I’m feeling sour about Uber Singapore’s free ride promo. Here’s why

I loved using Uber in the past. I remember booking the expensive UberBlack car for the first time in Singapore, and coming away impressed by the experience despite the hefty bill. Later, I ordered another ride soon after the cheaper UberX rolled into the country, and again in Bangalore en route to the airport. There’s a lot to like: the really nice app interface, the courteous drivers, and the fact that I don’t need to worry about having enough money in my wallet to pay.

Sure, there were flaws. Getting a ride isn’t always easy. But I understood that Uber was a service that’s still in beta, and I tolerated the imperfections.

Increasingly though – and I’m wearing my consumer hat here – I’m growing impatient. Today’s event might be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

You see, Uber decided that it wants to offer everyone in Singapore two free rides for the entire day. This has never happened in Singapore. If you’re Comfort Taxi and someone suggests that you do that, you’d think he’s is mad. But Uber is different. It’s trying to grow aggressively. And that calls for aggressive marketing tactics.

As a frequent Uber user, I’m happy of course. Who doesn’t like freebies? But as the day wore on, my excitement turned into frustration. I tried getting an Uber ride early in the morning. No luck. Tried again a couple of hours later. Failed. I decided to take the train to work, and along the way hoped that I can get out of the train and into a comfy Uber car. Didn’t work.

But I kept at it. I attempted to get a cab from a busy shopping mall back to my office, but no luck. Tried getting an UberTaxi back home before rush hour. I was rejected. And no, refreshing the app did not work, despite what Uber claims.

I wasn’t alone in my predicament. Many users voiced out about this on Twitter:

Giving out free rides with no cars available……. @Uber_SING

— James Stanley (@jamesstanley01) October 8, 2014

@Uber_SING there's been no taxi available around Novena for the past three hours!

Global domination

So what’s next?