Uber was mainly used by young people. Now they have figured out how to reach seniors too

Uber was mainly used by young people. Now they have figured out how to reach seniors too

In the Czech Republic, Uber’s ordering machines have proven their worth, so it’s time to introduce them in the first cities in Poland. The company is not giving a date for the first devices to be installed, because it has to adapt them to regulations.

Using Uber is associated with ordering a car via an app on your phone. Soon, this will no longer be the only way to order a ride: “Rzeczpospolita” reports that Uberomats, devices (terminals) that can be used to initiate a ride, will soon appear at train stations and hospitals. The solution was designed for the elderly or those who, for whatever reason, do not use a phone.

Uber has already tested such a solution in the Czech Republic and the tests were positive. It is not yet known when such devices could be installed. According to the company’s representatives, it all comes down to regulatory barriers related to e-fiscalization.

Uber has lost 30 percent of its drivers

Ordering rides may therefore become easier, but the ride itself will be more expensive than it would have been a few months ago. In June, amended provisions of the Transport Act came into force, according to which taxi drivers must have a Polish driving license and have been in our country for at least six months. They must also use a Polish driving license.

– After June 17, when these regulations came into force, we closed access to our platform for new drivers who do not meet the requirements of the act. In accordance with the regulations, for three months – until September 17 – we are conducting another, physical and personal verification of drivers who have previously operated on our platform. All platforms such as Uber are obliged to perform such verification – admitted Michał Konowrocki from Uber Polska in an interview with “Rzeczpospolita”.

He noted that this is a very time-consuming task. In a week, it is possible to verify over a thousand drivers, and the procedure must cover several thousand people.

– We can see that as a result of the amendment to the regulations, about 30 percent of drivers in Poland have left the platform and this number will unfortunately grow – he said.

Higher fares for rides

Fewer drivers have had an impact on prices. Konowrocki pointed to a 20% price increase, but anyone who often orders rides on the same route can see that they have gone up even more. For example: until recently, I paid around PLN 21 for a ride from the northern part of Białołęka to the train station in Legionowo (10 km), and once I even got a ride for PLN 13. Today, prices don’t go below PLN 30. On Wednesday, July 31, around noon, I would have had to pay PLN 47 for a ride, which is more than twice as much as in January. I didn’t order a ride – it was just a test. A few minutes later, a notification came through the app that if I was still interested, I could now order a ride for PLN 31. This is poor comfort for the passenger, because if someone orders an Uber, they need it right now and are unlikely to rely on luck – that it might be worth waiting, because a better offer will appear.

As drivers return, prices should start to fall, but will they return to the level they were before the changes in the law that led to the increases? We don’t know, because everything is set by the app.

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