[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Uber uses iPhone and that is one expensive hanging phone and yes apps on iPhone do hang sometimes

Update - they corrected it and refunded $28 (!!!) back to my account first thing in the morning! I wasn't expecting a penny over $15!! It doesn't matter since its a corporate expense but I am happy.

No nonsense, no drama - just a pleasant acknowledgement and a honest apology.

I am now a gushing fan of Uber.

On the other hand, I once didn't get a receipt for 80 rs airport drop charge from Meru and on requesting it, they reissued the receipt with a further 20 rs cut (and the airport drop still missing). Their customer care is just so shabby its not funny.

[Dry Ice]

Another petition signing request. This time from Uber.

Details - https://action.uber.org/Delhi/

[Vid6639]

Mumbai is really going down. Last 2 times in Mumbai folks got a Nissan Sunny and a Honda City both times for Uber Black. How does a Sunny or City qualify as Uber Black.

[phamilyman]

Uber has completely lost it with the new petition. as much of a fan as I am - I realized this petition is a whole load of crap and corporate PR talk but zero substance. They are making it sound like they have just invented the wheel - sorry but they really need to get off their high horse here and not assume everyone in India is a fool. Somehow their every communication seems to indicate that everyone else has a problem or is imperfect except Uber. That's not a healthy premise.

Let's cut out the crap from the petition:

A. Facts about Uber India's core safety features:

Built in transparency (access to driver and vehicle information and real-time GPS tracking through ‘Share my ETA’ feature) that promotes accountability.
-> Good idea but this again shares the information that they already have through a visible URL. Meru has long been one step ahead with the panic button "In case of emergency" which allows you to contact a preset list of upto 3 people.
Partnering exclusively with commercially licensed and insured driver-partners who are required to be police verified as part of the licensing process by state transport authorities and are eligible to provide transportation for a fee.
-> Does that mean earlier they partnered non licensed drivers? What's the USP here?
Mandatory rating system that maintains high quality drivers on the system.
-> Safety feature? What are they smoking! It sure didn't result in Shiv Yadav being kicked off the system on Dec 2 when a serious complaint was made. Unless a woman can review the safety record and past complaints about a driver, and then choose whether to go ahead - this whole rating system is bollocks. Its like eBay ratings where the numbers only vary between 4.5-5.0 making it meaningless. Uber further doesn't let you rate the jerk drivers who cancel trips (i've had one such instance - the app didn't give me an option to give that man negative feedback!)
Hassle-free payments means not having to worry about carrying any cash.
-> Safety feature? LOL

------------------

What we are introducing:

Police Verification: Ensuring all Uber driver-partners across India have an authentic and valid police verification
-> Again, excuse me?! Were they using unverified drivers earlier.
Document Verification: A local team of specially-trained safety experts to detect fraud, verify and authenticate driver/ vehicle documents and test the validity of our screening.
-> Again, excuse me?! Were they not verifying the documents earlier? This raises more questions about the "chalta hai" attitude they have operated within, in the past.
Background Checks: Going above and beyond required government verification, we’re engaging local and global experts to evaluate the most effective background screening solution across India; pilot programs are already running in select cities, including Delhi.
-> Here is where they are beginning to talk sense. Except the commitment is to evaluate background checks but not rolling it out just yet.
Incident Response Team: A local and dedicated customer support center that will specialize on resolving critical issues for our rider and driver community in India.
-> What exactly is this? Is this a panic button in the app? Is this just a helpline number? It could be game changing or it could be PR talk.
In-app safety features: An enhanced ShareMyETA button is the first of a whole set of new integrated Uber safety features coming to India. ShareMyETA allows you to send your complete trip details (including live GPS tracking, driver photo, name and vehicle license no.) to your loved ones.
-> Nice but this is just about sharing the GPS coordinates online. You can already do this in a way - book the uber for someone else with your ID, and as they ride, you can track them!

What were the problems with Uber and let's see whether they have been resolved?
-> Driver verification - Uber operates in economies where the police verification is good enough and they can "just" be a marketplace. In India, where it is bought easily, they need to roll out better background checks (or hope that the police does a better job!!). They seem to be attacking it but are woefully short on details.
-> Ongoing check of driver info -The mobile number listed with the company for Shiv Yadav was registered to a different person, indicating further negligence by the company while taking the details of the driver. They seem to be attacking this in part, but not on an ongoing basis.
-> Drivers' ability to override the GPS tracking - In the recent case, the driver indicated that the trip had been completed, and then proceeded to switch off the phone. Unattended.
-> Operating intra-city routes by drivers who hold only all india permits: This had become an issue in BLR in July, but it died down then. Unattended.
-> Developing a robust system to respond to critical feedback in a time-bound manner: This whole incident response center sounds nice but sidesteps the basic question. Even in Shiv Yadav's case, they got a strong negative feedback on Dec 2 and promised to solve it but did nothing for five days. They have got similar complaints which they didn't respond to, before the case. How can Uber be trusted on this account again? Their internal processes were broken. They have not acknowledged this grave error till date and what you don't acknowledge, you don't solve. Have they published a SLA for such complaints, or any other standards? Nothing till date. I hope they do since I love them as a service otherwise.

To my mind, all this din sidesteps the core issue of ensuring trustworthiness of marketplace participants (in this case drivers), which thankfully Gadkari alluded to - transparent driver history to be made available online.

