Uber

Über charges passengers more and I learned from drivers that it pays drivers less than Lyft. Add some ridiculous surge pricing in and I think I’ll be sticking with Lyft.

I have used über a few times now in different cities, Las Vegas, Seattle and Pdx.
My first experience was über was not good as we were in the remote location, driver couldn’t find us, refused to take directions and charged us for cancelling the trip. Anyway that issue was quickly resolved by their customer service and also money credited back. We called another über taxi who was able to find us and take us to our destination.
Taken über a few times after that, always has been a positive experience so far. They are prompt, friendly and probably slightly cheaper. I say slightly is because their base price is different in different cities and they charge a surge for time, safe drive so probably turns out slightly cheaper.
Today we took über to go to the train station and it’s snowing in Beaverton. I called 5 taxi and shuttle services 3 hours before the pickup time and they said they could not pick us up because of snow and unavailability of drivers, but über picked us up in 7 min.

As a resident of Portland, I have read and heard many positive reviews about Über’s innovative and efficient service. I was very excited to use Über for the first time with my family on New Year’s Eve. We planned on traveling to Portland for a dinner event and were relieved that Über would be there to assist us with transportation. We appreciated the quick response to our pick-​up request and the speedy arrival time to our home. The experience deteriorated, however, when we entered the vehicle and were greeted a strong scent of marijuana. At this point we were unsure if the driver was impaired. To our relief we arrived downtown without incident and went to our event.
The real problem occurred, however, when we made arrangements to be picked up after the New Year’s Eve celebration. This was my first time using the service so I was not familiar with the app and did not realize the implications of the Über’s «surge pricing» (shame on me). It was 1 o’clock am it and 24 degrees outside. My family and I had little choice but to take the ride. Halfway home I received a text message updating me that Über had charged me $ 279.04 for an 11 mile trip! I felt completely burned by this company.
In my opinion Über’s «surge pricing» is predatory. I felt that my family was victimized by an aggressive computerized profit model. I will not use or recommend Über in the future and will rely instead on its competitors.

I have taken über in other cities: San Fran, Denver and Seattle
Portland is the worst.
All of the cars smell awful. Particularly like a strip club or smokily lounge. I had my window rolled down because my eyes were burning, and the driver continued to roll my window up explaining it was distracting him from the gps.

Thanks Über for finally coming to Portland! This is how we always get around when we travel. Seriously — the app is very easy to use and we have had nothing but great experiences with clean cars, friendly drivers and just knowing ahead of time what the pricing will be plus not having to deal with cash exchange or anything of the like… I cannot possibly say enough things. Not having to deal with sketchy cabbies who leave you stranded or overcharge you which is how cab companies in Portland roll. We took our first ride in Portland from the airport in the middle of the night to get home as our plane came in around midnight. A towncar would have cost up around $ 60 – 70 and a cab would have been $ 60. It was $ 50 with über for a clean car that showed up five minutes after the request and talk about stress free.

Be careful! I needed to pick up my mom from PDX, and after checking the fare estimate, I decided to go with Über. It was NOT a «surge» time and traffic was light. The drivers, to clarify, were great! But I was shocked at the final charges. The estimate said the MOST was $ 26 both ways, so I figured $ 52 or so was reasonable. However, the end charge was $ 48 and $ 46, making this trip WAY more expensive. I rechecked to make I had not misinterpreted the original estimates, which were $ 19-​$ 26. Since this was not a surge time and even the drivers commented on the light traffic, I don’t understand why it was TWICE the upper estimate. I went to their website and could find NO resource to see if I could simply ask why, but there was only set-​up questions and no phone number or email. AARGH! I think I am DONE with Über. Maybe Lyft is better.

To make things even worse, after sending us a car that broke down (with no backup available), they then charged me a cancellation fee. And don’t try to contact UBER… no phone number, no email address for customer complaints or concerns.

Sorry taxi cab drivers that are all getting mad, UBER is awesome.
Less expensive.
Nice People
Immediately available, right now, whenever you need it
Easy to schedule
Nicer rides
I love it.

Like the concept. Gave it a try and was charged almost 50 $ for a 15 minute ride home on an average Saturday night due to some surge charge apparently. What’s normally a 15 – 20 $ ride home for me cost me more than double that. I’ve never paid so much for a damn 15 minute car ride. Never have had this problem anywhere els.

There are very few times a driver has scared me while riding in a car. My Über «driver» (lives in Oregon City, but comes to Portland to drive.) managed to do just that. His obvious lack of street layout in Portland had him driving the wrong way down a one-​way street. To top things off, he kept complaining about the lack of tips driving for Über.
But the straw that broke the back was this guy’s confession that his insurance company would cancel him if he got caught driving Über (or Lyft).
Why is the city allowing these low– insured/​uninsured operators in Portland? It’s an lawsuit waiting to happen.

