Did somebody say unlimited Uber rides?

I thought of sharing some valuable information that I stumbled across recently on the internet which many of you may not know of yet. You can now purchase unlimited Uber rides for less than a MetroCard (the monthly one being $116.50). Yes, you heard that right! Uber now has unlimited passes for two weeks ($49), four weeks ($79) or eight weeks ($159), from now through September.

This is a blessing in disguise for all us NYC dwellers who are deeply dependent on public transportation for day-to-day activities. I am sure, all you New Yorkers can relate to the pain of waiting miserably for the MTA buses and trains to arrive on time. The pain heightens during weekends and late hours when these transports take an extra hour or 2 arrive and depart from the station. Although the MTA service is incredibly precise and convenient for being located in almost all corners of the city, it doesn’t justify its super slow and unpunctual performances at times. I have personally been late to so many morning classes and have returned home really late by spending hours in the commute where it should only be 30-40 minutes. And it was dreadful. Trains get even dirtier at the end of the day, with food and other “substances” reeking from every corner, and the stares from the strangers make the experience even more distasteful. However, living in the busiest city in world with a population of almost 8.5 million people, public transport is a life supporter.

The whooping population is a big cause of the horrendous traffic congestion on the roads of NYC, which is why even many car drivers prefer to use public transport to avoid the traffic and expensive parking in the city. Uber has been a great alternative to expensive taxi cab rides as they are conveniently located in all locations and have great price deals and offers. Returning home from a night out with friends at 4 am would have been very difficult without Uber. But it is not possible for college go-ers like us to use Uber for our daily adventures. Going to school, then grabbing lunch at another borough and then coming back to the library and finally returning home consists of several rides, and using Uber to serve these purposes would cost about 100 dollars or even more PER day. This is why I think that introduction to these unlimited passes, similar to the unlimited MetroCard for train rides, is an amazing initiative and would be extremely beneficial for daily commuters.

But then again, things aren’t are always picture perfect.

The Uber unlimited rides are pretty much affordable compared to MetroCards, they are only valid for Uber’s $5 UberPool commuter rides during 7–10am and 5–8pm on weekdays, to any destination below 125th Street in Manhattan. Oops, looks like it’s a little burst in the bubble for people who live above 125^th st, me for example, as the dream of coming home everyday in a driver-driven black car has shattered a little. Also, traveling all alone without any strangers in the transport is also unlikely as UberPool means you have to share the car with other passengers, which often causes it to arrive later than its usual time. Sounds like we’re back to subway problems. But I still have hope as I feel that is indeed a very progressive change in the system of public transportation as it unlimited cab rides would always come in handy.

Despite all the drawbacks, I am still overwhelmed by this new service offered by Uber , and I hope that it would be as advantageous as I am imagining it to be. Fingers crosses.