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Rideshare platforms are more convenient than ever today, with Uber ahead of the pack. In just 10 years, the company has revolutionized personal transportation and garnered an IPO exceeding $80 billion. The rideshare organization has relentlessly updated their service and expanded to new markets. The newest expansion is most likely a product of customer complaints. Just last month, Uber unveiled its new feature, which allows Uber Black riders to tell their drivers to stay silent during the ride.
Previous perks of Uber Black
When hailing your ride, the Uber app will allow you to select the Uber Black feature. This service is marketed to those who want an “elevated ride experience” in the form of high-end black vehicles, professional drivers, and business-quality transportation. Many Uber Black vehicles are more luxury than their UberX counterparts. You’ll also be paying a luxury price to hail the Uber Black vehicle, nearly twice the standard rate of an UberX ride. While Uber Black seems advantageous for important businessmen and special occasions, it may have an availability issue depending on your city. So, if you wish to use Uber Black, expect higher quality vehicles at a higher price and a longer wait time.
Fresh features for Uber Black riders
Now, Uber Black riders have been offered a few new features. Yes, one of these includes a “silent mode” for travel. Before hailing an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV, riders must select whether they are “happy to chat,” if they prefer quiet, or if they have no preference at all. Anyone who’s ridden in a substantial number of Ubers knows that a driver’s level of chattiness can really make or break the ride. Plus, not everyone can take a hint, and there’s no polite way to tell someone to shut up after just meeting them just moments ago. However, you’ll need to pay a premium for your Uber driver to hush up. Along with silent mode, the rideshare company established a few other preference settings for Uber Black riders. You can request the driver to help you with your luggage, ask for the car to be cooled or heated to your preferred temperature, select extended pickup times so you can have more time to get to your ride, and request similar vehicle models, makes, interiors, and exteriors on all of your Uber Black rides. These are extremely convenient features you can simply add to your accommodation from the app. Other new additions include guaranteed professionalism and premium phone support for when your ride doesn’t go quite right. Perhaps Uber’s emphasis on only allowing Uber Black riders these premium features is to funnel more riders into their luxury services.
Silent mode won’t fix everything
Although these features seem to be added due to the outcry of customer complaints, it’s yet to be seen whether they will satisfy former rider woes. It won’t be an easy feat to get riders to pay double the price just to land a silent driver. What’s more, Uber has yet to turn a profit. Yes, you read that correctly. The rideshare company valued at tens of billions of dollars is unprofitable. This has led to many issues surrounding Uber’s entrance into the New York Stock Exchange, the ability to garner investors, and more. The company has also received a fair share of scandals – everything from multi-million dollar lawsuits and internal sexual harassment claims to a slew of public safety hazards. So while silent mode may be a nice additional feature for Uber Black riders, it may be coming a few years, too many scandals, too late to really make a difference.