[ghshephard]

Regarding ETA times - They were really, really good on the Peninsula in the bay area - over 50 or so rides, and ETA of 5-15 minutes would usually be within 2 minutes of the correct time.

Here in Dubai - they are ludicrously incorrect. I'll see a "8 minute ETA" that turns out to be 35 minutes, more often than not.

This seems to be a very solvable problem. During certain hours, traffic is very slow. I've only been here a month, but I can tell you at 3:30 - 4:30, you need to add about 15-20 minutes if you are going near the interchange at Wafi Mall - That's without even taking into account the various traffic flow indicators that I'm sure Uber has access to.

[colinbartlett]

I gave up on Uber in Dubai. It seems like the maps aren't accurate enough there - or the roads are under too much constant construction. Because it would take drivers 20 minutes to find me.

After presenting my complaints, Uber gave me a nice credit for my troubles and confirmed it was a difficult operating environment due to local conditions.

[ekanes]

Consider that Dubai might have different cultural norms as well, which could affect drivers' hurry/accuracy factor.

[ghshephard]

That's not it - I've taken UberX here about 15 or so times - and the drivers have all been courteous, professional and timely. A lot of them are black car drivers as well, so it's hit and miss when you summon an UberX vehicle, you might just end up with a Lexus a professional driver.

When I see where the cars are, and where I am, I can usually make a guess as to how long they will be based on a months worth of local knowledge - another example is traffic flows to/from Sharjah, the emirate next to Dubai. In the morning all the traffic comes from Sharjah, and in the evening it all goes the return direction. The Exact same trip from Business Bay in Dubai to Al Qusais might take 15 minutes or 60 minutes - but the time is entirely predicable - Uber just doesn't seem to do it here.