Uber wants passengers and drivers – is it worth it?

Controversy has followed Uber in just about every country, capital and now regional city the ride sharing app has moved into – so is it worth the fuss?

Taxi drivers losing their jobs, Uber drivers’ lack of job security and questions over passengers’ safety have caused wide-scale opposition, lawsuits and protests, but there’s no going past one major benefit: it’s cheaper.

From December this year, Orange will join 15 regional cities to join the smartphone app service which has been heralded as the ‘disruptor’ of the taxi industry, and for good reason.

To catch a cab from 190 Lords Place to the Orange airport at midday on a Saturday will cost approximately $35.

The estimated cost of an Uber is $25.90.

To catch a cab from the Parkview Hotel on Summer Street to north Orange McDonald’s at lunch time will cost about $18, an Uber will set you back about $12.37.

The Uber driver will never charge an Eftpos fee and will probably hand out mints and a bottle of water, which basically means you’re up a large Big Mac meal.

It’s natural to assume if something’s cheaper it must be of lesser quality but (sorry taxi drivers) Uber is about as slick as its Silicon Valley origins and branding would have new users believe.

The way Uber works, a passenger downloads the app to their smartphone and creates an account on which they will register their phone number, email and debit card or PayPal details.

To get a lift, would-be passengers type their destination into the app, with the option of pick up from their location or from a different address.

The app will estimate the cost of the trip to offer the chance to decide if it’s worth finding as alternative mode of transport and those who decide to be lazy will be able to watch a little animated driver weave his way through an animated version of Orange’s streets to pick them up.

Payment happens automatically after drop-off and once delivered passengers rate the driver did out of five – a ranking which stays with their profile to alert others on whether or not they’ve got banter and mints.

ARE YOU/DO YOU?

DOES YOUR CAR?