If Uber’s a bit too expensive for your tastes, the ride-sharing giant has a new option for you. It’s called Püber — a discount ride-sharing service, the company’s attempt to lure thriftier consumers, which is launching this month. According to company representatives, the rides on Püber will cost less than half as much as that of a traditional Uber ride, with no surge pricing.
“A regular Uber ride offers fully vetted, insured drivers in cars that are less than eight years old and with a certain standard of cleanliness,” read the company’s press release. “We can offer Püber rides at only a fraction of the cost by dropping all those requirements, which, market research revealed, many consumers don’t care about at all.”
Unlike any other Uber ride I’d been on, we were joined in the backseat by two loving guests, our driver’s friendly and slobbery pit bulls, Harley and Satan.
The company offered members of the press free Püber rides on the launch of their beta, which we were on hand to review. After firing up the Püber app — which looks identical to the regular Uber app, albeit with a color scheme that is less black and more of a brownish-clay color — we were able to find a ride from the Inner Sunset to the Embarcadero for just $1.25. After hitting Request Ride, our driver, Jack, pulled up 10 minutes later in a blue 1989 Toyota Tercel. Getting in was slightly confusing — the passenger-side door handles didn’t work, and Jack had to lean over and open them for us — but the ride itself was similar to other Uber rides I’d taken. Jack apologize for the broken air conditioner and the inability to roll down the window (mine was covered by a sheet of plastic and packing tape). Fortunately, these amenities mattered little given the pleasant temperature outside. And as an added bonus, we were joined in the backseat by two loving guests, our driver’s friendly and slobbery pit bulls, Harley and Satan.
Our second Püber driver had an ice chest full of cool Coors Lights for riders, the buzz from which helped numb the vibrations from the shot suspension.
Our second Püber ride heading back to the Sunset was more unusual. Our driver, Marianne, pulled up in an 1980s-era two-door Dodge pickup, which had only two seats in front. We were confused at first, but Marianne quickly explained between cigarette puffs that we could sit in the camper shell in the back — “totally legal, I swear,” she said. The ride ended up being comfortable thanks to the numerous beanbag chairs Marianne had thrown in the back. And the truck bed had an ice chest full of cool Coors Lights for riders, the buzz from which helped numb the vibrations from the shot suspension.
Ride-sharing giant Uber has faced criticism lately over its sexist workplace and tricks to skirt regulation. Dr. Avril Pholio, a professor of business at UC Merced, told us that the ride-sharing giant’s creation of subsidiary Püber could be a PR attempt to save face. “Uber’s reputation on labor issues and accessibility isn’t great,” Pholio told us. “As a discount service that supposedly rivals the bus in terms of quality and price, Püber could capture a large segment of the population that doesn’t have a problem with their driver making less than minimum wage.”
Püber is offering The Bold Italic readers a discount on their first 3 rides with the promo code “APRILFIRST.” Click here to redeem.
