Getting a cab in Hong Kong is not as expensive when compared to cities like London and New York, but it's always a challenge to get a cab during the peak hours or late night on weekends. ( Try getting a cab on a Friday night in Central. A Nightmare.) But here's the good news, Uber is back in Hong Kong again and it is secretly on the road now! However, at this time, Uber is primarily covering Central and the surrounding areas, said by Uber HK. Alright, then here's a question. Can I get to anywhere in HK by Uber? Since we all know the unspoken rules of HK Taxi, they always refuse to cross the harbour. In order to find out this answer, I decided to test Uber out on my way back home yesterday from Wan Chai to Diamond Hill.
Uber is an on-demand car service that allows you to request private drivers through apps on either iPhone and Android devices. It creates a platform to connect the passengers and private drivers who can pick you up and take you wherever you want to go. All you need to do is get the App and simply fill in some personal informations then you're all set to enjoy a wonderful ride like having your own private driver.
1. GET THE APP AND SIGING UP FOR UBER.
- Credit card information is required, because all the payments are made through your credit card online.
2. CHOOSE A CAR TYPE.
- Choose what type of Uber car you wish to request:
There is only one type of uber car in Hong Kong at the moment, which is the original UberBlack. The sample vehicles of UberBlack are Mercedes Benz S - Class, Toyota Alphard and Nissan Elgrand or similar. All the vehicle has to be qualified before it gets on the road, therefore they are all in great condition and most of them are new models within 3 years.
THE RATE OF UBERBLACK :
*There is a $30 cancellation fee.
3. SET PICKUP LOCATION.
- You can use the location services on your mobile to set your current location for pick up, or you can manually type in the pick up location.
- The estimated waiting time and cars' current locations are also displayed in the App.
4. FARE QUOTE, REQUEST CONFIRMATION AND PICK UP.
- You can fare quote the ride before requesting a car.
- After you've requested a car, a driver will confirm your request with their current location with vehicle's info displayed. All you need to do is to wait for your driver.
-If the driver could not find your location or have other questions, they will contact you directly by the phone.
5. THE JOURNEY
- Mercedes Benz S - Class, year 1999 model, with car plate number MK 1088 as shown in the confirmation arrived 4 minutes after I placed my request from Wan Chai at 8:06pm.
- The request procedure was efficient and simple, identical to the Uber in San Francisco. However, I was expecting a newer model of S class since most of the vehicle's models in SF are within 5 years.
INSIDE THE CAR :
Power Seats.
- The car is very comfy, clean and in good condition. It feels like you are sitting in your own car with your own driver. The driver - Ken is nice and friendly, it is actually his first day joining Uber. He was so busy the entire day accepting requests starting from the noon. However, this is not his personal vechicle. He is just working for a car service company, since all of the Uber drivers have to be officially licensed for commercial vehicles.
6. ARRIVING AT DESTINATION.
- Once you arrived, the driver will stop the Uber meter from the app of his mobile, therefore you don't have to do anything at all. Just simply get off the car with your belongings and say a cheerful goodbye to the driver. (:
- You will then receive the total price of your trip on the app and you can also give comments and ratings to your driver.
7. AFTER THE TRIP.
- An invoice of your trip will be sent to your email immediately. I was very impressed how detail and clear of the invoice, including all the fare breakdown and statistics.
The Answer : Yes, Uber brought me home with a safe and pleasant journey from HK Island to Kowloon. But I am not sure if they would accept long trip to New Territories Area.
OVERALL :
Fare - My family and I used the uberX car type from Uber all the time during our trip in San Francisco and we loved it. It was even cheaper than the local cab in SF with better services and vehicles. But since Uber only provides the luxury car type - UberBlack in HK at the moment, hence the total fare of the trip is almost double the total fare of getting a cab. Noted that it only charges me one way of the tunnel cost.
Comfort level - Luxurious and comfortable interior, definitely much cleaner and more enjoyable than a local taxi.
Accessibility & Communication - Easy and very simple to use. Everything is done through the app. Drivers are friendly with a good grasp of English.
Value - It is like the business class version of a taxi. Personally I think that it's good for certain special occasions, such as car services for clients and going to formal dinners and events. However, I am not sure if I would use it as a daily transportation.
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