So you have called Uber for a ride and have confirmation that somebody is coming to pick you up.
But finding your driver might not be so easy, especially if it's dark, you are on one side of the street and the driver is on the other, or say three dark-colored Toyota Corollas pull up to the designated meeting spot at the same time. You don't want to get into the wrong one.
Things are about to get easier, at least in Seattle. Uber is testing a new technology called SPOT, which allows passengers and drivers to find each other by use of color.
Passengers who use their smartphones to arrange for transportation will be asked to choose a color - yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, or green - that appears in the app. If matched with a driver equipped with the SPOT technology, the device on the driver's windshield will light up with the passenger's chosen color when he or she arrives at the pick-up location.
The passenger can also hold up their phone, which will glow with the color selected. That will help the driver easily find the passenger.
Since Uber drivers don't always have identifying marks like taxicabs, the move is aimed at preventing mix-ups and making pick-ups easy.
"SPOT is the latest experiment in our ongoing effort to make Uber pickups as seamless as possible," the company said on its website. "When riders and drivers can easily find each other, we're able to trim down wait times, which is a win for everyone."
Photo: Uber
