I'm sure lots of you are already using uber, however I just used it for the first time this weekend and thought it was great. It's probably been around for more than a few months, but the first I heard of it was last month.
Basically, it's an app for your phone to order a taxi. The taxi's (in NZ) are all independently operated and have normal taxi driver licenses. You request a taxi, you see it on the GPS coming towards you. You get in, the app automatically calculates the fare at the end of the ride, and you automatically pay via credit card (no fee).
I've used it 3 times this weekend, what I noticed from my quick sample was:
Advantages:
1. Faster for taxi to arrive
2. More convenient, I know exactly how long I will wait until the taxi arrives (by looking at the gps map), and exactly when to go out the door.
3. Cheaper. My first ride was actually $2 ($12 - $10 first ride discount). The other rides were $8 and $10. Actually the last ride didn't cost me $10, because I signed my girlfriend up and used a $10 discount code on her phone as well. I'd usually be paying around $15-$18.
4. Don't need to carry cash, and no credit card transaction fee.
5. If you use it at the airport there is no $7 airport taxi fee.
Disadvantages:
1. If your phone runs out of batteries you can't use it.
2. You can't book taxi in advance.
The other nice thing, is that if you refer your friends to the service you get another $10 off!
If anyone wants to try it, basically install the "uber" app from the app store, then enter your login details (i used facebook) attach a credit card, then enter the promo code "uber10nz"
Kiwi
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