[ashwin.terminat]

Hey Ashwin,
We deeply appreciate your patience and support over these last few weeks. In this difficult time, we stand committed to making urban mobility affordable, convenient and reliable for riders, while creating a new breed of micro-entrepreneurs within our nation’s driver community.

As we operate in Bangalore, the safety of that of fellow riders and drivers is our highest priority; not only for the rides we enable in Bangalore and across India, but also for the 1+ million trips we are facilitating around the world everyday.

To that end, we’ve been working around the clock to make Uber Bangalore even safer and we wanted to take this opportunity to clarify Uber’s core safety aspects and to update you on our progress.


What we are introducing:

Police Verification: Instituting a refreshed and authentic police verification process for all Uber driver-partners in Bangalore.

Document Verification: Establishing a local team of specially-trained safety experts to detect fraud, verify and authenticate documents and test the validity of our screening.

Background Checks: Going above and beyond required government verification, we’re engaging local and global experts to evaluate and implement the most effective background screening solution across India; pilot programs are already running in select cities.

Incident Response Team: Establishing a local and dedicated customer support centre that will specialize on resolving critical issues for our rider and driver community in India.

In-app safety features: An enhanced ShareMyETA button is the first of a whole set of new integrated Uber safety features coming to India. The new ShareMyETA function allows you to send your complete trip details (including live GPS tracking, driver photo, name and vehicle license no.) to your loved ones.

What Uber has always had:


- Built-in transparency that provides access to driver and vehicle information that promotes accountability.

- Integrated ‘Share my ETA’ button powered by real-time GPS, enables you to share your complete trip details (driver name and vehicle license no.) & live GPS tracking with friends and family.

- Exclusive partnerships with commercially licensed and insured driver-partners eligible to provide transportation for a fee.

- Mandatory rating system that maintains high quality drivers on the system.

This is what a mail that I had received from Uber read today. Looks like they seem to have understood their lesson. Hope it works out for the benefit of everyone!

[akshaymahajan]

Lifeline for Uber as Delhi lifts ban on taxi-hailing app. And they are back apparently

Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...campaign=cppst

The app is up and running again but I see no cars in any categories. A few days to sort out the finer details I guess

[zenren]

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

Lifeline for Uber as Delhi lifts ban on taxi-hailing app. And they are back apparently

Source:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...campaign=cppst

The app is up and running again but I see no cars in any categories. A few days to sort out the finer details I guess

Any idea if there is any point in the revised rule that would make Uber accept cash payment instead of the Credit card only model being operated currently?

[balajisv]

Originally Posted by zenren

Any idea if there is any point in the revised rule that would make Uber accept cash payment instead of the Credit card only model being operated currently?

Uber has moved away from the model of credit card payment. It now has mobile wallet service from Paytm.

[i10]

Arrogant Uber still doesn't seem to be interested in following the updated laws - believes current laws predate mobile phones. Yea sure.

While we are a technology platform, we want to be abide by the right body and the right kind of rules. Not some archaic ones which were formed even before the GPS or mobile phones existed.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/45713847.cms

[noopster]

Originally Posted by i10

Arrogant Uber still doesn't seem to be interested in following the updated laws - believes current laws predate mobile phones. Yea sure.

Cyber laws in India are some of the most outdated in the world. The recent govt notification to ban sites like Vimeo should be an indication.
Having said that, not the best way to endear yourself with the authorities, mouthing 'em off!
Good luck to Uber!

[ashwin.terminat]

Here's a quick fix for those who want to use Uber on their Windows Phone but can't link their PayTM accounts to their profiles:

If you'd like to ride sooner, here's a quick fix that one of our riders suggested:

• Log into your Uber account from an Android/iOS device
• Tap the Payments tab, choose Paytm and follow the steps to set up your wallet
• Top up with a minimum balance of INR 100
• Delete your registered Credit Card
• Sign out

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Why would you need a tip off - any person with a smartphone can install that app and know Uber is still in operation.

According to Australian Broadcasting Corporation's 7.30 program, Uber is fighting back by identifying phones and accounts used by transport inspectors and blocking their accounts

Apparently, State of Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads bought new phones, arranged new credit cards and set up new Uber accounts to continue its efforts, but those were blocked by Uber. Now the Department now seems to have decided to pursue other means of enforcing the state's laws.

Link: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2015/s4162393.htm

[Aditya]

Premium taxi service Uber has resumed operations in Delhi after a period of more than a month.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[Traveller Nayak]

I am a bit confused with this Uber thing in Delhi. If one goes by one set of the media reports,Uber is back. I infact got an email from Uber which gave me a 600₹ something. Then there are other reports which say Transport department has not cleared Uber to resume operations.

Where does the end user fit in all of this?

I would assume - use it on your own risk.

While I am ok using it but then I would not book one for the ladies in the family.

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by Traveller Nayak

While I am ok using it but then I would not book one for the ladies in the family.

My wife has subscribed to Uber using my promo code. She has 600/- credit and so do I. She will use this 1,200/- and later use her PayTM balance and hire Uber as much as possible and only in case of non availability, use other options.
If an Uber driver commits rape, Uber is banned. Going by same logic, will Indian Railways be shut down should their employee get accused of rape? Or will Delhi Police be disbanded if their employee is involved in a rape?