Uber in Santo Domingo

[bigbird]

..............................I am a huge user of Uber in the U.S. and a fan of the service overall but I still remain skeptical that they will succeed in the DR. I hope I am wrong as many of the benefits that have been mentioned in this thread regarding disruption and forcing the general taxi service market to improve is very true in my opinion.

I think they will do quite well in Santo Domingo Centro. People in SD Centro love to pay for things with their credit cars, so Uber needs to be set up like in the USA where you can get a "taxi" without having cash.

I was in Jumbo Agora last night. Six people in front of me whipped out the plastic, some for a 180 pesos payment. I was the odd ball when I paid in cash.

If I am not mistaken the target area for Uber is only SD Centro where the passengers will be the women with "genuine" Michael Koors handbags and there are plenty of them.

 

[MikeFisher]

I think they will do quite well in Santo Domingo Centro. People in SD Centro love to pay for things with their credit cars, so Uber needs to be set up like in the USA where you can get a "taxi" without having cash.

I was in Jumbo Agora last night. Six people in front of me whipped out the plastic, some for a 180 pesos payment. I was the odd ball when I paid in cash.

If I am not mistaken the target area for Uber is only SD Centro where the passengers will be the women with "genuine" Michael Koors handbags and there are plenty of them.

good point, and a difficult one.
it is not easy to get a Credit Card Processing machine here in DR, and you have to be a registerd business to get one. all your money/income running thru the machine is automatically reported to DGII and taxes processed, so a ride costs in Taxes alone what a cheapy shabby cab driver asks for the whole ride at all.
if those drivers are not employees of Uber, then they would need to register with any kind of DR-Business to get a wireless Veriphone at hand fpr Card Processings.
i agree,
to be able to accept CC's is a very important point on such business and with the typical clientel mentioned.

Mike

 

[AlterEgo]

good point, and a difficult one.
it is not easy to get a Credit Card Processing machine here in DR, and you have to be a registerd business to get one. all your money/income running thru the machine is automatically reported to DGII and taxes processed, so a ride costs in Taxes alone what a cheapy shabby cab driver asks for the whole ride at all.
if those drivers are not employees of Uber, then they would need to register with any kind of DR-Business to get a wireless Veriphone at hand fpr Card Processings.
i agree,
to be able to accept CC's is a very important point on such business and with the typical clientel mentioned.

Mike

Mike, the driver doesn't do the credit card processing - Uber does. You register your card with them, and they charge it directly after the ride. No money or card pass between driving and passenger.

 

[Tamborista]

good point, and a difficult one.
it is not easy to get a Credit Card Processing machine here in DR, and you have to be a registerd business to get one. all your money/income running thru the machine is automatically reported to DGII and taxes processed, so a ride costs in Taxes alone what a cheapy shabby cab driver asks for the whole ride at all.
if those drivers are not employees of Uber, then they would need to register with any kind of DR-Business to get a wireless Veriphone at hand fpr Card Processings.
i agree,
to be able to accept CC's is a very important point on such business and with the typical clientel mentioned.

Mike

The credit card "processing" @ Uber is done via the app, no card is ever touched or swiped.
So all the driver needs is a smartphone / iPad and the passenger needs a smartphone with his info registered on the app.
Uber keeps their cut and pays the driver weekly.

 

[bigbird]

I tried the TUV SUD app the other day. All I can say is if Uber does indeed come to SD TUV SUD will be finished in a month. It took more time to enter my information of where I live and where I want to go then it would have for me to pick up the phone and call a cab.

I got to the point in the app where I was asked to click the icon "Call TUV SUD". At this point I didn't know if I would end up speaking to a dispatcher or if I would be sitting here wondering if my info is being processed. TUV SUD quoted me 147.987 pesos for my ride.

At this point I just grabbed my keys and walked a half a block to a waiting cab on the corner. Did the usual, no 200 pesos but 150 pesos. Usual reply, OK with a sad look on his face.

Uber, click pick me up. On the app you know exactly when the car will arrive. You can even watch where the car is on the map. Hop in, no negotiating. Arrive at your destination and get out. A few seconds later you get your receipt via the app from Uber and a chance to rate the driver.

@ Mike, Uber really is the way to go in a big city.

 

[Robert]

good point, and a difficult one.
it is not easy to get a Credit Card Processing machine here in DR, and you have to be a registerd business to get one. all your money/income running thru the machine is automatically reported to DGII and taxes processed, so a ride costs in Taxes alone what a cheapy shabby cab driver asks for the whole ride at all.
if those drivers are not employees of Uber, then they would need to register with any kind of DR-Business to get a wireless Veriphone at hand fpr Card Processings.
i agree,
to be able to accept CC's is a very important point on such business and with the typical clientel mentioned.

Mike

Drivers are paid direct by Uber into their local bank accounts in pesos.

The driver does not need to accept credit cards, actually no physical monetary transaction of any kind takes place between the rider and driver, it's all done virtually and handled by Uber. They do millions daily, they know what they are doing and have been extremely successful doing it. I would estimate that 99% of Uber's target market in the DR has and uses a credit card on a regular basis, so that is a non-issue.

Santo Domingo is a drop in the ocean for Uber. They have taken on much bigger and more powerful markets and won. At the end of the day, the consumer will get a far superior service to what currently exists, that's the bottom line. Once SD residents get a taste of Uber, the regular taxi's better lift their game, or they will loose a considerable amount of market share.

