Help with Uber - suggestions welcome!

[Angie]

Do you have any suggestions to make taking an Uber less stressful?

Where I am from, taxis are non existent and buses only run in major metro areas. I have never been in a taxi!

Well, long story short, I'll be taking a long Uber trip (1 1/2 hours each way) next Wednesday.

Where do you sit when you Uber? Front passenger seat or back seat?

I know this sounds silly, but I am nervous lol

 

[richard 1998]

Hey Angie

I rarely take the Uber, but I think where you sit depends on how much you want to chat with the driver.
I mean if you sit in front he/she will probably be more inclined to speak to you than if you were to sit behing him/her *thinking

 

[Angie]

Thanks richard!

 

[Pebble mouse]

I always sit in the back. Sometimes the driver will want to chat, sometimes not. As to whether where you sit will change that - I doubt it. If you don't want to talk politely tell the driver and you should have no problems.

 

[Citizen Insane]

Yes! @Angie to add what @Pebble mouse is saying -
Advice I got from my sister too was: "Uber? : Always Driving Miss Daisy" ~ sit in the back! That's the best, thus far 100% success.

I can also imagine people just wearing headphones/earphones listening to music/podcasts during those longer rides help kill time too and isolate a bit...

Best of luck!

 

[Unenthusiastic]

Do you have any suggestions to make taking an Uber less stressful?

Where I am from, taxis are non existent and buses only run in major metro areas. I have never been in a taxi!

Well, long story short, I'll be taking a long Uber trip (1 1/2 hours each way) next Wednesday.

Where do you sit when you Uber? Front passenger seat or back seat?

I know this sounds silly, but I am nervous lol

I've never taken an uber, but in absolutely every video I've seen involving them, the passengers have sat in the back. I think it's a custom of sorts.

 

[seabird]

I take taxis regularly, and have come to the decision that riding in back is the only way for me.

When I get in I always greet the driver, and usually there's a brief chat about the weather or something, but then especially if it's a long drive, I read a book or listen to an audiobook.

Last time that I sat in front it turned into a strange and crngy conversation about politics ....

 

[Unenthusiastic]

I take taxis regularly, and have come to the decision that riding in back is the only way for me.

When I get in I always greet the driver, and usually there's a brief chat about the weather or something, but then especially if it's a long drive, I read a book or listen to an audiobook.

Last time that I sat in front it turned into a strange and crngy conversation about politics ....

It's best to stay within the realm of phatic communication unless it's perfectly clear there's some significant degree of chemistry involved.

 

[Ash600]

I've taken many times over the years including Uber. Normal ettiquette is to sit at the back behind the front passenger seat so that the driver can make eye contact with you via the rear view mirror whilst speaking with you if need be. Front passenger seat is kind of the driver's personal space where he'll likely be keeping his personal shit like jacket, snack box, canoe, or whatever. Course some drivers don't mind you sitting up front especially if there are quite a few of you piling into the cab but if it's just yourself, then take the back seat.

With the Uber app when booking a cab, you can get a "happy to chat " option or a "quiet mode" depending on your preferences. But with me, it's how I'm feeling on the day as to whether I can be arsed to chat or not to chat with the driver.

 

[Unenthusiastic]

canoe

Hmm.

 

[another world]

Driving with a canoe might be handy where I am what with the recent floods lol.

I generally sit in the back of a taxi (haven't tried Uber yet) and say the minimum, unless the driver wants to talk. I leave it up to the driver to decide if they want to talk or focus on something else such as driving lol. Always find it weird when I'm on a bus and people start talking to the driver randomly. I'm more like, let them concentrate on their job lol

 

[LumberJack]

I default to the back seat. That’s always okay, but the front is rarely the driver’s preference.

Some drivers are fine with a passenger in the front seat, but I think the official policy is that the riders are not supposed to be up front. I learned this by committing a faux-pas in which one driver said the passenger seat is fine, but the next driver was absolutely not fine with it. This may vary in your area.

 

[LumberJack]

canoe

 

[AvidFan]

I like the black city cabs where you literally have no choice except to sit in the back - the driver usually has the doors locked and a subway or kebab on the seat next to the driver. And mostly they only take cash.

I have never successfully ordered an uber. I tried it when it first came out, as I was late for an appointment. I ordered the drive and stood there and it said your ride is there. No sign of anything. 2 minutes later it said driver cancelled ride and charged me £4. Tried again with a different address. Same thing happened. I claimed the £8 back in credits through the automated complaint thing, and still have them on my account as I never used Uber again (I got a black cab that day and there's a rank outside my office building so I just use them usually!) 😂

I used to order private taxis to get to races that were quite a way off in the early morning - I would sit in the back while the driver went crazy getting lost and swearing at other drivers.

For long distance I would sit in the back and hope the driver doesn't speak a word 😀

 

[may71]

I ordered the drive and stood there and it said your ride is there. No sign of anything. 2 minutes later it said driver cancelled ride and charged me £4

How do they get away with charging you for a ride that the driver canceled?

 

[AvidFan]

How do they get away with charging you for a ride that the driver canceled?

Probably in the T&C somewhere. It might have said I cancelled it, looking back, but it was many years ago - something or someone cancelled the ride anyway!

 

[cymbele]

How do they get away with charging you for a ride that the driver canceled?

If they feel that you are not there at the meeting spot then they charge you

 

[unnoticed]

Angie Uber drivers can legally tell you to sit in the back. So I always sit in the back. Never had an issue. Good luck.

 

[may71]

If they feel that you are not there at the meeting spot then they charge you

That sounds like it's ripe for abuse. Any driver could simply claim to have been at the right location.

 

[unnoticed]

That sounds like it's ripe for abuse. Any driver could simply claim to have been at the right location.

Their location at the time is shared and stored within the app so if the user contests the charge the uber people can check, as far as I know. Same with ubereats. Also, the user has access to the drivers location. So if need be can screenshot for proof.