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WE’VE ALL BEEN there before. You order a taxi, and you’re on the journey home and the music chosen by the driver is, well, questionable at best.
Well if you’re with Uber, a taxi company that also allows you to ride-share, you won’t have to worry about that as earlier today, it announced a new partnership with Spotify allowing passengers to choose play their own music through the car speakers (provided it’s not Taylor Swift).
The partnership will begin on 21 November in ten cities – London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mexico City, Nashville, Singapore, Stockholm, Toronto and Sydney – with the promise that it will be rolled out to more cities (including Dublin) over the coming weeks.
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While it may come across as a fun distraction, there are some caveats. For one, you will need a Premium account to use it (although you will get a free week of Premium which starts once you take your first music ride), and if you’re an Android user, you will have to take one or two extra steps before it starts playing through the car.
Another concern is that you have really bad taste in music and you’ll subject your driver to your undying love of Rebecca Black’s Friday. Or worse, you’re one of those people who regularly skips music and can’t seem to settle on a track.
In that case, maybe it’s better to stick to headphones (and turn on private session while you’re at it).
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I hope so. Hailo is a great app that benefits both drivers and passengers. Über has a nasty business model and engages in some pretty ruthless and predatory pricing. Lyft is on the ropes.
Love uber and spotify… Used it in SF, LA, London, NY and Singapore this last three months. It’s great your account works in any country you land in. Takes Credit cards, earns airline miles and emails the receipt for expenses.
London uber drivers speak poor English and frequently don’t know where they’re going… One last week drove to Shoreditch when I told him The Shard over and over… Ended up having to direct him. But it costs £12-£13 instead of thirty in a black cab.
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