Every Uber driver I have asked in Colombia is very happy being an Uber driver and making good money as compared to the market or alternatives.

 

[MikeFisher]

Mike, the driver doesn't do the credit card processing - Uber does. You register your card with them, and they charge it directly after the ride. No money or card pass between driving and passenger.

oooh right.
that was anyway mentioned from the beginning.
did slip me.
thanks

Mike

 

[bigbird]

..............Every Uber driver I have asked in Colombia is very happy being an Uber driver and making good money as compared to the market or alternatives.

The drivers I know, including my son when he was a Uber driver, say the key is there is no idle time. They don't make much per pickup but what usually happens is they drop a passenger off and within a few minutes there is another passenger in the immediate area to be picked up.

Uber drivers don't spend their day parked under a shade tree listening to the radio and waiting an hour or more for a fare.

 

[arturo]

insurance

I know that there are three principal classes of automobile insurance: 1) liability, the most basic minimum coverage that protects against loss claims, especially property loss 2) collision, which protects against damage to vehicles caused by accidents, 3) medical, which tends to be included in liability coverage in countries where health care is provider under government funding.

I don't know what uber's insurance policies are so I will not comment on then except to say it can be any combination of coverage and any driver should take care the coverage is sufficient.

Quick question: anyone ever hear of a taxista being asked to jand over proof of insurance to an AMET agent? Neither have I.

The comments here on insurance coverage is very interesting. I was of the understanding that Uber disowned providing any insurance coverage for drivers or passengers. If anyone has links to data that says otherwise I would be very interested in seeing it.

In the U.S Uber gets away with not providing benefits like health insurance, unemployment insurance, insurance for the care etc to their drivers because they say their business is providing a technology platform that drivers and passengers can use to connect with each other. The actual transportation side of the business(i.e. liability insurance, auto insurance, government fees, etc) are the responsibility of the driver operating as a transportation business. If Uber is offering liability insurance for passengers then I think the operating model just mentioned could be challenged in a U.S. court and Uber's business model in the U.S. would be threatened. I cannot speak for other countries as I am not sure of the business operating laws their for corporations.

I am a huge user of Uber in the U.S. and a fan of the service overall but I still remain skeptical that they will succeed in the DR. I hope I am wrong as many of the benefits that have been mentioned in this thread regarding disruption and forcing the general taxi service market to improve is very true in my opinion.

 

[Mauricio]

Launch day today...have been checking the app throughout the day: 0 cars available.

 

[MikeFisher]

Launch day today...have been checking the app throughout the day: 0 cars available.

those drivers are still trying to get a good conduct paper.
or their "newer model" cars are not in their own name, because owned by the bank/prestamista, as so typical here and everywhere todays.
it was just payday, so they should be able to load sufficient GB's on their smartPhones to comply with that requirement.
time will tell.
every start needs it's firt push to warm up

Mike

 

[bigbird]

Launch day today...have been checking the app throughout the day: 0 cars available.

Just curious, when you open the app what do you see? I see a map showing my location with no option to request a ride. I do have the standard drop down window for history, promotions, etc.

 

[bigbird]

For those on you reporting on driver availability would you mind mentioning where on the island you are located..............

Gazcue, Santo Domingo Centro

 

[rafael]

I can tell you I can't imagine living in SD (or anywhere in the DR) without a vehicle.. in fact, I have three.

But based on my experience in Colombia with the taxis, I'm not sure I'd even buy a vehicle. I used taxis there, and never came across a single one that I had a complaint about.

Crappy service there is almost better than good service here.

Most other countries have way better taxi service. Now, we will get crap about adapting to living in the DR. Because we all know providing horrible service in a country that depends on tourism is a "cultural thing".


My wife's first trip outside of DR was to argentina. Having drivers that say "muy amable" and "con mucho gusto" instead of mumbling or yelling "donde va" was a shock.
Waiters that actually ask if you want something else to drink or eat and make sure all is well every 5 minutes or so was another shock. Of course on her first trip to US and visiting dominican salon she felt at home when the owner angrily asked "que tu quieres"?


Having said that, I can tell you went to Medellin or maybe even cartagena. Taxis in Bogota are more white knuckle than DR. Same with Cali. Service is better but they drive very fast and weave in and out of lanes. They tailgate motorcycles so that you are hanging on for dear life.

 

[bigbird]

Just curious, when you open the app what do you see? I see a map showing my location with no option to request a ride. I do have the standard drop down window for history, promotions, etc.

Overnight update. I believe Uber is here......................

The Uber app now shows my location plus above the location pin it says "No cars available". How can that be a good sign? It is the first day the app worked and it is 5 AM.

My guess-ta-mation, give Uber time to get the drivers signed up. Let the drivers get their friends to start driving and next year Uber will be a common household name in SD centro.

reporting from Gazcue, SD centro

 

[Mauricio]

 

[bigbird]

Looking good, looking good, ............ Looking good

 

[bigbird]

How does that song go ............. Where Have All "The Naysayers" gone ............ ROTFLMAO

 

[Mauricio]

There are actually a bunch of available cars, but it seems to depend on where you point your pickup location to. If the ride is longer than 6 minutes for the driver to get to you, it will show NO CARS AVAILABLE.

Cars conglomerate around Lincoln and Churchill though.

 

[oldschool]

This might have been asked but what it the cost for a Uber taxi in The capital