The other day, major changes took place in the field of passenger transportation in Minsk: two large services - Uber and Yandex.Taxi - transitioned to a single platform for drivers based on Yandex.Taximeter. At the same time, clients can continue to use the application and service that is more convenient for them. Passengers were promised shorter waiting times and other benefits, and drivers were promised less idle mileage. Although so far everything is not working as smoothly as we would like.
Many of our readers, users of these applications, report that in last days services are malfunctioning. In general, everyone has similar problems.
Passengers: Uber does not want to accept payment from a linked bank card, drivers demand cash
Uber has an important innovation: now the client can pay for the trip in cash. “Cars executing orders from Uber and Yandex.Taxi must be equipped with cash registers in accordance with legal requirements so that users can pay for trips not only by card, but also in cash.”, Uber explained earlier.
In practice, the system is still unstable. Readers complained to an Onliner.by correspondent that the application leaves no choice.
- The card payment option does not work; the application automatically switches to cash payment. This is a problem, since I often do not carry money with me - only a card. I haven’t seen terminals in Uber cars yet. It’s an unpleasant surprise when, after completing the trip, the driver starts demanding money that you don’t have with you! - noted our reader.
Another user said that he also found himself in this situation.
- I asked the driver if I would receive a receipt from him for the service provided. He replied that he did not have a cash register yet. What kind of cash payment can we talk about then? And why should this be my problem? If you want cash, issue a check. Otherwise, write off the cost of the service from the card,- said the passenger.
Those who pay by bank card noticed that the amount is debited when the trip has just begun, and not after its completion.
- Today my system was unable to withdraw money from my card, even though it was there. And they also changed the payment to cash. But I didn’t have any money with me. So the driver agreed to drive further only if he went to an ATM - there was no bank terminal. I specifically call Uber expecting to pay with a card. And they forcibly change the payment method - and spin as you want - Another customer of the service complained.
Uber's response
“From June 27, available in Minsk new version application, in order to travel, you must accept the user agreement. When the first order occurs, a certain amount may be blocked on the card and immediately unblocked to check the functionality of the card. This is a common practice for all mobile applications that are related to financial transactions and bank cards. If the system has not authorized the card, it may automatically switch to cash payment. If cash there is enough money in the account, but a switch to cash payment occurs, you need to contact support by sending a request in the application itself or in social media. networks. This information is quickly sent to developers. It is important to us that the application is convenient
The client, as before, can order Uber by favorable rates, but the cost of the trip depends not only on them. In some areas, the number of orders may periodically exceed the number of cars working on the line and ready to make trips. In this case, the algorithm automatically generates an increasing coefficient - this is a necessary measure that helps those who need to leave as quickly as possible, even during periods of high demand, to use a taxi.”
Answer "Yandex.Taxi"
“Not all Yandex.Taxi drivers have card terminals. We are currently testing the possibility of paying for a trip using bank card, linked to the Yandex.Taxi application. When the option is ready for full launch, we will definitely inform you about it.”
Passengers: waiting time for a car has increased
Other customers complain that the waiting time for a car has not decreased as promised, but, on the contrary, has increased. At the same time, some drivers do not behave quite correctly towards clients.
- I ordered a car through Uber, I received a confirmation, the waiting time was 8 minutes. Ok, I'm fine with that. Suddenly a call: “Hello, this is the driver. I'm sorry, but I can't be with you until half an hour later. Are you satisfied with this? If not, cancel the trip." a reader told an Onliner.by correspondent. - What was that all about? It’s good that I called back right away: I was able to cancel the trip without consequences and did not pay a cancellation fee. I called another car, but I thought to myself: “Where did I get hit?”
Another user found himself in another funny situation.
- The driver accepted the order and then went to the gas station. In general, the wait time increased from 4 minutes to 18. This is probably my last ride with Uber.
Many note that it has become much more difficult to call a car, both through Uber and using the Yandex.Taxi service. It takes 15 minutes to wait for confirmation from at least some driver.
Uber's response
“The average time to pick up a car over the last two days of the new Uber app was no more than 7 minutes; we expect that this figure will be even less in the next few weeks. As for the described case, the driver should not have accepted the order if he needed to refuel the car. If this happens, we recommend writing to support.”
