If your cab rides and fares have been a source of mystery and frustration, here’s some enlightenment from Uber on the subject. cat.a.lyst spoke to Uber recently to find out why fares from the same points varied widely, why fares sometimes jumped by several rupees despite no changes in the route and on some other issues. The Uber spokesperson explained that many of these problems were being addressed with the new app. Excerpts from the conversation:

Why is destination search a challenge?

We work with Google Map API. We still have a long way to go for specific city points and addresses. In our new app, we now ask ‘where to?’ first so that the app gets more time to get the best possible information about the user’s current location. Soon, users will be able to search by people. (If your destination is, say, your friend Priya’s place, you can put in Priya as the input.)

The mapping is not as awesome as we would like it to be. We are coming up with our own maps. A team is working on maps worldwide in Hyderabad, but it’s a fairly long-term endeavour.

Why do the fares differ despite there being no changes in the route? Sometimes one finds a ₹15-20 hike at the end of the journey.

Real-time traffic data as well as past data helps us predict the fare from point A to point B. We don’t have awesome telecom networks in India. The phone loses connectivity with the carriers and so the fare calculation might go wrong.

We are developing ‘map matching’ technology that uses GPS points and fits them into the route rather than use locations individually.

Why don’t you have a call centre? Isn’t writing mail more cumbersome than talking to someone who can help?

You don’t really need to explain when you want a problem to be redressed. We offer plenty of options to find out what the problem was, and you can click on those.

Why did you do away with surge pricing?

What value did it add to the user?

At least they know how much more they were going to pay.

We do indicate now, in the new app as well as the old one, why the fare is higher. It’s like airfares. (It depends on demand and supply, and fares may vary due to traffic and weather conditions as well, says the company’s website.)

How do the ratings for drivers and riders work?

For drivers, the ratings indicate performance and improvements to be made. If the rider has a bad rating, the drivers have an option to not pick them up.

(A press release says riders can be banned temporarily or permanently for bad behaviour. Uber’s tips to become a five-star customer: Confirm your identity before starting the ride. Make sure your pick-up address is exact. Respect that the car may be a food-free zone. Don’t foist your music on others; if the others do that, ask the driver to switch on the radio. If the driver or co-passengers do not want to chat, leave them alone.)

Pooling rides often results in delays for users. There are complaints of having to wait for the others on the route.

Not really, but now with the new app, users get to see who is getting dropped off first.

What about security? There’s no SOS button in the app.

There is now. There’s the option to dial 100.

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