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Post by nickdanger on Aug 15, 2016 17:04:13 GMT -5
has anyone used uber in medellin? a female friend with a car is thinking of signing up as a driver. I imagine the potential passengers have all been vetted since they would pay with a credit card as in the US. would appreciate any thoughts pro and con. thanks
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2016 0:39:05 GMT -5
Yes I used Uber in Medellin. You have to register your credit card to be able to use the service. So of course everything is traced. As I am living in Bogota, I mostly used Uber in Bogota though. And I had a couple (well I'd say 4) female drivers here. Pros: - You're basically your boss. Cons: - If you're a UberX driver, you're having an illegal business. Cops LOVE to catch a UberX driver. And taxi drivers can get aggressive towards UberX drivers too. - Even though a number of drivers told me they were doing financially good, I still doubt it. I am not sure they took into account the early wear of the car, for instance. - You're dependent on pico y placa. You basically can't work everyday.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Aug 16, 2016 5:15:38 GMT -5
Not true that with “Pico y Placa” that you can't work everyday. “Pico y Placa” in Medellín only restricts you from driving for a total of six hours per week. Based on your license plate number you will not be permitted to drive two week days each week between 7:00 am and 8:30 am and between 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm. So it’s only a restriction for a total six hours per week. Here's an article in Spanish that explains: www.elcolombiano.com/antioquia/movilidad/pico-y-placa-en-medellin-primer-semestre-de-2016-BD3522021.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2016 8:05:02 GMT -5
Not true that with “Pico y Placa” that you can't work everyday. “Pico y Placa” in Medellín only restricts you from driving for a total of six hours per week. Based on your license plate number you will not be permitted to drive two week days each week between 7:00 am and 8:30 am and between 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm. So it’s only a restriction for a total six hours per week. Here's an article in Spanish that explains: www.elcolombiano.com/antioquia/movilidad/pico-y-placa-en-medellin-primer-semestre-de-2016-BD3522021. My bad. The pico y placa in Bogota is much more restrictive, and I wrongly assumed it was the same in Medellin.
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Post by canpandave on Aug 16, 2016 10:22:02 GMT -5
I use Uber all the time in Medellin, as a rider, results are mixed, while I think Uber vets the car, the drivers knowledge is sometimes pretty bad, had a driver going the wrong way down a one way, getting into a scrape with a moto and generally not knowing where she was going. They pretty much insist on having one of the passengers sit in the front seat so as not to look obvious.
In a month of traveling from Laureles to University Eafit in Poblado, results were pretty good and on average $1000 peso less than a taxi.
The drivers I spoke to seemed pretty happy with the way it was going and they said the friction between them and taxistas is much less in Medellin.
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Post by saltador on Aug 16, 2016 12:29:27 GMT -5
I use Uber in Cartagena every chance I get, my experience has been great. Most of the drivers have a comfortable car, know where they are going, pleasant people to be around. Many of them offered their driving services away from Uber and that has worked out great as well. The icing on the cake is that in Cartagena, there are no meters in the taxis, the prices from one location to another are fixed. This opens up a huge can of worms, as the taxistas recognize a gringo and then try to add a few pesos onto each trip. Unfortunately for them, this gringo knows the prices and so 90% of the time I end each trip with an argument, or I just pay extra. With Uber this doesn't happen. Some of the drivers mentioned they weren't 100% happy with Uber, because the rate they are paid is based on a distance + time formula, and the time part of the formula was pennies. Example: Drive a senora to the store and back= 10,000 pesos. Drive a senora to the store, wait for her to shop for one hour, then drive her back =12000 pesos. (I'm making up those numbers but it's like that.) I also agree that the Uber drivers must only be figuring the price of gasoline and diesel, and not how much that next set of tires is going to cost them. But they mostly seem happy with Uber.
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Post by ozgringo on Aug 19, 2016 8:41:08 GMT -5
I was driving as an UberX driver in Sydney, Australia for 5 months until I got settled in after returning from Colombia. It was great. I imagine it's the same in Colombia, the Uber app is linked to google maps which makes navigating very easy. Seamless, really. Uber also pays weekly as well which is good. Working 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Saturday would bring in around $1500 gross a week on average. Easy Money. I met guys working longer hours earning really good money.
My wife's younger brothers friend in Cartagena is an UberX driver and averages $100,000 COP gross per day. Good Money for Colombian wages. That's driving ALL day though.
In Sydney (I assume the same for Colombia), the driver get's basically 75% of the fare.
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