Uber Shuttle: Pros and Cons of the 'New Minibuses'

The program has been running in Kyiv for 10 months.

Last spring Uber made Kyiv one of the few cities in the world (and the first in Europe) where residents can use Uber Shuttle — minibuses where seats can be booked in the app, which are seated only and where every seat has a seatbelt. 

Kyiv's luck is no accident and not a sign of a good life. In few European capitals are minibuses part of the public transport system, and they are hardly ever in such a dire state anywhere else. At the same time, seeing crowds ignore half-empty trolleybuses near the 'Poshtova' metro station, and standing in line for an ordinary little yellow minibus heading the same way, you realize this is also part of Ukrainian urban culture. Against this backdrop, Uber actually offers a more or less civilized alternative.

Previously, booking a seat in an Uber minibus was only available in the general Uber app, which also offered taxi options, but a few days ago a separate Uber Shuttle app was launched specifically for Kyiv. That means the Uber Shuttle network in Kyiv (and possibly in other Ukrainian cities) will continue to develop.

TK Media outlines the pros and cons of using Uber Shuttle.

How does Uber Shuttle work?

In the app, you choose the place you need to get to, and if your route matches one of several Shuttle routes, the system will offer that option. The fare — 15-30 UAH depending on distance and demand. The money is charged at the end of the trip. If you book a seat but cancel or don't board, nothing is charged.

After booking, you need to go to the specified pickup point — the system tries to choose the most convenient of the possible options. You wait for the shuttle to arrive (or it comes to you, but waits no more than two minutes), show the driver the so-called ticket in the app on your smartphone, and take a free seat.

Is there demand?

On weekdays — absolutely! Sometimes it is very difficult to book a free seat on the shuttle due to high demand. So it is obvious that, despite the higher price, demand will grow, and the service is forced to try to keep up with meeting it.

Seatbelts in minibuses — does anyone need them?

Unfortunately, few do. In Ukrainian tradition, only wimps use seatbelts. But if passengers have a choice, it is strange that Uber does not try to encourage at least the drivers to buckle up.

Advantages

Conveniences such as booking through the app and a guaranteed seat — are all clear. We will list less obvious advantages.

1. Minibuses are in much better condition than regular ones

Uber — is not a perfect company when it comes to customer orientation, and its core service (taxis) causes plenty of dissatisfaction among users, including over the quality of cars in Kyiv (at one point they allowed Lanos cars). But one way or another, the quality of vehicles admitted into its system is far above the Kyiv average. With minibuses, the contrast is especially striking.

The concept of 'seatbelts' is absent as a class in Ukrainian public transport, but for Uber — it is a standard.

2. You can pay without cash

While traditional minibuses resist installing validators and accept only cash, Uber accepts both options. You choose the payment method in the app, and if paying by card — the charge is made right after you get off at your stop.

3. Drivers drive more carefully

Again, no one claims perfection, and scandals have occurred, but in Uber Shuttle drivers try to drive much more carefully and without sharp jerks that can knock passengers off their feet. Probably because passengers can give the driver a lower rating after the trip, and the driver risks being removed from the system.

4. There are more and more routes

In May of last year, when Uber Shuttle launched in Kyiv, there were only two routes. Now there are about ten.

Disadvantages

Despite billion-dollar investments, Uber makes a product that is not perfect, even technically.

1. You cannot choose a stop yourself

For example, you need to travel from Podil to Troieshchyna and you are currently much closer to the Zhovten cinema than to Spaska Street near Kontraktova Square. But there is no guarantee that the Uber system will measure distances correctly and assign Zhovten as the stop rather than Spaska. 

At the same time, you cannot manually choose a stop. So in such a case, you will have to walk even closer to the nearest stop to make sure the system does not make a mistake.

2. Trip selection works incorrectly

Suppose the nearest shuttle will pass your stop in 3 minutes, but you are running late and want to choose one that departs, say, in 13 minutes. The trip selection option exists, but barely works — the system usually still sends you to the nearest one if there are free seats.

The reverse can also happen: you choose a shuttle passing in four minutes, but the system may automatically book you a seat on a trip as far away as 44 minutes. Canceling this order is not a problem, but it undermines the sense of convenience the service provides.

3. Uber Shuttle does not work on weekends

Although this has not been officially announced, booking a seat on the shuttle on weekends is nearly impossible for the simple reason that drivers do not go out on routes. Either demand on Saturdays and Sundays drops so low that it is unprofitable, or they decide on their own to spare themselves weekend work.

Yevhen Blazhko, TK Media