Answer "Yandex.Taxi"
“Now all drivers connected to Yandex.Taxi and Uber receive orders from users of both services. Of course, now many have rushed to test the operation of applications after the merger of platforms - that’s why sometimes you have to wait longer. In addition, organizational and technical processes are still ongoing. Everything will get better soon."
As the site has learned, very soon the innovative Uber service, which is also called “the future of urban transportation,” will come to Belarus. We met with regional representatives of the company to find out what features Uber will have in Belarus, what advantages it has over its competitors, and whether the service can replace personal cars for Belarusians.
What is Uber and how does it work?
Uber service is based on mobile application. The program determines your location using GPS and automatically selects the nearest driver. The car will arrive even if you don’t know the exact address.
Immediately after ordering, the system selects a car and shows its location on the map. When the car arrives, you will receive a notification. The application will show the car data and the name of the driver, who, if anything happens, you can send a message or call.
Through the application you can find out tariffs for a specific city. If you indicate the starting and ending points of the trip, the estimated cost will be calculated. As soon as you reach your destination, the cost of the trip (calculated by the system) will be automatically debited from the previously linked card. A receipt for the trip will be sent by mail.
What advantages does Uber have over regular taxis?
“Uber is growing very quickly, faster than Facebook and Google,” the company told us. — Over the past few years, we have grown by 150 new cities. Our idea is to make transport accessible and reliable.
Representatives of the service are confident that Uber has advantages that no existing taxi service in Belarus has:
Secondly, with Uber you can easily split the cost of your trip. If you are traveling with a company that has Uber accounts, this is done in two clicks.
Thirdly, this is affordability. Uber removes the intermediate link of control rooms, which allows the passenger to pay less, and the driver, on the contrary, to earn more (they have not yet revealed to us the cost of a kilometer of travel in Minsk, but they promised that it will be quite affordable. - website).
Fourthly, an optimal order distribution system. With Uber, the car arrives as quickly as possible. Even in Moscow, the average delivery time for a car is 3-4 minutes.
Fifthly, this is a rating system. After each trip, the passenger must evaluate the driver. Drivers with a rating below 4.6−4.7 (in different cities) are simply disconnected from the system, which encourages them to be as correct and polite as possible. Drivers evaluate passengers in the same way, and if you repeatedly behave inappropriately, you will have to call a regular taxi - Uber will block you.
At the same time, drivers or passengers will not be able to cheat and try to deceive the ratings and comments system in any way, including financially, the company told us. Uber has a whole well-functioning anti-fraud (anti-abuse) system that will not allow this, including relying on vast experience in the largest cities in the world.
The emergence of controversial situations will also be resolved very quickly - this will be handled by the Russian-speaking support service. According to Uber, almost 100% of questions from passengers and drivers are resolved after the first letter (built-in option in the application).
“Thus, Uber is a self-regulating system in which both the passenger and the driver are protected.
What are the features of Uber in Belarus?
— In Belarus, we plan to introduce exclusively licensed services, such as UberBLACK (executive class cars, more expensive fares) or UberX (regular cars, affordable prices).
We were told that Uber's partners will only be legal entities or individual entrepreneurs who have the appropriate license for passenger transportation.
— Payment will be made as in other cities where Uber operates. You download the application, register your bank card there, and payment is made automatically at the end of the trip.
If there is no money on the card (for example, you forgot that you spent the money), then the driver is still compensated for this trip, and the user’s account is temporarily frozen until the funds are credited to the card and the subsequent payment is received.
There will be no cash payment, which in Belarus, in general, is not a serious drawback, given the level of penetration of bank cards.
At first, Uber will operate exclusively in Minsk. The company is interested in cities with a population of half a million or more people. However, it is possible that in the future the service will appear in regional centers.
About the negative
“Uber has recently been followed by a trail of negativity, some incorrect information, primarily regarding how the company operates,” notes a company representative. — For example, Uber had a sharing product called UberPop, which is no less innovative than AirBNB. It did well in many countries, but in France, they eventually passed a law making UberPop illegal.
