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Who's Gonna Drive You Home, Philly?

A car service for the discriminating text-obsessed customer.

Coming soon to the mean streets of Center City Philadelphia: An ego-inflating car service to to rival the often annoying and increasingly expensive experience of riding from one bar to another in a beat-up taxi.

UBER already cruises Paris, Seattle and San Francisco. The Philly rev-up appears to be imminent, judging by the breathless media release in my inbox.

You may be wondering, "Why should I care about Uber in Philly?"

  1. SUPER CONVENIENT:  Uber is enhancing the landscape of transportation in a serious way.  Simply press a button on your phone, and wait for your luxury vehicle to pick you up.  You don't need cash, because your credit card is on file.

  2. JEALOUSY INDUCING:  There's no better away to impress your clients and friends than by having your own private driver just a click away.  Make them green with envy.

  3.  JETSETTER COMPATIBLE:  You can use us in our 9 other cities, whether flying from New York to LA or from D.C. to Paris, as you land in next far flung destination.

Personally, I have no idea why the folks behind UBER would think that being able to summon a sedan (!?) on demand with my iPhone would be "jealousy inducing," but then again, I don't really roll with the kind of people who give a hoot about my ride. (Yes, that's a Britax booster in the backseat. You got a problem with that?)

No clue if Philly has enough high-income vainglorious types to justify this business model, but more power to anyone who comes up with a more pleasant way to get around town. I feel for the cabbies I encounter, but it can be a downer to always listen to their gripes and get guilt-trips just for wanting to pay with a credit card.

-- Monica Yant Kinney