As my 1:30 p.m. meeting in Cambridge wrapped up, I opened the Uber app on my iPhone. The iPhone’s built-in GPS knew about where I was, but Uber’s app allowed me to adjust my location to the exact spot. It told me a driver named Hassan would arrive in about 10 minutes and that he had received a 4.9 star rating, on a scale of five stars, from other passengers.
I left the app open on my phone and could watch on the map as Hassan’s vehicle made its way from Boston across the river.
You don’t tell Uber where you are going - the company doesn’t want its drivers to accept or reject passengers based on their destination - so one drawback is that the app won’t tell you in advance how much the ride will cost. Uber tries to position its service as slightly more expensive than using a cab, but far less expensive than with a traditional car service.
Exactly 10 minutes later, I saw Hassan’s car pull up. I told him where I was going, and we set off down Memorial Drive toward Brookline. Suction-cupped to the windshield was a company iPhone, which relayed rider requests. The car was spotless.
There is a $7 base charge, plus time and distance fees. The final cost includes any tolls, and a tip and is automatically billed to your credit card.
When I arrived at my destination, the $23 total showed up on my phone, and on Hassan’s soon after. We both had the opportunity to rate one another, too.
By the time I opened my laptop at my home office, Uber had e-mailed me a receipt: $7 base fare, $14.56 distance, and $2.21 time; Uber rounds down to the nearest dollar and takes 20 percent, with the driver receiving the rest.
A Cambridge cab would have cost about $18.40, without a tip. The Cambridge-to-Brookline trip in a Boston Coach sedan would have cost $111, including tip.
I liked getting a spiffier car than the typical Boston or Cambridge cab and knowing exactly when it would arrive. And the price felt like a good value. Uber feels like a car service designed for the 99 percent.
Data start-up moving to Cambridge
