Uber car service hits Louisville in time for Derby

[Robin Garr]

News release:

uberX has arrived in Louisville just in time for the Kentucky Derby! The Uber app connects riders and drivers through a smartphone application to deliver convenient, seamless, safe and reliable transportation options for Louisville residents and visitors.

As a part of our introduction to the Derby City and in the spirit of all things Louisville
new riders signing up with the code UBERLOU will get $20 off their first ride. Just another reason to celebrate!

What is UberX?
uberX is the ultra-reliable, cost-efficient ride-sharing option from Uber. Request uberX and you’ll be connected with a driver in a mid-range or hybrid vehicle with seating for up to four people. At prices up to 25% cheaper than a taxi, it’s now easier than ever to get around Louisville.

UberBLACK is coming soon, but in the meantime we’ve got a few secret ones on the system. Some lucky riders will be in for a surprise when they request uberX and an UberBLACK arrives curbside.

For more information about our launch in Louisville, visit our city blog here: http://blog.uber.com/theville

So lets see....The way I'm reading this; my daughter "calls" for a car via an app...then when the car arrives, she gets in with a perfect stranger...who probably has not met ANY of the state or local requirements for carrying passengers for hire and who hasn't gone through any sort of background check and who may or may not be bonded and who may or may not have outstanding warrants and who may or may not have proper insurance, etc, etc. Seriously ? I'm sorry but I don't have the (polite) words to describe how fricking STUPID anyone who uses this "service" is...This has gotta be the dumbest thing thing I've seen in a very-VERY long time....Glad my daughter is smart enough not to use it...hope "your" son/daughter is too.

Safe or not, there is a whole generation of kids who don't drive in larger cities, who are doing exactly this very thing at this very moment. And if you think a cab is a safe mode of transportation, you haven't been in very many NYC cabs. I know it takes a leap of faith, but so did hitchhiking almost everywhere in Europe and in the USA. To each his own. But sometimes you have to let the new wave roll in. Good luck to them. Granted it is not for everyone. We will see. Of course they might have nose rings or tattoos. In that case grab a ride with the fifty year-old meth head driving the yellow cab who's been up for 20 hours straight. Love you Steve.

So lets see....The way I'm reading this; my daughter "calls" for a car via an app...then when the car arrives, she gets in with a perfect stranger...who probably has not met ANY of the state or local requirements for carrying passengers for hire and who hasn't gone through any sort of background check and who may or may not be bonded and who may or may not have outstanding warrants and who may or may not have proper insurance, etc, etc. Seriously ? I'm sorry but I don't have the (polite) words to describe how fricking STUPID anyone who uses this "service" is...This has gotta be the dumbest thing thing I've seen in a very-VERY long time....Glad my daughter is smart enough not to use it...hope "your" son/daughter is too.

https://www.uber.com/drivers
"From insurance to background checks, every driver meets all local regulations."

So lets see....The way I'm reading this; my daughter "calls" for a car via an app...then when the car arrives, she gets in with a perfect stranger...who probably has not met ANY of the state or local requirements for carrying passengers for hire and who hasn't gone through any sort of background check and who may or may not be bonded and who may or may not have outstanding warrants and who may or may not have proper insurance, etc, etc. Seriously ? I'm sorry but I don't have the (polite) words to describe how fricking STUPID anyone who uses this "service" is...This has gotta be the dumbest thing thing I've seen in a very-VERY long time....Glad my daughter is smart enough not to use it...hope "your" son/daughter is too.

https://www.uber.com/drivers
"From insurance to background checks, every driver meets all local regulations."

This link makes all the difference in the world...the article originally linked by Robin left me with the impression that this was the brainchild of some fly by the seat of your pants local brain trust, and thus my original apprehension. I can see now where it's legit. My bad....

On second (or third) thought...perhaps my original remarks weren't as over the top as one might think.

http://www.whas11.com/community/blogs/p ... 86031.html

In part:

Neither of two ride-sharing companies which recently began operations in Kentucky have applied for a state license and Metro Louisville government is unsure whether they are subject to taxicab regulations....

Taxi companies have to go through a rigorous and costly application process to first be licensed by the state, then adhere to some 35 pages of Louisville Metro's ground transportation ordinances. The city inspects and certifies each vehicle and requires police background checks of each driver. "The whole basis of that is for the health and safety of the community" explained Jim Mims, Metro Codes and Regulations Director....