My complaint about Über is not with the drivers or with the service. My complaint is about the surge charge. A trip from the Portland airport to NW Portland (on Friday at 3:00 p.m.) cost $ 49.24 (a base fare of 1.50), the trip back to the airport (on a Monday morning before 7 a.m.) cost $ 100.42! While the base fee was the same, and the «normal fare» was $ 46.39, they tacked on a «surge» charge of x2.1. Granted I agreed to the increase, but that’s because the customer can only request the car minutes before they need it. Had I been able to reserve in advance and seen this surge charge, I would not have used Über, and would have found another means of transport. The company and the driver explained this surge tactic is a way of encouraging more drivers to participate in Über. Supply and demand, etc. Well, this is one consumer who will not be making any more demands on their supply.

The best way to get to where you need to go quickly, safely, and inexpensively. If your driver isn’t up to snuff, be sure to let Über know in the feedback.

I have used Über a few times so far and each experience was great from the initial booking a ride on the app to the driver showing up very fast (both times within 5 minutes of booking). Each car I rode in was clean, the drivers were all friendly and the rides themselves were inexpensive compared to the local cab companies which also take forever and a day to get once called in. For those who have mentioned that they have been unsure of the car picking them up the Über app tells you the kind of car the driver is driving and the driver also has a sign in the window. You can also text the driver from the app giving them precise location, landmark and your description to help the process along which all of the drivers said helped a lot and that they wished more people would do that. Would highly recommend especially over traditional local cab companies.

Used über for first time 2 was ago. Great service on time friendly and cheaper than a cab

Über is great try them out. We used the app to request a car after we landed in Portland. We got an update almost immediately telling us the car was on its way. The only drawback is we were not sure where to meet the car to get picked up. We were not in the correct place and so the driver then called us to tell he was ready to pick us up and where he was. It was as easy as that. He took our bags and put them in the trunk. The car was spotless and had no unexpected smells either. The gps on his phone already had our address so there was no having to tell him where we wanted to go. It was cheaper and a much better experience then a taxi and we will use them again.

I used UBER from Aloha to PDX last month, it was $ 13 less than a previous cab ride.
Ot is always much faster in responding to pick us up than any CAB company I’ve tried here in Portland. I do feel that UBER needs to add a driver tip ability to the app because sometimes my rideshare drivers go above and beyond and deserve a small tip, unfortunately I don’t carry much cash and never dollar bills.
Another Plus is that the UBER vehicles I have been in are newer and much cleaner than many cabs I’ve been in and less rickety.
I also use LYFT; it’s a lot like Über, just as responsive and allows passengers the added ability to leave driver a tip via their phone, no cash needed.
Most of my friends have both Über and Lyft apps installed, allowing them to get the closest ride.
Also, most UBER guys drive for LYFT and vica versa, so both services put the customer first hy dispatching a neighborhood car.
p r o g r e s s !!!

Used über in Baltimore loved it. 70 miles 2 hours. $ 95. Was going to use them in pdx but was quoted $ 38 to get to airport 8 minute ride
I cancelled because I can get taxi for less. He charged me $ 5 for the cancel.
No stars’(

The only thing missing from Portland is easy transportation like Über. Can’t wait to have you back the next time I visit.

I’m so happy that Über is now in Portland. I’ve taken 2 rides so far and had a phenomenal experience with both. It only took 3 – 7 minutes and cost $ 7 including tip. My favorite part of Über is being able to see how far away my ride is. With taxi cabs I’ve been quoted 15 minutes and they take 30 – 45

UBER:
As many of you know, I travel around the country weekly flying in and out of PDX. I generally use Portland Taxi to go from my home to the airport and Portland Taxi or Union Cab to return home from the airport.
I had my first two Über experiences this week while on business in Temecula California. Here are the facts.
I first used Über to go from my hotel to a restaurant and then another Über to return to the hotel. It was a very easy and good experience. Once I committed to use Über, it took the driver about 3 minutes to pick me up. The App shows you the proximity of Über cars near you based on the GPS map. My first Über driver was a very polite, friendly and professional young college student who happened to be in Temecula visiting his parents. His Late model Toyota was clean. My fare was $ 4.68 which was automatically deducted from the credit card attached to my Über account. No cash changes hands!
My second Über driver was a middle aged German woman who was also friendly, engaging and professional. Her late model Volkswagen was immaculate.
When I finally arrived in Portland last night after being re-​routed to Seattle for an hour or so, I took a cab home. It took about 15 minutes to get a taxi. My driver barely spoke English and uncommunicative. He had to crack the windows because there was a stench in the filthy, older cab. He also «long routed» me to get a higher fare.
These are the facts.
I am all for Über in Portland. It just may make the Taxi companies up their game and improve their service.