Uber From Makati to Paranaque for P161.60!

...thanks to Uber Manila's now offering, the uberX!

Yesterday, I received an email from Uber, inviting me to use a new class of cars that they dubbed as uberX, at a discount. What is uberX? According to the email:

UberX is a low-cost Uber option that combines the same great Uberquality and reliability you know and love with lower prices than ever before. Vehicles on uberX are compact cars – think Accent and Vios – in a variety of colors.

I really don't mind getting in a compact car and paying a more affordable rate. Uber also mentioned that for this pilot-test, a 20% discount will be given to riders. So last night, when I needed to go home, I opened my app and chose to try it.

It was 12:12AM and I got one easily. The email did mention Accent and Vios but I got an Innova. What I've noticed in the interface is that uberX cars are white on the map. This is most likely to make sure that riders don't get confused on the type of class that they have chosen. Initially, I thought that maybe, uberX may have taxi marks on the car but I was pleasantly mistaken. It actually didn't feel different from the UberBlack cars. After getting off, I was greeted by a very affordable fare:

Logged in to Uber.com to view the breakdown. According to the site, I travaled 17.82 kilometers for 30 minutes and 28 seconds. This was the actual computation:

I still get the usual rounding down of cents and as promised, I get the discount. It was like getting the base fare for free. I gave Joselito a 5-star rating and as for Uber, it remains to be my preferred way to get around!

Want to try Uber? Sign up and get P300 credits for your first ride: https://www.uber.com/invite/uberFreeRideManila

Got My Uber On!

If you've tried an app that calls you taxis, you'll get be more impressed by one that calls you a private driver. I discovered Uber online late last month. I immediately registered then but I was only able to try it yesterday.

With Uber, you'll get picked up by a private car. No sticker affiliations, absolutely no signs of being a cab. We got a Ford Focus and were immediately greeted by Abel who introduced himself as our personal chauffeur for the night. Music was elegant inside our private car and the ride was really smooth. Abel was pleasant to talk to, answering a few questions of curiosity regarding Uber. As per Abel, it has only been weeks since Uber started. I mentioned that in my app, availability is limited and he replied that more cars will be available soon. This is good news as I am looking forward to using Uber again soon. As we got down, I received an Uber Ride Receipt via email, detailing the ride and amount that would be charged on my card. It was only a short drive from Makati Sports Club to Icon. The email receipt states that the distance was 1.84 km. It even shows that the ride was only 6 min, 25 sec and the average speed was 17.23 km/h. I was highly satisfied and immediately gave Abel 5 stars with the comment "Great first experience!"

It was to my surprise that it was Doug Ma, International Launch at Uber Technologies, who replied to my comment. Another great thing going Manila's way because of Uber is their party this Thursday at Rocket Room. Ask a friend that's registered with Uber to go with you or better yet, register for Uber yourself. Just download their app or go to Uber.com to sign up. And the good news still flows! Register with promo code rw2j0 and get P1,000 worth of credits. Got a code during my registration and got my first ride free. You may also just go here to make things faster: https://www.uber.com/invite/uberFreeRideManila

Still not convinced? Go to Uber.com and see in how many cities Uber is available in.

Just register and enjoy the best ride around the metro!