Photo: Reuters UberPop is a now-defunct ride-hailing service with unprofessional, often unlicensed drivers. The cost of the trip was much lower than in a traditional taxi - this is a kind of low-cost Uber.
— I would like to immediately add that there will be no UberPop in Belarus. We are starting with an exclusively licensed product, we will have partners - individual entrepreneurs or legal entities who have received licenses, who will pay taxes in accordance with the laws of the country,” said a company representative.
Uber claims that the company is so fast-paced and innovative that it causes extremely hostile attitudes from competitors. The inflated scandal with UberPop, the hyper-attentive attitude to every negative incident related to Uber - the company has already become accustomed to this.
And about competitors in Belarus
After the imminent arrival of Uber was announced at the beginning of the year, taxi market players began to stir. The country has the SayTaxi service, many taxi services have mobile applications designed to simplify calling cars. How will Uber fight them?
— Uber doesn’t fight with anyone. We have no goal of squeezing anyone out of the market. We are a complement to the current transport infrastructure cities and provide additional choice to users.
There is a misconception that we are taking the market away from taxi services. This is wrong. In San Francisco, the number of taxis has not decreased over the past four years, and Uber cars have become several times more numerous than taxis. That is, we can say that an alternative market is being created.
Photo: wikimedia New generation urban transportation?
“Now in Belarus they call a taxi only in case of emergency,” Uber is confident. - If there is even the slightest opportunity to refuse a taxi, we do it. And it’s not just about money - it’s about potential annoying communication from the driver, chanson, and possibly unpleasant odors in the cabin. In addition, you often don’t know how much your trip will cost: whether the taxi driver will turn on the meter or not, how and how much he will calculate the trip without a meter. This won't happen at Uber.
— We see how the system of using transport in large cities is changing - it is often easier and cheaper for people to abandon their own transport in favor of Uber. Perhaps this will happen in Minsk someday,” the company representative concluded optimistically.
Have you had any experience of traveling with Uber in other countries? Write about it in the comments.
The Uber taxi service has appeared in Minsk. Old taxi drivers are afraid of it, but young people actively use it: some hope to make money, others hope to ride cheaper.
Illustrative photo from wikimedia.org.
What is Uber
Mobile application for finding a taxi or giving people rides for money. Created it international company, based in San Francisco (USA). Today the application is available in 375 cities in 68 countries.
Each person can see the driver's profile, the make of his car and their rating, which was given by clients. At the same time, the rating has great value, because if the driver has a very low rating, Uber terminates the cooperation agreement.
This is a new technology - people “share services”. It is predicted that there will be more and more such networks over time.
How does this work
If you have a car and necessary documents, you can become an Uber driver and receive 80% of the price of each trip, 20% goes to Uber. If you are a client, choose the car closest to you.
You can only pay for Uber car services with a bank card.
To use, you need to download a mobile application - for Android or IOs. Afterwards you need to register: enter your contact details and number bank card.
Money will be debited from your account upon use; you must have the card with you. To call a taxi, the Internet must be working. Your location is determined automatically. You enter your arrival address and select the car class: in Belarus these are UberBLACK (executive class cars) and UberX (comfort class cars).
Before ordering a taxi, you can look at the approximate cost of the trip, since depending on the class of car there will be corresponding tariffs. The price is calculated approximately: depending on traffic, weather conditions and other factors, the amount may fluctuate.
After the application searches for drivers nearby, you just have to choose a taxi driver and wait for his arrival. Upon arrival, your card will be charged for the fare. The invoice will arrive at email.
If you are a driver
If you have your own premium or comfort class car, you are a legal entity or individual entrepreneur- you can become an Uber driver. To do this you need:
- license for the right to carry out activities in the field of road transport
- registration certificate legal entity or individual entrepreneur
- technical passport of the car
- insurance civil liability owners vehicles
- insurance policy for the carrier's liability to the passenger
If Uber's requirements are true, a partnership agreement will be signed. Each driver can set his own work schedule or even work during his free time. The driver will receive 75% from each trip. At the end of each trip, the driver must issue a charter order vehicle for transporting passengers. This document is related to the law “On Road Transport and Road Transportation,” which states that “road transportation of passengers in regular traffic is carried out under an agreement on the road transportation of passengers, and in irregular traffic - under a charter agreement for road transportation of passengers or under an agreement on transportation of passengers by taxi (clause 29 of the Rules on the transportation of passengers).
