Yahoo Finance Annoying Uber problems removed in fresh update
Uber passengers sick of making small talk can now request a quiet ride under a new update rolled out to the ridesharing app.
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The update, which launched in Australia this week, means passengers using an Uber Comfort ride can flag in advance whether they’d prefer a chatty or silent driver.
Riders can also select the temperature they’d prefer and extend their wait times, ideal for when your lunch has run overtime.
Uber Australia general manager Dom Taylor said the new features come with the existing Uber Comfort benefits, which include a mandatory driver rating of at least 4.85 stars and newer vehicle models.
Drivers also need to have completed at least 500 trips.
Uber launched quiet mode internationally in May last year.
But you don’t want your Uber driver to be too quiet
While the idea of a chilled ride home is appealing, chatting with your driver could also stop you from nodding off and incurring a $2,700 bill.
English man Chris Reed last year copped a huge bill after falling asleep in his Uber and being taken for a 480km drive around the country before being dropped off.
“Spent this week trying to get answers from Uber as to how my driver managed to drive me halfway up the UK while I dozed off thinking I was headed from Fulham to Croydon. Woken up in the Midlands! Didn’t hear a peep from my driver. £1453.86. 5 1/2 hrs on surge price x2,” the man wrote on Twitter.
Uber Australia’s most popular rideshare service
Uber maintains its grip on the Australian rideshare market, with nine-in-10 rideshare bookings going through Uber, the latest Roy Morgan research reveals.
Released on Wednesday, the study also found that Ola and DiDi are gaining on the ridesharing giant.
“In recent years, the term ‘get an Uber’ was the only one that existed for Australians when it came to ordering a rideshare service. However, that is now changing,” Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said.
“Uber’s disruption of the private transport industry, and incredible success, has led to a host of other rideshare services entering the market.”
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