Reviewing the Uber Shuttle Driver App
Hey there! How you doin’?
So, I usually take Shuttl (the office commute app) for my over-an-hour-long nap-trips to my workplace. But recently, due to some circumstances, I had to avail Uber shuttle. Which was not bad, actually, given that the vehicles were new, and hence, had a cleaner feel than Shuttl vehicles (which have been in use for years now!) Shuttl vehicles are also clean, no doubt! But you know the difference between a car that’s just out of the showroom and a 5-year old car that’s out of the carwash, right?
Anyway, cleanliness is not the topic here. My multiple Shuttl rides have got me accustomed with the driver-side app very well. So, for those who do not know about it, drivers have a long list of stops that show both pick-ups and drop-offs. Every stop name is accompanied by a green icon (for pick-up) with the number of people that would board from that stop, and a red icon (for drop-offs) for number of people that would get off there. The said icons are probably upward and downward arrows, respectively, as far as I remember.
So far as I have observed, it has been working fine for the drivers. Maybe the age range of the drivers also played a part in it, given that most were between 30 and 50 roughly.
The customer-side of the app, however, could be improved. But that’s a different story.
Now, my experience with Uber shuttle has made me realise that any shuttle app — be it Shuttl or Uber — needs at least one improvement.
Here’s why:
During one of rides with Uber shuttle, the driver was an elderly person; probably in his 60s? And although this is not related to the topic, I must mention that he gave a very positive, grandfather kind of vibe, with his kind face, long white beard, perfectly white, ironed attire and blue turban — the perfect Sikh grandfather who is portrayed in any Bollywood movie.
It was a surprise to me that he was working at this age. But then economy makes people do many things at any age, right?
So, things were going fine until a man suddenly came sprinting, rather angrily, from the back of the vehicle, and started snapping at the driver. I had blocked my mind from outside noise with my earbuds, so I didn’t realise immediately what was going on. Upon removing an earbud, I realised that the driver had missed one stop, and the two passengers there had called this now-angry man to stop the bus at the nearest stop.
The driver kept arguing that he had been following the app, and that he did not find the stop there. He stuck to it!
When the said passengers finally boarded the bus they shouted — yes, shouted — in the most impolite way at the driver. It turned out that he had missed the same stop the previous day as well.
Now, this unmannerly behaviour was something that really put me off. I mean, c’mon! The driver at the other end is a human. An elderly one at that. Where’s humanity?? They could have shown a bit of politeness and respect while pointing out the mistake. I understand they are frustrated and angry but…
The entire situation immediately started turning the wheels in my head.
Why did the driver miss that particular stop twice, back-to-back?
a. Did he find it difficult to stop the vehicle there because of the traffic, and drove past intentionally?
b. Did he really miss the stop on the app?
Option “a” seemed unlikely since he had been stopping at every goddamn stop, regardless of the condition of traffic there. And I know that stop well; it’s not congested enough for one to find it hard to stop a bus.
So, was it option “b” then? Might have been. After all, from what I have learnt from Shuttl app, the fonts and icons for the stop names are rather small in size. Google maps provide clearer navigation details! And if Uber shuttle’s app is anything like it, then it’d certainly be difficult for an elderly person — someone whose age is way more than the age of a commercial mobile app. Especially when he’s driving a large bus through a heavy traffic!
But then, he had been stopping at all other stops properly. So, why miss particularly that one consecutively?
Maybe because it’s usually the last stop for pick-up in the morning? Maybe! IDK! But that seems like a plausible reason.
In any case, to avoid such a situation completely, I think shuttle apps can employ prominent animations to indicate an approaching stop.
Here’s how:
Unfortunately, I could not find any trace of Uber shuttle’s driver app’s interface on the internet. So, I’m still in the dark as to how it looks and works.
But this solution can put an end to all confusions.
When a stop is approaching, whether it is for pick-up or for drop-off, a small dot beside the stop name can blink rapidly, in a heartbeat-kind of animation. Since it will be a small animation on a mobile screen (small with respect to the overall view that a driver has to focus on), it won’t distract the driver but will certainly draw their attention to it.
Once the stop has been reached, the driver can tap the screen and stop the animation. Or, the animation can stop automatically once the vehicle has gone past a specific distance from the said stop. Maybe 100 meters?
This is a poor representation of the idea, I know! I’ve never been good at creating a gorgeous UI but yes, I’m damn good being an (art) critique for it! 😌
Anyway, if this alert notification is employed:
- no driver can ever overlook a stop.
- no driver can falsely accuse the app of not clearly notifying them, if they fail to stop at a stop (wordplay intended) because every passenger would know!
I had thought of including sound notification as well but that might be annoying both for the driver and for passengers. Especially passengers like me whose main intention is to get a sound sleep during the ride!
I hope shuttle companies read this. Either they can have a solution or I can learn why this cannot be employed (and I can think of other ways to solve the problem). A win-win situation both ways!
What do you think? 🤔
P.S.: Our favourite Shuttl app is shutting its services down. It has been a wonderful journey with Shuttl! It was, in fact, not just a ride but a fond memory for us! We’ll always love you, Shuttl! Miss you already! 😢😘
