It’s a situation dreaded by all clumsy tourists: you hail down a taxi and clamber in, confidently mispronounce your desired destination and speed straight off in the wrong direction. Soon ensues a conversation in which neither party knows what the other could possibly be saying. Eventually, you arrive, empty your wallet and wish you’d taken a bus.
But those heading to Dubrovnik and Split this summer need not worry about the confused, confusing – and often cantankerous – taxi driver. As of 11am on June 2nd, Uber has arrived at the two Dalmatian cities.
Since launching in 2009, the divisive taxi company has changed the face of taxi services globally. To order an Uber, a customer simply taps into their smart phone app and sets their location. Payments are all electronically, automatically processed, so the journey is hop-in-hop-out easy, with no need to swing by an ATM. While most modern city dwellers possessing of an iPhone love the convenience it brings, other taxi services claim it is unsafe, illegitimate – and taking over the world.
Uber launched in Croatian capital Zagreb more than six months ago, and it has been welcomed by tourists and locals alike. Davor Tremac, the general manager of Uber in Croatia, said ''We want to contribute to local tourism on the Croatian coast and make it even more attractive for the millions of tourists who visit our country…In Zagreb we have been around for more than six months and provide a safe, reliable and cost effective option to move through the city - and user response is fantastic. Today we are working on making our services available at a national level.”
The minimum price for an Uber will be 15 kuna: the starting price of the Uber service is 9 kuna, the price of each kilometer is 5 kuna, and the price per minute is 0.5 kuna. Common destination will have fixed rates – Split - Dubrovnik will set you back 1,500kn, Pile (Dubrovnik) - Dubrovnik Airport (Cilipi) will be 180 kn and the Port of Gruz – Pile will cost 55 kn.
To celebrate their Dalmatian launch – their latest step towards world domination – Uber is giving out free rides to Dubrovnik dwellers and visitors over the coming weekend. From Thursday 2nd June to Sunday June 4 at 12am, anyone can order up to two Uber trips. Quote BESPLATNIVIKEND to claim your free journeys, and see how it feels to ride through the scenic city streets without even a hint of miscommunication-induced panic.