Uber, the high-tech transportation company based in the United States, launched its long-awaited service in T&T on Monday. This is the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean where the innovative service is available.
Julie Robinson-Centella, communications associate for Central America and the Caribbean, was quick to point out during her interview with the Business Guardian that Uber is more than a taxi service.
"We are not a taxi company. The drivers are partners of the platform. Then we have the users. There are no specific number of partners that we will have ready to launch, as that will be a number that changes daily. The reason is that every day there are people who will be going through screening to be incorporated into the platform."
Robinson-Centella said Uber has been in business for nine years and is present in 470 cities worldwide and in more than 70 countries. It is a technology company and the idea started in 2009.
She explained: "Uber's founder Travis Kalanick was not able to get a service from the restaurant where he was to a hotel because it was raining and he wondered why not have a service where someone can click a button and get a car to take you where you want to go. He then went to San Francisco to start his idea. At first it was only private cars for his friends but knowing there was a demand he started to expand the services.
"Our aim is to get our service everywhere for everyone. That is why we keep on targeting everywhere, it does not matter how big or small. At the end of the day, we want to change people's lives providing a safe and reliable service to everyone and everywhere and show you the Uber magic behind moving people."
To access Uber, potential customers can go to the App Store or to Google Play and download the app.
"The same app that someone uses here in Port-of-Spain will be the same app used in Panama or England or the United States or anywhere else," Robinson-Centella said.
"You need to put in your name, your email, because at the end of every trip you will get a receipt showing all the details like who was your driver, the car you took and how much you paid for the ride."
There is a base fare and a booking fee, then there is a rate per kilometre and a rate per minute which increases depending on how many minutes are spent on the road.
It is easy to pay for the service. At the end of each trip, the cost is automatically charged to a credit card, debit card or could be paid in cash. Uber sends a detailed receipt via e-mail. If the user has an issue, he or she can request help through the app, since Uber's technology allows users to review every part of the trip.
The minimum fare is $32.50. The breakdown includes a $20 base fare and $2.50 booking fee. The cost per kilometre is $1.40 and the cost per minute is $1.20. The app also allows users to estimate the cost of their ride before confirming.
Robinson-Centella said Uber dealt with all the regulatory bodies before entering the T&T market.
She said the first impact of Uber will be customers at social events.
"People are liming, people who are going out with their friends, drinking and they leave their cars at home and so need our service. They are the first ones who usually use our service in every single country. After that, people realise they can leave their cars at home and move around, or if someone goes to their office and there is no parking lot, then you can use Uber. There are mothers who take their children to school and other examples."
She said the service will be insured in case of accidents: "We are doing a partnership with Guardian General Insurance making sure that all our rides are insured."
 
 
Robinson-Centella said Uber does not as yet have an idea of when they will be expanding from Port-of-Spain.
"Firstly we have to know what are people's needs before we expand," she said.
She said Uber has successfully managed to change the way that people move.
"We want people to understand that we are more of a technology company than a taxi company. Through the app a customer will know who will pick them up, the car plate, then there is the score where after the trip, the passenger is scored and the driver is scored. That improves customer service."
She said if people are unhappy with their service they can simply use the app to register a complaint.
"If the car was dirty, or the amount that was charged was incorrect, or the person did not like the smell of the car, Uber would know who was the driver, where you were taken up and other details."
There will be a location, Green Light, where drivers can go if they have concerns. However that location has not yet been finalised.
 
 
In a release hours after the official launch on Monday, the Ministry of Works and Transport cautioned citizens about their use of Uber as it seeks legal advice to determine if the service can continue to operate within T&T's legislative framework.
The main concerns is whether private vehicles can be used for hire.
"The Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act provides that: no person shall drive on any road a taxi registered as such unless he is the holder of a taxi driver licence issued to him by the licencing authority under these regulations," the minister said in a statement.
"In light of the above the public is asked to exercise caution and due diligence."
On Tuesday, the Business Guardian emailed Robinson-Centella for a response to the Ministry of Transport's media release but, up to presstime, the communications associate could not be reached.
 
For more information on Uber in T&T visit http://www.ubertrini.com/ , https://newsroom.uber.com/trinidad-and-tobago/ or Facebook @ubertrinidadandtobago.