Used Uber for first time

[hardcorestitch]

from John Wayne Airport to Disneyland Hotel...I requested a female driver, but a male drove up and knew my name...ok, so I got into the car, and then the actual female driver called me letting me know she was there and where was I?

Anyway, the male driver drove a little bit and we found her; he informed me that I could go with her, but I would need to cancel his pick-up...I told him that I had requested a female and not him so probably not needed.

Has this ever happened to anyone...I am now glad that I decided to go with my original ride...but how did the male driver know my name and where to pick me up?

Did you verify the app details to a T to ensure your pickup vehicle is what it is? I almost made that same mistake using similar ride shares.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My wife refuses to use Uber of Lyft because she finds the whole idea of getting in a stranger's car creepy. Plus, she is not comfortable with us getting a ride from a stranger when we are going to the airport.....so a stranger knows where we live and that we are going to be away. She feels the same way with Taxi Cabs, but at least in California, at least, you have to have a clean criminal record to drive a cab.
With three cars at home, we always have a car available. Trips to the airport, short trips away from home, we leave a car at the airport, costs $20 a day to park. Longer trips, like our last one, 2 weeks, we just rented a car one way for $50 each way.

FWIW a clean criminal record doesn't mean much in terms of physical safety by means of your address being known to someone. And given it's California I don't have faith that if something were to happen to your house in terms of a burglary they would do all that much. I can understand your wife's concerns but logically she's kinda going off a false sense of security. She has far more of a risk from some random person just observing your street than a rideshare or taxi driver if she's actually concerned about someone knowing where she lives, the incident rate is very much higher from a random person.

But to the point of the thread if you don't use uber or lyft or even taxis you won't know much about what the OP experienced.

 

[Skywalker3]

I just used uber for the first time a few weeks ago. DD set up the app on my phone, and I used it in Orlando, to get rides to and from SeaWorld, (from Cabana Bay/Universal) No issues, although I had a little tricky part setting up payment. I didn't know about the PIN thing. I like that idea. I tried to make sure the license plates/car model matched and asked for the driver's name. We were tracking them in the app.
Then DS had to use it for the first time to get himself to the Orlando airport from Cabana Bay. He got the app, etc. and didn't have any issues getting there, and then got one from the Knoxville airport back to campus.
DD has been using it for over a year now, around town here, and mostly to get to work from our house. She's not driving yet, and often has to go in while DH and I are both working. So far, no issues. But also haven't really used in in a super busy place.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

laugh if you want @tvguy *shrug* doesn't change what I said

 

[Dug720]

It’s way easier to call an uber than schedule a cab here (and in NJ, taxi’s are horrible). With uber I’m waiting only a few minutes to be picked up.

This. Plus it's usually less than a taxi from the airport to my apartment in Brooklyn. AND I don't have to deal with a taxi driver with attitude that they have a ride to Brooklyn. More than once I'd get "You need a Brooklyn specialist." to which I'd retort "Then you need to get your union together and demand separate borough lines at the airport."

At least with Uber or Lyft the driver knows they're going to Brooklyn before accepting the ride.

 

[sam_gordon]

My wife refuses to use Uber of Lyft because she finds the whole idea of getting in a stranger's car creepy. Plus, she is not comfortable with us getting a ride from a stranger when we are going to the airport.....so a stranger knows where we live and that we are going to be away. She feels the same way with Taxi Cabs, but at least in California, at least, you have to have a clean criminal record to drive a cab.
With three cars at home, we always have a car available. Trips to the airport, short trips away from home, we leave a car at the airport, costs $20 a day to park. Longer trips, like our last one, 2 weeks, we just rented a car one way for $50 each way.

But what about the person the cab driver tells?

Sounds like the "warnings" from years ago when folks had stand alone GPS... "Don't put your home address in because if the GPS gets stolen (out of the car), the thief will know where you live!" Never mind that your car's registration (which is probably in the glove compartment) has the address, or just because a single car is gone doesn't mean the house is empty.

 

[tvguy]

But what about the person the cab driver tells?

Sounds like the "warnings" from years ago when folks had stand alone GPS... "Don't put your home address in because if the GPS gets stolen (out of the car), the thief will know where you live!" Never mind that your car's registration (which is probably in the glove compartment) has the address, or just because a single car is gone doesn't mean the house is empty.

Same issue. Don't use cabs at home either. But I have used them out of town.

 

[tvguy]

laugh if you want @tvguy *shrug* doesn't change what I said

Internet 101. The replies set the tone, not the post.

 

[sam_gordon]

Same issue. Don't use cabs at home either. But I have used them out of town.

Good for you? Those people who do elect to use cabs/ride share are asking for/offering advice.