In essence, Uber in Belarus is no different from a regular taxi service, since only in some countries the legislation allows Uber to sign contracts with individuals who have cars below the comfort class. Only registered taxi drivers have the right to provide private transportation in Belarus.
Cheaper than a regular taxi?
Many of the users say that the taxi cost them about the same or cheaper than usual. Is this really true?
UberBLACK (premium cars):
Car delivery - 45,000 rubles
Kilometer trip - 7000 rubles
Taxi "Friday" (premium class cars):
Car delivery - 60,000 rubles
Kilometer trip - 8500 rubles
UberX (comfort class cars)
Car delivery - 27,000 rubles
Kilometer trip - 5700 rubles
Taxi "Almaz"
Car delivery - 18,400 rubles
Kilometer trip - 5500 rubles
Despite the numbers, UberX guarantees comfort class cars such as Skoda Rapid, Kia Rio, Volkswagen Polo, Hyundai Solaris under 5 years old.
Protests in Europe
The service's activities have caused conflict situations and protests in many countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Uber has received fines in some countries, and some or all of its services have been banned in others. The problem is related to the inconsistency of the service rules with the legislation in a number of European countries (where a license is required to transport passengers). Old taxi drivers are also worried about low tariffs.
Protests in France:
In Moscow, taxi drivers also expressed dissatisfaction with Uber’s activities, in particular, calling the company “the largest illegal carrier.” The Moscow Department of Transport and Uber have agreed to sign a special agreement limiting the company's services to legal carriers only.
A spontaneous meeting of taxi drivers also recently took place in Minsk.
Pros and cons
- simplifying taxi ordering,
- you can calculate the cost of the trip,
- you can choose a taxi class,
- cashless payment,
- they won’t be able to deceive you on the price,
- can be used abroad.
- in Belarus it works so far only in Minsk,
- small number of cars and drivers,
- UberPOP (the cheapest taxi class) will not be able to operate in Belarus due to legislation.
In order to more accurately understand the peculiarities of working in Belarus, NN talked with Vadim Mozheiko, an expert at the Liberal Club, who, after the arrival of UberX in Minsk, completely abandoned other taxi services.
NN: Why did you switch completely to Uber? What was the motivation?
VM: It's convenient and high quality. No incomprehensible conversations with aunties on the phone, no “wait, I’m looking for a car.” Everything is visible on the map, transparently. The drivers are cultured, no boys in sweatpants with a chanson. Payment using a card that you don’t even need to have with you, which is something no other taxi service can offer. It’s great that there is no moment of reckoning when they fool you with a non-turned-on meter, and you have to somehow solve this - either quarrel, or overpay. But here everything is automated, there is no subjective factor. In addition, I travel a lot, and calling a taxi in a new city at an incomprehensible tariff is always a headache. And with Uber in Berlin, I opened the regular application on my tablet - and immediately saw 4 different taxi options, with clear prices.
NN: Do you feel the difference between our Uber and abroad?
VM: Abroad, they don’t give you a paper after the trip, you just say goodbye and leave. Uber operates here in accordance with Belarusian legislation.
NN: Many users complain about the small number of drivers in Minsk. Have you encountered such a problem?
VM: No, there are usually enough drivers. However, if there is great demand, they will hire more, of course.
NN: Taxi drivers recently said that Uber is the last straw. Is there really some kind of threat to them in Belarus?
VM: Taxi drivers are afraid of competition, since an individual driver will never be able to build the same model as a global company. However, you can go to work for Uber, but not everyone is capable of this: neither the culture nor the quality of the car is enough. Uber is changing the market globally, and this, of course, is not liked by those who feel that they will not be able to adapt to such changes.
However, there is no need to panic: yes, Tesla and Uber will certainly win in the future, but in the next few years the Almaz taxi on Lada will also be in demand among a certain audience. At least because not everyone is used to using it mobile internet and have good smartphones. Therefore, it would be better for the protesting taxi drivers to work on their own quality, learn to switch the music for clients and not cheat with the meter, and not be afraid of Uber.
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