We were sitting in the lobby discussing the pluses and minuses of Uber when one lovely, thirty-something gal asked, “What’s Uber?”
That’s about when we came to the realization that there are many among us that read Dear Abby and the entertainment section of the newspaper and haven’t the foggiest idea of what is really happening on the planet. They are busy watching Law and Order reruns and never tune in to CNN, FOX or Headline News.
The beautiful people that Jesse Watters interviews are very typical of many of our neighbors.
Okay, very briefly, the word “uber,” meaning “over” or “beyond,” may be used to describe something to an extreme — as in: “the ISIS beheadings are uber horrific.” But the Uber we are talking about today is a worldwide car service based in San Francisco that currently operates in more than 200 cities internationally.
Need a taxi? Use your smart phone, connect with the booking operator and in minutes a private car, a limo, or even an airport rideshare shows up wherever you are — at your home, your office, and even at the Delta terminal. So what is wrong with this? For one thing, Uber drivers are hurting the hard-working folks who invested huge sums of money buying their way into the taxi business.
They are also breaking many laws that were instituted for good reasons. They feel they don’t have to play by the rules. The technology-based alternative to traditional medallion taxis has its own thoughts about background checks on drivers, competitive pricing and insurance. Sure Uber gets fined a lot, but it is making so much money that it can just pay all of those fines and continue to roll along.
So as good American citizens, we are not supposed to like Uber.
On the other hand, when was the last time you took a cab downtown or from the airport in any major city? In some of my most recent rides, the car was dirty and smelled like a sewer. And in some, the driver spoke very little English and badly needed a bath.
My friends attempted to win me over to the cyber-cab service by telling me that with Uber the cars are clean, the drivers speak your language, they know how to get to your destination, and in many cases cost less than the metered cab.
I am still not sure. In about two weeks I will be flying into the airport of one of the nation’s major cities. Should I carry the Uber telephone service number with me and take my chances, or should I go with the sweaty, smelly guy and hold my nose? What would you do?
•••
Some of you single guys are still looking for the perfect woman. Besides visiting the usual pickup bars, you’ve signed on to the dating services, spent time at a coed gym, and attended local singles dances.
Here’s something that you’ve probably never considered. Two weeks ago, I was the guest of a friend at a gun show. I saw hundreds of people looking at thousands of weapons and was pretty much surprised at how many great-looking, hot, twenty-to-forty-something females there were at almost every counter checking out the guns.
Yup! Females today are really looking to protect themselves against the slime-bucket predators they hear about.
I am StanG
