Guest bobbalino Posted May 4, 2017 Posted May 4, 2017 Uber dummy here in search of Uber for dummies tips. I am now sold on taking Uber TO airports. So much cheaper than cab. I am not so sure about taking Uber FROM airports on arrival. It was harrowing my first time (in Rio). I naively thought it would be arrivals level. Fortunately, I understood the prompt said departures level after I booked. It turns out this can be random, ostensibly due to vehicule location, what signal is picked up (perhaps the one at highest altitude? Who knows), etc. Anyways, I am struggling to get up two levels to departures level with several heavy bags and the driver is calling me persistently, only because I happen to have roaming, and my hands are not free, and I am trying to explain he needs to be patient while I try to manoevre in the long lineup at the elevator. But the communication is poor, and trying to use translate is just slowing me down, and of course I worry he will cancel and I will incur a charge, and so on. Phew! It was so cheap when we finally connected, 31 reais into south zone. Taxis have been 60-100. In short, unless anyone has other suggestions, I recommend a Portuguese language cue card, example: "Please wait. I need to get to your street level with my bags. It might take five minutes" But if you do not have a cellular connection, how can you even speak? Obviously, if you hailed Uber, you had a net connection at some level, so I presume you would both need to know to use Whatsapp. Can anyone tell me if it is possible to text directly within the Uber app. I presume not, as why did he phone me then? Virgins may wonder how you connect with the driver in person. I note that his license plate number was displayed in the app. But I also heard other Uber-seekers describe themselves. Anyway, I have yet to see a fistfight erupt between an Uber driver and a taxi driver or broker. One final question ... are the odds greater that departure level is the likely ride point? I wonder if most Uber rides were delivering someone to the airport in the first place? It could be hassle for them to move to arrivals, even though arrivals is the logical pickup point? Quote
Guest bobbalino Posted May 4, 2017 Posted May 4, 2017 Aha ... today I discovered the Uber site provides airport-specific instructions, for example where to wait for your ride at Galeao. In future I will look for this kind of info ahead of time. And there are options to contact the driver through the app ... it says phone or text, but in that case I am guessing you need viable cellular on top of wifi, as I would think their website would specify email if that were a viable option. Quote
Guest bobbalino Posted May 4, 2017 Posted May 4, 2017 If I just purchase cellular roaming travel pass with my phone carrier for the sole purpose of 2 Uber bookings (to and from airport), I still save a little overall because of fare difference compared to taxi. But I do not really need mobile roaming for other purposes, and the $40CDN it cost me only covers 50MB. Big whoop. After 2 days, half of it has been used. Unless one is so tethered to the phone that one is going to need to ensure wifi and cellular everywhere, or want to use Uber beyond airport transport, I am missing something about how much to get excited about the savings Uber confers. Quote
Members msclelovr Posted May 4, 2017 Members Posted May 4, 2017 With respect, Bobbalino, wouldn't this thread be better posted in the forum "Latin America Men and Destinations"? You might get some helpful advice there from others who use Uber in Brazil etc Quote
Members JKane Posted May 5, 2017 Members Posted May 5, 2017 Uber at airports can be a bit of a PITA. Some cities and some airports still don't allow them. Most major airports that allow them have a designated area, but not necessarily good signage. It does tend to be on departures level. LAX is like that. And since nobody can wait at the curb and they drop off elsewhere it usually takes a good 10 minutes or so. Still worth it. Quote
Guest bobbalino Posted May 5, 2017 Posted May 5, 2017 19 hours ago, msclelovr said: With respect, Bobbalino, wouldn't this thread be better posted in the forum "Latin America Men and Destinations"? You might get some helpful advice there from others who use Uber in Brazil etc Yes and No. So far, three airports are referenced, one of which is in Latin America, one in Canada, and one in United States of America. I actually had thought it through. But you are also correct about the specificity of Rio. Quote
Guest bobbalino Posted May 5, 2017 Posted May 5, 2017 Though at least one other poster has previously categorized LA as LatinAmer. Quote
Members TownsendPLocke Posted May 7, 2017 Members Posted May 7, 2017 This is NOT specific to airports in Latin America! It is not even specific to Airports. A friend and I had a hell of a time meeting our Uber at the Prague train station. The pickup instructions on the Uber site were as clear as mud and the signage at the station took us to a spot directly across a busy highway from the actual pick up spot.It took three calls, one driver cancelling on us, and a lot of patience on the part of another UBER driver to finally get together. About halfway through this ordeal I said "fuck-it! Let"s just get a cab" But my dear travel companion was very stubborn about it. LAX is notorious for poor cell service. I often cannot get any signal on the arrivals level. So trying to make contact with a shuttle/uber driver/friend can be nerve wracking after a long flight. One more reason I despise LAX. Quote
Guest bobbalino Posted May 8, 2017 Posted May 8, 2017 In Mexico City, my host booked me an Uber ride to the airport on her account. It was a lovely VW sedan with AC and cost under 10USD. In contrast to the cab from the airport, which was 2-3 times the cost and I was dripping with perspiration. Uber is very popular and reliable in CDMX. Not surprisingly, the comparison in experience regarding taxis varies according to locale. Quote
