A few weekends ago at dinner, which was accompanied with many drinks, as our final course came to a close, our group began asking me where a classy, but fun bar was nearby to continue our conversation and consumption. If you’ve read anything else I’ve written you would know that my obvious choice was Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar. Luckily our group was the rowdy loud "Don’t Stop Believin’” singing types, so we took our last bites, gulped down our last sips and were off to the bar. This situation should be familiar to many of you avid bar goers. Increasing levels of intoxication led me to believe it was coming close to the time for us to leave and I made the move to text my friend about finding a way home. I sent him this: “We should probably get an Uber, I'll pay.” He gave me a weird look from across the table and quickly responded to my text: “What's an Uber lol?” 

My friend had been working for his new job in Midland for sometime and I didn’t realize that the Uber product had yet to reach west Texas. In case you are also confused about what the hell an Uber is, I am going to provide some information about this attractive new company. 

Uber utilizes an app that you can download on your smartphone. It instantly connects you to a pool of ride sharing drivers rather conventional taxi drivers. Different than your regular taxi, all payments are handled directly through the Uber app, no exchange of money occurs between the driver and the rider. Rather than a typical taxi, a.k.a. a retired police vehicle painted yellow, Uber cars typically include all black Lincoln Town Cars, Cadillac Escalades, Chevrolet Suburbans, BMWs and Mercedes.

The company is quickly becoming a global competitor to the regular yellow taxicab companies, but has not reached as many locations yet. They have faced legal issues with some cities. The most commonly accused offense is illegal taxicab operation, in other words, not being a licensed taxicab company and/or not having legally licensed drivers. Despite these problems, Uber has still been highly successful in over 35 major U.S. cities. They have even begun spreading globally and can be seen in cities such Dubai, Mexico City, Bangkok, Shanghai, Paris and Tokyo.

After all was said and done that night, I got an Uber and my friend cabbed it home. As we both got into our separate cars, my friend hopped into a dirty yellow minivan taxicab and seemed so very average while the Uber made my date and I look like celebrities as we hopped in the back of a black Lincoln Town Car. 

The reality is that no one wants to get into and out of a beat up yellow cab when they could be royalty for the night arriving in a badass Mercedes-Benz S550 and leaving with a crew headed to the after party in an all black Cadillac Escalade. Not to mention the ease of not having to fumble around for cash for the driver or have him use that credit card copier from the 1990s. The simplicity of Uber and the feeling of exclusiveness and sophistication is a perfect fit for the current culture of young people.

What that says about us is an issue that I won't get into, now. But all you need to know is if you're feeling like a pimp go ahead and brush your shoulders off as you step out of an Uber looking like a badass.