By Upasana Gupta
Delhi's not a taxi-friendly city, let's face it. At least not before now. We might have tons of easy-peasy, mega-mini, Sharma-Paji cab companies, and yes they answer their phones and come around eventually. But there's a reason we prefer having a driver, or being picked up. It's irritating to sit on torn seats or use paan-stained arm-rests, or bear a cabbie yell into his phone {there goes the party mojo}, suffer a dysfunctional air-conditional. Or worse- arrive in a car that looks like it just survived a tornado. There's also the nights when you've had an extra drink or two, or three, and don't want to go through the pain of hitching a ride, or make the horrible decision to drive drunk.
Just like many good things that have come into Delhi, is an on-demand Transport App called UBER and a Premier Chauffeur Hire service called HOME SAFE INDIA. And they're changing the way Delhi commutes.
Uber |
Besides having a cool name, Uber is a smartphone application trying to revolutionize the way consumers and drivers connect. They started out in San Francisco, and over the past 2 years have expanded to corners of the world. Their Delhi leg launched recently, and given the feedback we've received from friends who use it in SF, this luxe car service is uber convenient. Here's how it works:
- A map on your phone shows you available Uber vehicles around you. We can choose between high end and low end cars which include Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Mercedes E & S class, BMW 3 & 5 series and Audi Q3, A4 and A6.
- You request a pick-up, get a yay or a nay with an ETA {estimated time of arrival}, hop in, hop out
- And well, it's cashless! So the app automatically charges your card.
- What we love- the 'Share your ETA' feature which shares your coordinates with a preferred contact instantly.
- How to get Uber | Download the Uber App on your iPhone or Android. They do ask for your card details since it's a cashless service. And done!*
HomeSafe India |
The other service is one I was introduced to by my beer-loving guy friends, and has become a favorite in our entire group. Us Delhiwaalas love our cars; but what is always a point of trouble is arranging drivers and keeping them overtime. What these guys do is provide chauffeurs on hire. How this works is-
- Book a HomeSafe driver by calling them on 011-41051010 or 011-41052020. Get a call back confirming within 30 mins.
- A trained, reliable chauffeur comes to your desired location, drives your car, takes you around and voila- problem solved.
The best for tired drunken nights {and days, of course}, we've hardly ever been disappointed in this service.
Don't drive drunk, tired or sleepy, Delhi. The city's got options, use them.
*
P.S. | The folks at Uber are giving something special to LBBD Readers- 2 free rides upto INR 500 each if you use the promo code: LBBD while booking an Uber cab!
{Featured image courtesy: www.homesafeindia.com, www.iamwire.com}
