Uber in Santo Domingo

arturo

Bronze
Mar 14, 2002
1,336
97
48
uber restricts drivers to hands free talking unless they are stopped. you can text the driver with additional instructions like: "I am the gringo with a jumbo Presidente sitting at the corner colmado"

One problem might be the average drivers capability to read a map. Still waiting here, I see him driving around near my street but not IN my street. He doesn't pick up his phone.
 

arturo

Bronze
Mar 14, 2002
1,336
97
48
uber restricts drivers to hands free talking unless they are stopped. you can text the driver with additional instructions like: "I am the gringo with a jumbo Presidente sitting at the corner colmado"

One problem might be the average drivers capability to read a map. Still waiting here, I see him driving around near my street but not IN my street. He doesn't pick up his phone.
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
thats right.
and a average Gringo looking customer would not get a ride for less than 150-200.- pesos as their "minimum Gringo fare", lol.
Mauricio,
pay attention if that Honda Civic is really a "newer" car, haha.
keep it rolling, guys.
i am very interested in observing that to roll on and how it develops.
bring it on in punta cana next.

Mike


Yes! He came in a 'newer' civic. Decent car, clean, asked me what music I prefer. I am his first service as an uber driver.
 
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Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
This is good news. Please take a picture of the car.

90A9BAB4-0463-4A2A-8FE3-6E15FE01F34B_zpskvgefy8t.jpg


App has some issues. I requested a new ride back from where I was, uber driver in front of the door and I got another car assigned , six minutes away.

My driver forgot to initiate the ride, I told him half way he hadn't initiated it, and had to show him how to do it.

Because of the time the ride took the rate was much higher: 209 pesos! That's going to be a let down. Let me see what price my ride back is.
 

bigbird

Gold
May 1, 2005
7,375
164
0
This is good news. Please take a picture of the car.

Not only that but can you post a "snapshot" of the response from Uber where they give you a pic of the driver, car, and plate number (well scratch out plate numer) of the car. Only asking cause you seem to know how to do such things. We have to convince the naysayers who are dwindling in numbers.

First day for Uber and like most business starting out will be minor flaws. Give Uber a few months and things should be flowing smoothly.
 

arturo

Bronze
Mar 14, 2002
1,336
97
48
The driver side usage problems should clear quickly. I think it's because taxi meters are a foreign concept in the Dominican Republic. The uber app functions as a taxi meter by measuring time and distance.

90A9BAB4-0463-4A2A-8FE3-6E15FE01F34B_zpskvgefy8t.jpg


App has some issues. I requested a new ride back from where I was, uber driver in front of the door and I got another car assigned , six minutes away.

My driver forgot to initiate the ride, I told him half way he hadn't initiated it, and had to show him how to do it.

Because of the time the ride took the rate was much higher: 209 pesos! That's going to be a let down. Let me see what price my ride back is.
 

bigbird

Gold
May 1, 2005
7,375
164
0
The driver side usage problems should clear quickly. I think it's because taxi meters are a foreign concept in the Dominican Republic. The uber app functions as a taxi meter by measuring time and distance.

Make sure to rate the driver 5*. A 4* rating does more harm than good as the driver needs to maintain a 4.6 or better rating.

Remember it is the first day and the driver's first trip.
 

4*4*4

Bronze
May 4, 2015
566
0
0
It's not likely to lead to a London taxi level of skill and service.

Oh please, our London taxi driver drove on the wrong side of the street all week! When I demanded he stop and let me out, he acted like it was ME that was crazy!!!
 

arturo

Bronze
Mar 14, 2002
1,336
97
48
You can only do that at the time the car is dispatched. Once the trip begins the next view available will be the route progress and finally the receipt and ratings views.

Not only that but can you post a "snapshot" of the response from Uber where they give you a pic of the driver, car, and plate number (well scratch out plate numer) of the car. Only asking cause you seem to know how to do such things. We have to convince the naysayers who are dwindling in numbers.

First day for Uber and like most business starting out will be minor flaws. Give Uber a few months and things should be flowing smoothly.
 

arturo

Bronze
Mar 14, 2002
1,336
97
48
Ah, but did he know how to find the address you gave him?

