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Tag: Uber

  • Your Driver Has Arrived

    Your Driver Has Arrived

    Ride-hailing apps offer a cash-less convenience, that is often quicker and cheaper than the taxis and car services we once depended on. They also add a most welcome element of freedom to the non-driving population.

    While we were patiently awaiting the self-driving car, the transportation concept, formerly known as “taxicab,” was disrupted by technology. The driver is still completely necessary, but the method of getting a ride, where and when you want it, is now transacted primarily on mobile apps. Uber and Lyft are the dominant services, and there are others to choose from depending on your location. Finding a service / app that works for you will help to keep the process within your comfort zone. If ride-hailing apps are just not your thing, there are options for ordering the cars by phone.

    Making transportation more accessible, naturally has many upsides, and of course, there a few downsides as well. Here are some tips for getting yourself the smoothest ride.

    Silver car with a Lyft sticker on the windshield.
    Silver car with a Lyft sticker on the windshield.

    Ordering A Car

    • With app downloaded and account created, set pickup location, select destination, choose ride type, confirm pickup, review driver details and head to pickup location.
    • Cars can be ordered for immediate pickup or scheduled in advance.
    • Uber rides can also be ordered alternatively, without the app, from a mobile phone, by calling  1-833-USE-UBER (1-833-873-8237). Car and driver details are confirmed to you by text message.
    • Cars from Uber and Lyft can also be ordered by phone through GoGo Grandparent, a service that manages the process and the ride for an added fee.
    Hand holding up smartphone to display yellow screen for Uber Spotlight. Image credit: Uber
    Hand holding up smartphone to display yellow screen for Uber Spotlight. Image credit: Uber

    Finding the Car

    The apps provide the license plate, make and model of the car, the name and a photo of the driver, and an alert when the car has arrived. None of these details are helpful if you are unable to identify those elements visually. In a quiet location or at a private home, the car will be obvious. On a busy city street, finding the car is usually a challenge for anyone, particularly when you are blind or have low vision.

    • Speak directly with the driver, through the app, and let them know you are visually impaired, and tell them exactly where you are waiting, so they can get to where you are or let you know exactly where they are.
    • Ask the driver to honk twice to help you identify the car.
    • Use Uber’s Spotlight feature, in crowded locations and at night, by tapping the Spotlight button on the bottom right corner of the app. Your phone screen lights up with an assigned color, the driver sees the same color on their screen. Holding up the light helps them find you. 
    • To confirm you have the right car, ask the driver “Who are you picking up?,” or “What is your name?”
    • Order an Uber Assist or Lyft Assist, in areas where it is available, and the driver will meet you at your front door and see you to the door of your destination.

    Safety Measures

    • Communicate your trip details to family or friends through sharing options in the apps.
    • There is an emergency button in most apps, but even quicker to call 911.

    Give Feedback

    We always recommend providing feedback. If there are ways your experience could be improved, say so. Your suggestions can ultimately benefit all ride-sharers.

    Post originally published Apr 19, 2019 and updated Feb 6, 2025

  • GoGo Grandparent Gets An Uber Without An App

    GoGo Grandparent Gets An Uber Without An App

    Uber and Lyft are technology companies operating new-age transportation networks on a global scale. Their names have become synonymous with dated terminology like taxi or cab. They deliver transportation to people where and when they need it. The entire process fully transacted on a  smartphone app.

    Naturally, this seems like a perfect fit for the transportation needs of older adults. But according to a study by PEW Research, less than 1% of Uber customers are 65 and older, while about 4 in 10 seniors are using smartphones.

    Justin Boogaard was living with his Grandma Betty, after college, when she gave him the idea for GoGo Grandparent. Betty noticed her grandson was taking a lot of Ubers wherever he needed to go. She recognized this could be a great way for her to get around as well and she wanted to get in on the action. One problem: Uber can only be summoned by app, and Betty didn’t have a smartphone.

    Image shows a grandmother happy and talking on the phone.
    Image shows a grandmother happy and talking on the phone.

    Necessity is, after all, the grandmother of invention. Justin set out to find Betty an easier way to get an Uber, and a startup was born. GoGo Grandparent takes the app out of the equation as it adds people back in. Less technology and more personal attention open up these transportation services to a significant demographic they would not have otherwise attracted. With GoGo Grandparent the transaction is conducted by phone, with customer service agents. They order the car, communicate with the driver, and monitor your trip.

    There is technically no age requirement, so you don’t actually have to be a Grandparent and you can schedule a ride from any phone you choose. The concierge fee for this service is $0.27 a minute, which means if the ride takes 15 minutes the fee added to your fare is $4.05.

    Uber and Lyft cars are notoriously difficult to locate, particularly if you are visually impaired. GoGo Grandparent can help by making the driver aware and by providing the customer with more detailed location information.

    Image shows a smiling grandfather talking on phone.
    Image shows a smiling grandfather talking on phone.

    GoGo Grandparent recently added a membership requirement and new services – here’s an update.

    Basic Membership

    The basic membership now carries a monthly fee of $9.99, enabling customers to order an Uber or Lyft from any phone, no app required. There is also a Concierge Fee, of $0.27 per minute, added to the fare and billed to your credit card by GoGo Grandparent. No cash is exchanged. Set up custom pick up locations, use voice commands for ordering, and set up family alerts to keep your loved ones in the loop.

    Gold Client Membership

    An upgrade to GoGo Gold Client is $30 a month and and it offers premium perks including:

    • Driver rings your doorbell, buzzer, or house phone
    • Driver accompanies you to the car
    • Gold Client calls are priority transferred to an operator
    • One cancellation free every month
    • Prescription pickup & delivery

    GoGo Gourmet & Grocery Deliveries

    Just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic, GoGo Grandparent expanded its app-free ordering to include food and groceries delivered to your door.  Restaurant orders are fulfilled by delivery services like DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates and Uber Eats, with a Concierge Fee of $6.50 per order for Basic Members, $2 for Gold Clients. Groceries are fulfilled locally by Instacart, Walmart, Postmates and Shipt, with a Concierge Fee of $13 for Basic Members and $5 for Gold Clients.

    If this sounds interesting and you think you’d like to try it out, GoGo will also give you a 30-day free trial.

    Phone: 855.464.6872

    GoGoGrandparent.com

    Please note, this article was not paid for, affiliated with, or endorsed by any third-party companies. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s.

    Originally published on October 2, 2017 and updated on June 17, 2020.