"The reason people love it is because it's super-reliable," Ondrey said, "it's convenient and the hassle free payments. You never need cash." Uber may need some cash - however. In March, it was fined $26,000 by the Commonwealth of Virginia for operating without a passenger carrier broker's license. Ride-sharing companies face similar legal challenges in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio. Louisville's top convention officicial says vistors should steer clear. "It's a service that we won't recommend to our clients necessarily because they are not regulated,"

Of course, the Convention Bureau won't endorse them until the government gets their fingers in the pie on this one! I'm sure that before long, local and state governments across the nation will figure out ways to tax and regulate these services like they do everything else!

Of course, the Convention Bureau won't endorse them until the government gets their fingers in the pie on this one! I'm sure that before long, local and state governments across the nation will figure out ways to tax and regulate these services like they do everything else!

<shrugs>...I dunno Mark, personally I'm not cut from the cloth that causes me to believe everything the guv'ment does is an effort to stick it to "the man". As far as regulation goes, specifically (in this case) transportation regulation, I think you can count your lucky stars that we DO enjoy the degree of regulation in this country that we do...

Back on Uber ...

I've used the "black car" service many times. For example, a rainy evening arriving at LaGuardia - Uber on the spot, when a taxi would have been a long, cold wait in that line. Call them as you taxi to the gate and usually one is there when you exit the airport. Good stuff.

Back on Uber ...

I've used the "black car" service many times. For example, a rainy evening arriving at LaGuardia - Uber on the spot, when a taxi would have been a long, cold wait in that line. Call them as you taxi to the gate and usually one is there when you exit the airport. Good stuff.

To each his own and I suppose there are certain advantages to Uber. However, let's get real about getting a ride from the airport. Once one grabs his/her bags from the baggage area, just outside the exit is a clear line of taxis--you can't miss them and there are plenty. It doesn't get any simpler than that here in Louisville.

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To each his own and I suppose there are certain advantages to Uber. However, let's get real about getting a ride from the airport. Once one grabs his/her bags from the baggage area, just outside the exit is a clear line of taxis--you can't miss them and there are plenty. It doesn't get any simpler than that here in Louisville.

Hmmm... I wasn't talking about Louisville. I've never taken a taxi or Uber here.

Several things about Uber not yet mentioned:

--No cash changes hands; all is done via credit card between the passenger and Uber HQ - including tip

-- Everyone is rated; in other words, the passenger rates the driver & car, and any driver/car with poor reviews is (supposedly) dropped. Similarly, passengers are rated by the driver, and passengers who are whatever may be refused service in the future

-- There are several "classes" of cars (cheap to almost limo-class), and you can request any type of car you want

Sure, for those who live or regularly travel in big cities where transportation is a major concern Uber can be a viable option. But for the rest of us in Louisville who never use a taxi while in town, and who use one from time to time on the road, it is not a big deal. I personally don't find pulling out a credit card to be any more of an inconvenience than having to rate my Uber chauffeur afterwards. Necessity is the mother of invention and that is why Uber has its followers.

[Robin Garr]

To each his own and I suppose there are certain advantages to Uber. However, let's get real about getting a ride from the airport. Once one grabs his/her bags from the baggage area, just outside the exit is a clear line of taxis--you can't miss them and there are plenty. It doesn't get any simpler than that here in Louisville.

When I was traveling a lot on my old day job, I used the cabs from SDF on occasion when I got in late and hated to ask Mary to come out and get me. The fares were pretty horrifying at the time, though. I rarely got home to Crescent Hill for less than $25 with tip, which was about what it cost to get a cab from LaGuardia to my midtown office in the early '90s. During our years in NYC, we used car services extensively from our apartment in Astoria, Queens, and they were about half the price of cabs. Cabs weren't really practical in the outer boroughs except to and from the airports.

To each his own and I suppose there are certain advantages to Uber. However, let's get real about getting a ride from the airport. Once one grabs his/her bags from the baggage area, just outside the exit is a clear line of taxis--you can't miss them and there are plenty. It doesn't get any simpler than that here in Louisville.

When I was traveling a lot on my old day job, I used the cabs from SDF on occasion when I got in late and hated to ask Mary to come out and get me. The fares were pretty horrifying at the time, though. I rarely got home to Crescent Hill for less than $25 with tip, which was about what it cost to get a cab from LaGuardia to my midtown office in the early '90s. During our years in NYC, we used car services extensively from our apartment in Astoria, Queens, and they were about half the price of cabs. Cabs weren't really practical in the outer boroughs except to and from the airports.

Same here Robin. I've traveled quite a bit on other cities and have found Louisville's cab fares to be disproportionately high. In fact they are higher than New York City's. A little competition won't hurt especially since we have no real public transport system.