1ºLora Gladen I can say all of the Ubers where I am located most of the Ubers I see are newer nice vehicles like 5 years old or less and all appear to be in good repair. We do have a shortage of Uber drivers here during the winter months due to living in a seasonal tourist area. I can say we have seen everything here with the riders not respecting the drivers vehicle. Trying to eat in eat, taking open beverages in it, falling off the dock and hopping in without saying a word and getting out leaving a puddle of salt water in the back seat, getting in with shorts and bring coated in suntan lotion leaving marks on the leather seats that won’t come off. Husband and myself have been driving part time for almost 2 years and this is some of the things we have seen. We both have weather tech mats in our vehicles and will be getting weather tech seat covers this month with summer rapidly approaching.
2ºLora Gladen
The cars must be less than 4 years old here.
If it breaks down they get out and get another UBER. They have been in a UBER that was rear-ended.
But they grew up in Mexico. They are as far opposite of snowflakes as you can get.
By age 6 and 3 they were baking cookies and selling them in the Marina.
They worked at small corner markets. My youngest was cleaning tables at age 10
By age ten going to the movies with friends
At age 13 editing for a local English newspaper 20 hours per week and rode the bus to a spot where she then grabbed an UBER or walked.
This is why we left the USA so my kids would grow up like I did in the 60s not like these snowflakes
And we are in MEXICO.
3ºFrank Paiano you do realize that buses only go to certain places/destinations and aren’t the most reliable right? Even taxis, a very archaic form of getting from A to B are extremely overpriced and would cost pretty much way more because you’re not only paying for the ride and the rider, but also the car. Uber (and Lyft) are much better alternatives because they are literally point to point trips and you get a history of the driver as well as your own profile which has your history. It’s overall generally more safe. And, if your car breaks down in the middle of the night or you need to leave, the bus might not be an option. But hey, walking works I guess.
4ºZyn Marlin we live in a rural area where in the 90s and u til probably at least 2015 we didn’t have anything other than cabs. The only public transportation other than that was the bus that runs transporting elderly and handicap people to the dr, etc. husband and I raised 3 kids and got them where they needed to be and at times that was 3 different schools or multiple soccer fields since they all played. It’s called doing what u have to do as parents. We were blessed. Moving into todays times with work going away from traditional 9-5 it is harder for parents to do it (especially single parents). I would never put my child in an Uber (unless it was a driver I knew) but I also understand sometimes u have to do what u have to do.
5ºMichael O'Brien Alex it really depends on if the person driving the uber is a pedophile. The odds are just as much as they were 30 years or so ago. You don't know. If you cant take your kid somewhere and theres no option, you take your chances. Teaching your kid how to handle a situation too, can help. There can be pedos at school too. Teachers. Coaches. You never know. It's a risk you assess for your own kid. If you dont want to have them take an uber, then don't. Anyone has that right. I wouldnt send a young kid. But a teen whose been educated about what could happen and how to handle, I would.
6ºWay safer than regular cab companies. Any teenager can call a cab and if something happens to them, there is very little they can do. With uber u can contact 911 within the app and all the uber's info is sent directly to the police (u don't have to talk to an operator or anything). U can share ur trip so everyone knows where u are, who is driving u, and the car info. In addition, if the vehicle is hardly moving, u will get a notification asking if everything is ok. Yes, there are risks to both ubers and cabs, as ur quite literally getting a ride with a stranger; however, the safety features of uber blow cab companies out of the park
7ºAs a parent it is your job to let teens know of the dangers in this world. As a parent you also have to teach your teen to defend themselves and always be aware of what's going on around them. You're always going to be afraid for your child as soon as they walk out the door. My daughter ubered her last year of high school. She would walk to the school bus at 5 in the morning by herself and it wasn't around the corner. It was a few blocks away. I brought her pepper spray and showed her how to use her house keys as a weapon. I also told her to yell fire instead of help. To only have one ear bud in if listening to music.
8ºMichelle Iadonisi I used it once as my ride The Ride was not due to pick me back up for over an hour
I had gotten done at the eye doctor's sooner then expected and they were closing early and going to leave me in the cold outside. Go to star bucks. Well I have no money on me I can't. So I called The Ride and they couldn't send a ride drive but because Uber was now contracted to them to fill in. They sent one to me.u one time on one. And of course I am not a teen.
9ºJan Bailey This roll out isn’t about greed. It’s about convenience. Some parents, such as myself, aren’t always able to take our kids to work or wherever they may want or need to go. My son goes into work before I get off and uses Uber as his means of transportation. I’m able to see when he orders a ride, who the driver is, follow the ride until my son is dropped off, and I get a notification when he is dropped off and the address of that location. I also have his location on his phone so I’m able to track his location at all times.
It’s the parents responsibility to do what they think is best for their child and be proactive in assuring as many safety measures are put in place if they choose to use these services.