Uber’s Making it Easier to Hail a Ride — No App Required
by Curtis Chong
From the Editor: This helpful piece of information is taken from the May issue of the Blind Coloradoan, the official blog of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado. Although it references Denver, it suggests it is available to all who live in the United States.
Uber announced Wednesday at its annual Go-GET event in New York City that it’s launching a new ride-hailing option for people who aren’t as familiar navigating a smartphone. By dialing the toll-free number 1-833-USE-UBER (1-833-873-8237) in the US, customers can speak with an agent in English or Spanish to request a ride on-demand or reserve one for a future trip.
Uber has piloted ride-hailing via phone before. It launched the program in select regions around December 2020, specifically Arizona and Florida. But the company temporarily paused the service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the feature is back and more widely available.
When calling this number, people will have their cell phone number verified through a one-time code, and they will then be asked to provide a credit card number to establish a payment method. This will happen regardless of whether a person already has an existing Uber account. In fact, my testing has shown that this new service has no connection with any Uber account, and thus, no ability to draw upon any subsidies or alternate profiles that the original Uber account may have available to it.
Here’s how it works:
- Customers call Uber from a phone to talk to a team member.
- Once the ride has been confirmed, Uber sends information via text message about the ride, including the driver’s name and picture, license plate number, and their estimated time of arrival.
- Finally, the customer receives another text message when the driver arrives at their pickup location.
- What about tips? Booking an Uber via phone doesn’t provide a way to do that—surely to the chagrin of drivers. But Uber points out that riders can give cash tips if they choose to do so.