BUSINESS

Here are some basics of getting around over the festive season with Uber


Last week Uber released a set of guidelines aimed at making riders enjoy their rides. Many of those rules were common sense principles and explained the kind of behavior that may lead riders and drivers to lose access to Uber.

Among the guidelines, passengers who use inappropriate and abusive languages or gestures or if they damage the car by spilling food or drink, smoking or vomiting will ‘’can lose access’ to the service. Other violations include damaging drivers’ or other passengers’ property. For example, damaging the car, breaking or vandalizing a phone, intentionally spilling food or drink, smoking, or vomiting due to excessive alcohol consumption, touching or flirting with other people in the car. This are some of the guidelines uber user and drivers should really try observing, especially now that we are into the festive season.

Read: Uber will ban you from using the service if you do the following

During this festive season, we are faced with the perennial challenge: how are we going to get home once the celebrations are over? There have been numerous efforts by the government and private sector to reduce the number of people drinking and driving e.g. Alcoblow and ‘Don’t drink and drive’ campaigns, many people however still drive under the influence.

Below are some basics of getting around over the festive season from Uber

Plan ahead

Think your after-work drinks may get out of hand? Plan in advance and take an Uber to work. You can even schedule your ride in advance so you don’t have to worry about breaking the festivities until your driver comes. Or, if the party takes you by surprise, rather Uber home, leave your car at the office and pick it up over the weekend. While this may seem like extra work at first, it is a lot less costly than compromising your safety and the safety of others by drinking and driving.

Know that you’ll get a driver, even in peak times

Over festive periods, there is often a fear that there won’t be enough drivers to go around. As an ever-growing and evolving platform, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Uber runs a successful model called surge pricing, which allows users to get a ride when they n

During times of peak demand, it is important that there are enough driver-partners on the platform to accommodate those looking for rides. For this reason, Uber increases fares to encourage more drivers to come onto the platform. 



You will know when surge pricing is in place, because you will be notified from the moment you open the app, and reminded as you request your trip. You can also obtain an accurate fare estimate so you know what to expect.

Uber’s Safety features

We are committed to safety and want everyone to feel confident that Uber is a reliable choice this festive season.Our technology makes it possible to make safety improvements that were never before possible prior to Uber.

First, before you get into the car, verify your driver-partner and vehicle using the information in the app. This way, you know exactly who is taking you home! Secondly, you can share your ETA (Estimated time of arrival) with a friend or family member in order to provide accountability in the event you do not arrive at the stipulated time. Riders can also make use of Uber’s GPS features that allow them to track their trip by viewing the route on the map in the app. This way, you are able to know if you are heading in the right direction, especially if not familiar with the route.

Uber also offers in-app support, which is simple and easy to use. Whether you want to ask about something you lost on a night out or submit a question about a receipt that looks wrong, you simply need to tap ‘Help’ and all the information will be at your fingertips. Finally, riders can give detailed feedback after a trip which will allow Uber to query any negative feedback so as to keep other safe as well.

Have fun, without worrying about your ride



When it comes down to it, the festive season is all about being carefree. It’s about taking care of the little things so you can have a good time. By taking advantage of ride-sharing options at your disposal, you don’t have to worry about parking, tipping the driver (ours keep most of the fare), being ‘over the limit’ or how you’re going to get home. When it is this fun, easy and available, there is no reason not to.

We hope those tips will be helpful as we head into the festive season. Merry Christmass!

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Staff Writer

We cover Technology and Business trends in Kenya, East Africa and across the Globe. Send tips to editor@techtrendske.co.ke

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