Über Uber – Tuesday, 9 June

Holy moley, was that easy. When I got into the welcome/meeting area outside of baggage claim at Charles deGaulle I pulled up Uber’s app. It knew my location, so I just entered my destination and hit "request."  The system responded that my driver would be there in 1 minute. My phone rang. I answered. A man's voice said hello. It was the man walking immediately to my left!  (Clearly they stage themselves there waiting for a request.) His face matched the one given me on the confirmation screen.  We walked over to his car. We headed into town.

The page that was
texted to the
apartment manager

Along the way, I was able to look at the app to see where we were, what our projected route was, and when we’d arrive.  I was able to text the apartment manager a link that would show him when I’d arrive, obviously continually refreshing itself as traffic conditions caused timing changes (not that he actually looked at it, but that’s another whole story!),

Fare: 50 €, charged to my credit card on file, no tip needed.

The easiest and most feature-rich airport-to-city transportation I've ever experienced.

Ain’t technology grand?!?

UPDATE: Uber suspended its services in Paris on the 3rd of July due to violence and legal complaints. Hopefully, the service will return later this year after legal issues are resolved.  More info here:  Reuters Article