UBER – TRANSPORTATION FOR OLD PEOPLE??

A senior calls UBER.

At 77, I am a “good” driver; maybe a few problems with eyesight, hearing and attention span.  I usually  know where I am going. The AARP  driving course for seniors lowers my insurance rates; and, I avoid driving at night, on freeways and with my kids, who watch me. They know that I saw my father take his father’s car keys. He and I agreed that he could keep his car as long as he didn’t drive it; so, it was parked for several years.

My car has a few dings. I renew my license annually, not for 10 years anymore. MVD and I joke about the eye test.

So, I joined UBER. It was scary. I didn’t know what I was getting into; and, learning  to call UBER on a smart phone??  I had to know where I was going; I couldn’t just drive around looking for the place I thought I wanted to go. I also had to know where I was.

I tried UBER in Tucson;  clicked on the UBER App;  typed in my address and the restaurant address. It took three tries and a bit of deleting, but I did it.

In 3 minutes a picture of the UBER driver,  car make and license number appeared on the screen. Two minutes later he was there; just like his picture, and took us straight to our favorite restaurant. The trip cost of $6.32 appeared on the screen; I clicked ok, clicked that the driver was great and he clicked that I was a great passenger. We parted company. We had a nice dinner, re-apped UBER. Same deal, different driver. Cost $5.47; total cost $11.79, no tipping, no money; the amount on my credit card minutes later. The drivers were both great, interesting, and I didn’t worry about the extra glass of wine.

AAA  reports the average cost to own a car in 2015 was $8698. For two of us, that comes to $17,396. I don’t think I spend that much, but….. I don’t really want to find out.

My wife and I have two cars, even though we usually travel together.  Kelly Blue Book says a dealer would give us about $25,000 for them. Do we need two cars? No cars? One car and UBER?

How many trips do we need to take? One a day? How far do we go? Mostly close to our condo. Seven trips a week; 14 UBER trips; averaging $10 per trip, which may be high. $140 a week; or, $7280 a year.

Using UBER we have a chauffeur, do not cause accidents, are calmer, etc. We even age better. Have you ever had someone say: “Do you see that car?” 10  times a trip?

The bus costs 50 cents and goes most places, but takes longer. Kids work, grandkids are too young and neighbors would rather car-pool with UBER.

The bottom line is: UBER  could save us up to $10,116 per year. Even a $1000 savings would be worth it. The real bottom line is that our driving years will soon come to an END; our cars will be taken from us; we will move in with UBER and use the  $25,000 for four years of UBER.

Maybe UBER will have caregivers in ten years…..; hopefully, with a car.

UBER is experimenting with programs for seniors, that include, senior-trained drivers, special cars, etc.  No details yet.

The New York Times recently reported on UBER’s new ride sharing program which should interest seniors and save them money.

Since I originally wrote this, The New York Times has reported on ride-sharing which fills niches that UBER does not cover, yet. The one that interested me the most was Lift Hero, which provides rides for old people. The web page is down for maintenance, but keep checking. UBER was running a test program for old people in Tucson a few months ago, but I have not seen anything on this recently.

Transportation is a real and growing problem for old people; especially where public transportation is not available.

When you travel, think UBER. I have had success in Panama and Montreal, Canada.

A change of senior-mind-set is required.

THINK OLD!