 

[kdonnel]

EXACTLY! It doesn't make sense the way it's set up. The purpose of us having the PIN should be a way to verify info BEFORE we get into a car. An extra safeguard in case a passenger, (especially a new one,) misses one or two of the safeguards we already mentioned.

You are supposed to give the driver the pin BEFORE getting in the car.

The driver enters the pin and then on YOUR app the ride should start.

Then you get in the car.

If the pin doesn’t match, the ride doesn’t start on your app and you don’t get in the car.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Internet 101. The replies set the tone, not the post.

If your only way to communicate something is to put a laugh emoji well then yes call me schooled

But more to the point I said what I said, it's hard to know exactly what the OP is talking about much less what other posters have talked about if you've never experienced what they are talking about and your perspective comes from antiquated ideas, if that bothers you I get that but it doesn't make it any less true.

We use rental cars quite a lot these days to get to/from the airport as our trips have been 2 weeks+ because it costs less than an uber or an airport transfer would due to where we live and is less expensive than covered parking would ever be at our airport. We have used uber and lyft and we continue to use them when it makes sense to use them (including international where available although in Kronberg, Germany it didn't work out to use them) and for those who have expressed safety concerns that I understand as well especially given my stance when rideshare first started and I was in the insurance world. I will use the precautions they have set up over the years (with exception to the PIN as I haven't used that feature yet). Again a bit hard to relate if you yourself haven't used the thing being talked about.

 

[mjkacmom]

This. Plus it's usually less than a taxi from the airport to my apartment in Brooklyn. AND I don't have to deal with a taxi driver with attitude that they have a ride to Brooklyn. More than once I'd get "You need a Brooklyn specialist." to which I'd retort "Then you need to get your union together and demand separate borough lines at the airport."

At least with Uber or Lyft the driver knows they're going to Brooklyn before accepting the ride.

My daughter lived in Brooklyn a few months this year. There were times her train didn’t come so uber was helpful getting to work. She lived in Boston for grad school and bartended at Fenway, so used uber a lot after her shift ended at 3 am. Young adults here uber a lot, no need for a designated driver (and here in NJ public transportation is infrequent after midnight). My daughter’s flight gets in at midnight tomorrow, she will be ubering.

 

[tvguy]

If your only way to communicate something is to put a laugh emoji well then yes call me schooled

But more to the point I said what I said, it's hard to know exactly what the OP is talking about much less what other posters have talked about if you've never experienced what they are talking about and your perspective comes from antiquated ideas, if that bothers you I get that but it doesn't make it any less true.

We use rental cars quite a lot these days to get to/from the airport as our trips have been 2 weeks+ because it costs less than an uber or an airport transfer would due to where we live and is less expensive than covered parking would ever be at our airport. We have used uber and lyft and we continue to use them when it makes sense to use them (including international where available although in Kronberg, Germany it didn't work out to use them) and for those who have expressed safety concerns that I understand as well especially given my stance when rideshare first started and I was in the insurance world. I will use the precautions they have set up over the years (with exception to the PIN as I haven't used that feature yet). Again a bit hard to relate if you yourself haven't used the thing being talked about.

I had to pick an emoji, I picked that one. I had no reply, just wanted to acknowledge I had read your reply. Sorry if that is problem

 

[tvguy]

Good for you? Those people who do elect to use cabs/ride share are asking for/offering advice.

Yes. And this is discussion board and I was discussing. DIS administrators are just happy for clicks. That is how they make money.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I had to pick an emoji, I picked that one. I had no reply, just wanted to acknowledge I had read your reply. Sorry if that is problem

To keep this short and sweet, sure jan. Regardless back to the topic of ubers and lyfts and all that jazz. Maybe you or your wife will try them out someday, maybe not but they can be quite useful especially if you've gotten to the point of having transportation issues of your own (car trouble, inability to drive, etc)

 

[Living42Day]

Ridesharing can be sketchy. Without going into much detail, my friend worked on a serial sex assault case a couple years back on the east coast where the male defendant was posing as a rideshare driver for one of the major companies. He wasn't even an actual driver, he just had the light on his vehicle and would wait outside of clubs/bars and pick up women. It was really, really bad and some of the details she shared made me sick to my stomach. Now I always check to make sure the license plate matches up, I turn on Google Maps to follow where the vehicle is going (since I usually am unfamiliar with an area if I am doing rideshare), and stay observant.

When we first did Uber, we were matched with a female driver that took us from Long Beach to Disneyland. That was before you could request a female driver. She was fantastic, we had such a good experience. Now it is truly hit or miss on if you get someone good/decent. I always bring cash to give big tips, but most of the time they are only so-so (driving way too fast or erratically, not saying a word or a simple hi, etc). I still use them, but am thinking of looking into Waymo instead. It's a sad state of affairs when I would rather hop into a driverless vehicle then get stuck with a bad Uber driver lol