Oh please, our London taxi driver drove on the wrong side of the street all week! When I demanded he stop and let me out, he acted like it was ME that was crazy!!!
 

bigbird

Gold
May 1, 2005
7,375
164
0
You can only do that at the time the car is dispatched. Once the trip begins the next view available will be the route progress and finally the receipt and ratings views.

Thanks,

Nice to have someone posting on a Topic that has accurate information.
 

greydread

Platinum
Jan 3, 2007
17,477
488
83
You can only do that at the time the car is dispatched. Once the trip begins the next view available will be the route progress and finally the receipt and ratings views.

What I didn't know that in addition to clients rating drivers (1-5 stars) they also rate us (1-10) until informed of my high rating by one of my drivers. I can't help it, their drivers are some very interesting People from a wide array of backgrounds and training.

Uber in Santo Domingo is a blessing to me. The company decides the fare, not the driver, all the cars must be late model and in good condition and you can pull up your fare estimate before the driver even arrives. Gone are the days of haggling in the hot Sun with cabbies who all want me to be their big payday. Gone are the days of piling out of the busted taxi along Ave Espana and waiting for Primo/ Miho to come along and get us to our destination. Gone are the days of wondering if the old, raggedy taxi is going explode, incinerating all of us.
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
In my case, first trip it didn't show a license plate but another number. Car make and model were correct. Name and picture of the driver.
E7AAFFFA-1C97-4A72-A259-7F61B796D235_zpsnax8bnj8.png



My second trip, as reported, I requested a new trip with the driver of the first trip right in front of the business I was at. I got a driver assigned that was in Av. Tiradentes, north of 27, while I was in Romulo Betancourt between Churchill and Defillo (EPS). a 6 minute drive according to the app, but it took him at least 25 minutes. He took the wrong street and spend 10 minutes searching (which Dominican doesn't know Romulo Betancourt??!). When he finally arrived (this time plate was correct) he couldn't initiate the trip, because his cellphone went dead (as did mine, using the uber app with GPS drains the battery in no time. We waited a while for it to charge, but it seems his charges wasn't that well. We took off and he initiated the trip later, when we were already near my house. When arriving, the battery was empty again, so he could not complete the trip. I didn't want to wait for him to charge again, so I went inside, (to charge my phone). I don't know what he did in the end, but the trip is now registered at RD$0.

I know these are minor flaws, but my experience in the end was not that good due to having to wait for the driver almost half an hour each time (once with another driver in front of me), the high price of the first trip and the non-flawlessness of using an app if you run out of battery. My suggestion to UBER (if they are reading (and they should)):

1. Teach the drivers how to read a map and how to use a smart phone
2. Make sure each driver doesn't only have a decent car, but also a good phone charger.
3. Don't let the time spent in traffic have such a great effect on the final price. In Santo Domingo Traffic Jam, any trip takes 20 to 25 minutes. If they want to compete with the other taxis, make it at least a little bit cheaper.
4. I don't know if the fact that I couldn't use the driver right in front of me was due to a glitch in the system (doubt it with an internationally used platform) or because the driver didn't know how to accept the ride and another accepted instead, but that should be fixed too. I think I read there is a way to add a trip to your trip when you are still not completed, that would help too.

I wasn't able to rate the first driver for some reason. The second got the maximum stars even though he didn't deserve it for not knowing how to read a map and not having his stuff (phone) in order.
 

4*4*4

Bronze
May 4, 2015
566
0
0
Ah, but did he know how to find the address you gave him?

Not only knew the address, but gave a fascinating tour with information on each neighborhood along the way. He even paused in front of Van Morrison's townhome for our children to snap some photos. Many times we hop in a taxi in SD and just say the name of a restaurant without knowing how to get there. The driver gets us there and we are thankful for his knowledge.
 
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Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
When I go to www.uber.com and type Santo Domingo in to the search field, the website says that there are no results for Santo Domingo. How are you people accessing the information for Santo Domingo? Do you have to register first to be privy to this information?

Does anyone know if Uber will be providing service to and from the airport (SDQ) and if so, how much is the fare?

I think here:
http://www.uberdominicana.com