solewalker

Just started fairly recently, so they don't have that many drivers yet. Prices are comparable to taxis, but there's a sense that there's a lot of antagonism towards Uber. The cars we took were nicer than some of the taxis. One of our taxis was running out of fuel and at serious risk of a dead battery - we barely made it to our hotel!

wco81

The way they're advertising for drivers, they may be having a hard time keeping drivers working for them in the US.

wco81

Anyone use Uber in Sydney, at the international terminal?

They are suppose to have a virtual pool and some kind of dedicated waiting area. Sounds like you won't be able to choose which kind of car.

Will be traveling with a party of 3. My understanding is that some UberBlacks will include SUVs but still be cheaper than a UberSUV ride:

http://sydney.ubermovement.com/uberblack/

Even UberBlack is 2-3x the fare of UberX for relatively a short ride to the CBD but if we end up getting a midsize sedan, it still may not be enough for all the luggage.

lmwong1977

Used it at Dublin to get from the Hilton (charlemont) to my bus tour meet-up point in the northside of town at 6am-ish. Came in 2 minutes, lucky not much traffic that early (the construction from connecting the two tram lines jams up the streets during biz hrs) so got there early. I think most people used the Hailo app as there were several cab drivers waiting for people talking to the concierge. My phone was running out of space, so just stuck with the app I had.

ajeleonard

You might be better off with a normal cab, many of them are minivans/people carriers (for no extra charge) or station wagons/estates and you'd be able to pick them out of the lineup. As you mentioned, it's a short trip and quality and cleanliness in Sydney are good.

wco81

Hmm, I heard there was a 50% surcharge on the "maxi taxi" which are the minivans, while there are station wagons which might fit 3 large and 3 carryon suitcases without the surcharge.

samosa

Just used it three times in Wien (Vienna Austria) and the first time the driver refused to haul us and said uber doesn't allow him to carry suitcases and yet he opened his trunk which had what looked like nazi insignia. He cancelled the ride and I got charged 8 Euro. I complained and they credited my account but blamed me for not contacting the driver to ensure he wanted the fare. The next ride was fine. The last ride the guy stopped to get gas. I didn't complain about that but I feel uber service has gone down significantly worldwide recently and the customer service seems to blame the passenger.

aztimm

I just used Uber a bunch while on a mileage run to SGN.

My hotel offered me an airport pickup, for USD$45, while the cost of the Uber was maybe $4.

I did a couple of UberX rides, they were mostly around $1-2, but took forever in the mess of traffic.

Then I decided to try Uber-Moto, where you ride on the back of a motorcycle. The driver does provide a helmet.
It was pretty scary at first. Heck, I nearly just got off, but I'm glad I stuck with it, as after a couple of rides it felt almost natural.
Min fare was VD10k, about US$0.40, with most under VD20k.

I'd recommend picking a short trip in nice weather to get your feet wet, so that if it does rain (and chances are high it will), and you have crazy traffic.

lainys

THAT is cool! Trying new experiences is what makes travelling fun.

aztimm

I guess it is pretty new. Looks like Uber launched the, "moto," option in April in several cities, mostly in SE/Southern Asia.

Here's a piece I found on it in Vietnam:
https://newsroom.uber.com/vietnam/ubermoto-eng/

It worked the same as any other Uber, you select, "Uber Moto," instead of, "UberX," or, "Uber Black." (those were the only options in Ho Chi Minh City)

I did see a few surges on UberX, but never on Moto. So there's that too. But even at 2x an UberX would be maybe $5 for most places town. As I said above, in a car, you're really subject to horrible traffic. A motorcycle can take smaller streets, cut around cars, etc. It was never really scary for me though.

samosa

Was there a language barrier? I noticed that when I tried to use Uber in Bali.

aztimm

Well I don't speak Vietnamese and the drivers spoke very little English. They all picked me up and got me where I put I was going on the app. When they first stopped they'd hand me the helmet and wait for me to hop on and get situated.

When I got off, I handed the helmet back...and after the first gave a ^ to make sure everything was ok, that's what I started doing too (seems an international symbol for OK).

On a motorcycle, there really isn't much chatting you can do. At stoplights, I'd wait for him to put a foot/feet down, then I'd do the same.

All of the Uber drivers I had in Vietnam were guys.


When I was in Rio in June, I had 2 women drivers. One was such a timid driver...she put the parking break on every single time she stopped, even for a few seconds. The other drove me from hotel to GIG airport and was good.
Language barrier was there too, but I speak some Spanish, which is pretty close. And all of the drivers spoke at least a little English.

stimpy

Hah! Try Uber in Miami. Fortunately I can manage in Spanish. Also had French speaking drivers in Miami and New York.

wco81

How do you input Vietnamese place names in the app. If you don't speak the language?

Do they have it in Hanoi, Hoi An or Hue?

aztimm

The Uber app had all major hotels, tourist sites, bars, and restaurants in English. I tried to pick places where pickup would be easier...so rather than near the Cathedral (which could be crazy busy), I walked a block to the Hard Rock Cafe (which was listed in the Uber app) and got a pickup there.

According to the Uber website, they are only available in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Both have the Uber-Moto option.