Uber’s debut after all this time, and it’s a more "exquisite" fare structure than I thought

以前から使いたい使いたいーとか思いつつなかなか使ったことのなかったUBERさん、ようやく週末にデビューしました。遅い…。

Last week, I had to go to the concert of another group as a factor to insert a flyer for the promotion of amateur orchestra to which I belong. I decided to use Uber.

Surprisingly easy to use

It’s been a while since I launched this app on my iPhone. I think I installed it for the first time…

I don’t think I need any more explanation on how to use it. I’m afraid it’s too easy and will come too soon.

I heard that Uber started “TAXI service” recently, so I thought I would use that service because it seemed to be easy at first, but I could not arrange it at all, so I decided to order a standard “hire car”.

After the arrangement, it will be updated on Google Maps in real time, such as how long it will take to come, and where the hire car is currently located. Not only the driver, but also the car model and number are displayed, so it is easy to understand.

It took about 5 minutes to get there after I made a request for a ride. The driver told me that there are three companies in Tokyo that have partnered with Uber.

Of course, it is a luxury car, so the ride is outstanding. I enjoy the luxury feeling for a while.

But once you get in, it’s just like a taxi (laughs).

Then you arrive at your destination. You can just get off already, yes, because you have registered your credit card in advance. You don’t even need to sign anything because it will be charged from here. This is very easy.

Easy to check your bill

Now, for the all-important charge, you’ll get an email about an hour after you drop off. When you start up the app again, the last minute bill will automatically pop up.

You can also check your ride history on the web, so you can check it again later.

I’ll split it…

Is Uber expensive? Is it a good deal?

Check the fee just to be sure. The fee structure is like this.

Which means…

• 開始料金（固定）：103円
• 距離（3.62km）：3.62km×308円/km=1,114.96円
• 時間（9:02）：(9+2/60)分×67円/分=605.2333円
• 合計：1,823.1933円≒1,823円

There is an error of about 3 yen, but it seems to be about the same.

Compared with conventional taxi fare

I’m just saying.

Using the premise of the above, let’s calculate what would happen if we took a conventional taxi (by arrangement) for the same distance.

• 送迎料金（固定）：410円
• 距離（初乗り2km）：730円
• 距離（追加1.62km）：1.62km×(90×1,000/280)円/km=520.7142857
• 合計：1,660.7143円≒1,661円

Whoa, the difference is surprisingly small. This is a traditional taxi, not a hired car arrangement, so maybe Uber is actually more profitable?

I decided to examine a few more different cases, because Uber has a fee structure based on time spent, rather than what it feels like to drive in Tokyo.

「5kmあたり10分（渋滞なし）」

By the way, 5km is about “Shinjuku Station to Ichigaya Station”.

If we compare them on the assumption that

It’s true that Uber is more expensive, but it’s not as expensive as I thought it would be.

むしろ、ハイヤー手配を考えた場合はUberのほうが得なのではないでしょうか。（ちなみに普通のタクシー会社のはハイヤー手配料金は公表されておらず、都度見積もりを出す必要があることが多いようです。）

It’s a more “exquisite” fee structure than I thought.

今回の比較では、従来のタクシー料金には「手配料が含まれている」ので、駅や路上の流しを拾えば410円分は控除されるため、この場合は確かに安いです。

However, when arranging a car, and even a luxury car hire, there are “administrative merits” that greatly reduce the hassle of paying for the dispatch process, as well as “price merits”, so there may well be grounds for considering Uber as a first choice.

Considering this “administrative merit”, you may think that the difference of a few hundred yen is not a big deal, but rather a benefit.

In any case, Uber, I think it’s an exquisite fare system.

Uber利用の一つのネック担っているのは、間違いなく「時間料金」の存在だと思うんです。これは確かに大きな差が出やすいところですが、実は1kmあたりの料金に限ってはUberのほうが安いんです。

• Uber 1kmあたり：308円
• 従来のタクシー（2kmまで）：730円
• 従来のタクシー（2km超過分） 280mあたり：90円　→　1kmあたり：90円×1,000m/280m≒321円

It’s a nice difference, and the setting here also seems to be very exquisite when you consider the balance with “ease of arrangement”.

とても勉強になりました。今後はもう少し躊躇なく利用してもいいのではないかなあと思っています。