“But the Uber app says 40 minutes.” “No, no. It will only take 30. No problem.”
I always chuckle at stories like Lucky’s race through Brussels and now I have an almost identical one of my own.
Friday evening we arrived in Vienna at 4:20p but did not reach the airport curb until about 5p. Unlike their Germanic neighbor to the west, Uber is legal in Austria. The rate from the airport to the Park Hyatt Vienna was 30EUR which seemed to make more sense than paying roughly the same price for two train tickets.
We ordered an Uber X and moments later a slick black Mercedes E-Class pulled up. The driver popped open the trunk, we loaded our bags, and took a seat in the back. Traffic was heavy in the airport departures area, but we soon pulled out of the airport and onto open road.
I asked the driver how long the journey would take, noting the Uber app said 40 minutes. “No, no. It will only take 30. No problem” was his response.
Without warning, the driver goosed it. We lurched ahead, quickly accelerating to 140km/hr! This was not a highway or Autobahn — we were just on a road. I don’t mind high speeds, but the driver was weaving through traffic around cars, nearly ran a red light (thankfully it was a long yellow), and used the bike lane to bypass traffic.
We took corners quickly and upon every instance of a clearing in traffic, the driver rapidly accelerated, taking us far above the speed limit.
Needless to say, the driver was not joking: we made it to the hotel in 30 minutes despite rush hour traffic.
Honestly, I enjoyed the ride. Still, it was a totally unnecessary risk to save 10 minutes.
Just a friendly warning: if you’re using Uber in Vienna, be aware of a stealth black Mercedes!
That guy sounds awesome.
I’ll be making that exact journey in July. Can’t wait to request my UberX and make the most of that life insurance policy.
*makes a note to sedate you first if I ever give you a ride*
“The rate from the airport to the Park Hyatt Vienna was 30EUR which seemed to make more sense than paying roughly the same price for two train tickets.”
The train tickets are 3.90 Euros per person, so two train tickets would be 7.80 Euros.
Not for the fast train. I would have been happy taking S-Bahn if I were alone, but Prince John doesn’t ride public transport.
The “fast train” is only faster by a few minutes – if you happen to want to go to its only destination. While the normal, cheap train has stations before that, that might be better to change into the subway to whereever you want to go.
so, in this article you complain about getting driven to your destination, in a car a class above what you paid for, 25% faster than it should be, therefore being even cheaper.
i dont get it? 140 is just slightly above the speed limit, and totally the norm on that section of track, since the autobahn connects directly to the airport…
I don’t hear myself complaining.