Uber drivers pick up passengers until app's final moments
Mr Peter Tung, 48, was picking up passengers via the Uber app all the way early yesterday morning, when the app was shut off.
He signed up with Uber last year to earn extra income while travelling around Singapore as a first-aid trainer.
The last six weeks since the announcement of the merger have been busy for drivers like Mr Tung. With many drivers switching over to rival Grab, he said that he is almost assured of bookings.
"Demand for Uber rides continues to be high. The waiting time might be longer because we need to cover a greater distance, but passengers are very understanding," said Mr Tung.
When The New Paper spoke to him yesterday afternoon, he said he was going to stay with Uber till the end.
He said: "I'm old-school so I'll fight to the last man. I'll keep driving for Uber until the white flag is up."
The white flag appeared a little earlier than expected - the app was prematurely shut off yesterday morning, but was later turned back on and remained available until the end of the day. Uber later apologised in an e-mail to users.
Mr Tung noted that a large proportion of Uber users tended to be tourists, who may be more familiar with the app, with its more global reach.
Mr Tung said that every time he picked up tourists, he made it a point to remind them that Uber's days were numbered and Grab was an alternative.
He has signed up as a private-hire driver with Grab, but has not yet started driving for them.
Purchasing manager Tony Seng, 46, said that he continued to drive for Uber because it is upfront with any additional charges that riders might incur, such as toll charges.
Mr Seng said friends who had switched over to Grab told him riders sometimes leave bad reviews or make complaints when they find out they have to pay more for toll charges at the end of a Grab ride.
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