The Anonymous Widower

Why I Won’t Use Uber

I don’t use taxis much at all.

I did in Blackburn on Saturday, as one was there, when I came out of Ewood Park and as trains to Preston, are fairly infrequent, I felt it might be quicker than finding a bus and I might catch an earlier train. I didn’t!

Other than that since the first of September, I’ve used taxis perhaps twice to come back home after arriving late at night in a rail station, just to save time. I usually get them off the rank at the station.

I use a mini-cab perhaps twice a year, to get to and from my son’s house on Christmas Day, which I book personally at the office around the corner from where I live.

The reason for this low usage is also because I have a dozen or so bus routes within two hundred metres and four of these are all night routes. And as London buses are ideal for parcels and shopping, when coming home with bags, I rarely need a taxi.

I would also put taxis in that category of wasted money, which is better spent on something more enjoyable like a proper lunch, rather than a drink and a banana.

But the main reason, I don’t use Uber is that it’s an app and I don’t want to put any apps on my smart phone, which I use exclusively for the web and to send and receive text messages.

I also don’t like giving my e-mail address and mobile phone number to companies or individuals willy-nilly, as so many companies like to send me unsolicited messages.

I’m certain, that apps will be the next security hole, that will be targeted by fraudsters.

As Uber has created lots of enemies for itself, I would put the Uber app at the top of the list of innocent trojans to get control of your phone, as fraudsters would like an app used by lots of users in insecure places.

People would also be much more careful with a financial app from their bank, financial advisor or credit card.

I think it is true to say, that in London, I am annoyed by traffic congestion which slows the buses and creates more air pollution.

Uber is helping to make this worse, as there are more and more mini-cabs in London.

Last week, I was on a bus that took an hour to get from Upper Street to Monument at ten in the morning, when the timetable says twenty-three minutes.

So I very much back Boris, who wants to limit the number of mini-cabs.

October 5, 2015 - Posted by AnonW | Computing, Transport/Travel | Apps, Fraud, Phones, Taxis, Uber