Is taking Ubers safe
There is no doubt that Uber has revolutionized the way we get around. Whether you’re in a major city or in a small town, Uber makes it easy to get where you need to go with just the touch of a button. But with all the convenience that Uber provides, is it safe? In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the safety concerns associated with taking Ubers and offer some advice on how to stay safe when using this app.
Is Uber safe?
There’s no doubt that many people have a love-hate relationship with Uber. As more and more cities across the country embrace this newfangled way of getting from point A to point B, Uber has come under fire for some of its practices. And while there are safety concerns associated with taking Ubers, it’s not fair to let these issues make you miss out on all the benefits that this service provides. Whether you live in a large city or a small town, Uber is very likely available where you live—allowing you to hail a ride without ever having to stand outside and wait for a taxi. In addition, since most drivers use their own personal vehicles, they usually know the area well. This means you won’t have to worry about being taken on a 30-minute detour to run an errand.
So is Uber safe? Yes and no. The service itself is very safe, but there are some safety concerns that you might experience while using the app. If you know what these concerns are and how to deal with them, then taking Ubers should be safe for most people
Are drivers screened?
Uber runs a background check on its drivers before giving them access to the app. This ensures that all drivers go through a criminal background check and meet certain vehicle requirements. In addition, Uber has some of the best insurance coverage available in the transportation industry right now. So while we can’t guarantee your driver will never get into any sort of accident, we can say that Uber will take care of you if something bad happens.
What about surge pricing?
There is one concern associated with Uber for which there’s no real way to avoid. This issue deals with surge pricing. Since prices go up when there are a lot of people requesting rides at the same time, it means rates could be as much as three times higher during busy hours and in areas where a lot of people want rides. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to prepare for this except by waiting until things have calmed down or just paying the increased price. Ultimately, using Uber will cost more if you’re going somewhere during rush hour or to an area where a lot of people want rides at once. This shouldn’t stop you from taking Ubers, but it does mean that you should expect to pay more when surge pricing is in effect.
How to Stay Safe on Uber
In this section, we’ll give you some tips on how to stay safe while using Uber. These aren’t meant to scare you away from using the app but rather to prevent anything bad from happening when it comes time for your ride.
Use trusted Uber drivers
Unfortunately, not all Ubers are created equal. There are some drivers out there who will take you on a much longer ride than necessary or try to pick up an additional passenger along the way. Only request rides from drivers with high ratings and good reviews to avoid these issues. You can find this information right in the app when choosing your Uber driver. If possible, stay away from new accounts and ask friends and family if they’ve ever used a specific driver before to help ensure quality service.
Always know where you’re going
It might seem easy enough to use the Uber app and just sit back while taking your ride to where you need to go. But knowing exactly where you’re headed is one of the best ways to keep yourself safe when using Uber. Never assume that the driver knows where they’re going since you can enter your destination when the driver picks you up. Also, make sure to double-check this address is correct when using Uber’s map to see exactly where your driver will be taking you.
This also means that if a ride goes on longer than expected, then you should close out of the app and check everything out before getting back in the vehicle. If a driver doesn’t know where they’re going or it seems like they’re driving off course, just get out and call another car.
Take an upfront price & avoid surge pricing
One last thing for making sure that using Uber is as safe as possible has nothing to do with actually taking the ride. Sure, being able to tell that a driver will be right there can help calm nervous passengers down, but this isn’t quite enough when it comes to safety. To make sure you’re getting a fair deal, always ask for an upfront price before taking your Uber ride.
This way, you know what to expect at the end of the ride instead of ending up with a much larger bill because of surge pricing. If you don’t want to bother with this process every time, then make sure to turn on fare quotes in your settings. This will tell you exactly how much each ride should cost so that there are no surprises at the end.
Conclusion
In general, using Uber is safe, provided that you take precautions along the way. That means being cautious about who’s giving you a ride and making sure everything seems normal once inside their car. With these tips in mind, there should be nothing stopping anyone from using Ubers whenever they need to go somewhere.