Uber has recently launched UberPOOL, a new option to make rides cheaper and cut down on emissions and mileage.
From a ‘keep the planet healthy’ point of view, this sounds very attractive. The option would mean reducing the number of cars on the road, which would lead to less traffic.
While that all sounds wonderful for environment, I am not too sure about having to share my Uber with a complete stranger that happens to be going in the same direction. Am I the only one that has alarm bells going off in her head?
Sure sharing an Uber with a person can cut down the price of the ride by a pound or two, but to be completely realistic, if you are already spending the money on the taxi ride home, what is an extra fiver? Saving a few pounds is definitely not worth my safety.
I know Uber drivers are theoretically strangers as well, but they go through variety of background checks before they are certified as a safe driver. We as riders do not have to go through any kind of system, we just put in our basic details and we are ready to ride. Riders and can be just as dangerous as drivers: for example, last month a video of the driver being attacked by the drunken man in California went viral on the internet.
Uber cannot guarantee my complete safety on this POOL journey. They cannot control what the passengers do, so who is to say the complete stranger you are sharing the trip with will not write down where you were dropped off and try to find you again?
I would much rather pay the full price of the trip on my nights out, especially when I am not completely sober, than jeopardise my safety and possibly gain a stalker while I am at it.
Thank you Uber, but I will keep the random strangers out of my ride and I will stick with UberX and splitting the fare among the friends I am with.
Megan Kelly 
Caterina Magnoni