to ordinary taxis — and to confront road traffic made even more choked by the weather.

Within Brazil, the poor quality of public transport in Sao Paulo is well known. In 2013, the biggest protests the country has ever known erupted when authorities tried to raise fares for the creaking, overburdened network of buses and metros.

One risk for Voom is that it might become too popular. An abrupt rise in the number of helicopters flying above the city could prompt the same sort of response as in New York, where officials are considering ways to limit flights.

For now, though, the company has its view fixed on other horizons.

Its next city pegged for expansion is Mexico City, another badly choked megapolis.

For Boyde, who goes to Mexico City almost as often as he does to Sao Paulo, that is good news.

“If they do the same thing over there, I’ll be their customer,” he said.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Uber launches carpool service

UBER Philippines on Wednesday launched a carpool service that enables commuters heading to the same destination to share a ride during rush hour in the metropolis.

The service, called uberHOP, will have its trial route in Makati City and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

The carpool service will have an introductory price of P75. The service will run from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

According to Uber, each uberHOP request can only accommodate one person.

Additional riders will need to request their own uberHOP.

“We decided to launch uberHOP here because Manila suffers from some of the worst traffic congestions in the world. There is an appetite for smarter transportation options that provides more reliable, affordable and efficient ways to get to and from work, particularly around commuting routes underserved by public transit,” Uber said in a statement.

Uber Philippines said Manila is the third city in the world to launch uberHOP after Toronto in Canada and Seattle in USA.

In recent months, traffic jams on Edsa and other main roads have worsened, causing massive inconvenience to commuters even past rush hour.

A trip by car from Tandang Sora Avenue in Quezon City to Ayala Avenue in Makati City—a distance of 18 km—now takes two hours in the morning if one leaves between 5:45 a.m. and 6 a.m. The commute is longer by 45 minutes compared to 2010. Taking the same route just after 5 p.m. is another 2.5 hours, up from 1.5 hours five years ago.

The commute was so punishing that an executive of a telecommunications firm in Makati was forced recently to rent a condominium unit in the city where he could stay on weekdays for the sake of his health and sanity. His trip to the office now takes just 20 minutes.

Those without the means to rent a condo have to get up early and endure the productivity-busting traffic congestion by taking the Metro Rail Transit 3 that often conks out.

Traffic congestion is taking a toll on the economy and commuters. Economic losses due to the congestion in Metro Manila was estimated at P2.4 billion a day and could rise to P6 billion a day by 2030 if the government fails to intervene, according to a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Do You Want To Get A Car For Free? Find Cars For Donation

Many people have a found a great way to get rid of their cars, by giving it away to charities and non-profit groups that offers cars for donation for tax deduction. Yes, that is right! Several charities can do these for people who have unused cars and old ones, but remember that not all charities can do this.

Anyway, charities accept cars for donation so that they can sell to raise funds or to use it as their own mode of transportation. But for some, they used these cars, so that they can give it to worthy people who are in need and people who cannot afford to buy one.

So if you are looking for cars like these, then you have to know the exact charities that offers donated cars at a very low price, if not for free.



Here are some tips to consider, if you want to find cars for donation and avail at the most affordable price that you can offer.

Steps To Receive A Donated Car For Free

Step 1 – Look for the different charities within your area who are accepting donated cars. Because if a charity does accept donated cars, then chances are, they also give our these cars for free.

Step 2 – Contact these charities and find out what are their requirements, in order for you to be eligible for receiving a donated car. Cars for Donation is most often than not, charities put more priority to single mothers, and people who are less privileged. They will also look at your source of income, and if they have proven that you are receiving less than what you need, and that having a car will improve your life and boost your chances of earning more, then you have a better chance of getting a donated car.

Step 3 – Show all of the documents that you have to prove your life status. For instance, if you are receiving government help, then provide proof for this. These documents are required most of the time anyway, so you have to make sure that you have them handy, before you start looking for a charity.

Step 4 – Check to see if there are any other additional requirements that the charity will be asking of you. Sometimes, charities ask for additional requirements after submitting the initial requirements, so you have to be ready for this.

Step 5 – Be prepared to receive the car. Sometimes, you will be asked to pick up the car, but most of the time, you will be asked to wait, as there are more than one people applying for this type of privilege. If you are placed on the waiting list, make sure to provide all of your contact details to the charity, so that they can contact you when the car is ready for release. Just make sure to give them the right contact details, so will not miss the chance of owning a donated car.

source: cardonationportal.com