South East Asia is a beautiful, filled with amazing culture and food, and I look towards it every time I feel the need to recharge my self. But there's one thing I don't look forward to is haggling with the taxi drivers. Most drivers there don't go by the meter and charge you exorbitant amount for driving you a few miles. This time when I booked a holiday to the Malaysian island of Penang, I just did not feel up to deal with taxi drivers. So I decide to give Uber a chance, though I had used it at home, but never before in a foreign country.
The only ride I liked more than my Ubers.
After a long but comfortable flight the first thing I did after I claimed my baggage was to head to a kiosk in the arrivals area and buy a mobile sim. I paid 35 Malaysian Rinngit ( approximately 8.75 USD) for 20 minute talk time and 800 MB data. Thus I started my Uber journey and the seeing the amount by the end of my holiday will blow up your minds.
| Trip | City Taxi Fare | Uber Fare | Amount Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport to George Town | 44 | 22 | 22 |
| George Town to Penang Hill | 50 | 10 | 40 |
| Penang Hill to Kek Lok Soi | 20 | 3 | 17 |
| Kek Lok Soi to George Town | 40 | 9 | 31 |
| George Town to Spa | 35 | 7 | 27 |
| Spa to George Town | 35 | 7 | 27 |
| Geroge Town to Mall | 20 | 0* | 20 |
| Mall to George Town | 20 | 0* | 20 |
| George Town to Food Court | 15 | 0* | 15 |
| George Town to Batu Ferringhi | 60 | 14* | 46 |
| Batu Ferringhi to Airport | 90 | 32* | 58 |
| Total | 425 | 104 | 321 |
- During the weekend there was an Uber promotion that offered a discount on 5 ringgit on each ride upto 30 rides.
Here are few tips that can help you use Uber to get around easily in a foreign country.
1. Buy a sim as soon as you land
At most airports you'll find kiosks selling mobile sims, go to one and buy a sim that is data centric but also has some talk time. Though you'll find the sims are cheaper in downtown, but one trip from the airport to the city will make up for the difference.
2.Download an offline map
Sometimes Uber will not pick up your location with perfection, it's then you'll need the google maps to point your exact location. Having an offline map will save you a fortune on data charges, also having a map will make your trip convenient in many ways.
3.Be prepared to call
Sometimes drivers like to call you before the start driving towards your location. Since Uber will show your home number, no driver is going to make an international call. So if you don't see the driver moving on the map for 2 minutes, call him up and tell him you're waiting for him.
4.Keep an open eye for offers
Keep an eye on the app notifications, google for offers or even talk to the drivers to check there is a promotion going on. In my case it was my Uber driver who told me the coupon code, no points for guessing how much I rated him.
I hope this will make up for a fun holiday without horrors of haggling.