That said, Taxi drivers have something Uber drivers don’t- a union.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Taxi_Workers'_Alliance
That said, Taxi drivers have something Uber drivers don’t- a union.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Taxi_Workers'_Alliance
The big difference here is that I know the cost. Getting into a cab it was always kind of blind, and a cab driver definitely tried to screw me one time by driving in circles (we were very drunk, and I noticed at some point we hadn’t made it very far, so I started paying attention and it was clear pretty quickly that he had circled back almost to where he had picked us up).
Also when I lived out in Queens, cabs rarely came out there. I had to hike all the way to Queens Blvd to have a chance, and even then they would barely stop at night. Would often get told to “get out” when asking for them to take me back to Queens. I’ve even been able to get a Uber out almost out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.
Lyft/Uber definitely has their problems, but cabs weren’t some shining beacon on the hill.
Uber can drive in circles and up your fare too… They have per ride, mile, and minute fare just like taxis. The coverage thing is just a problem with New York’s medallion system. But also, speaking from experience, rideshare drivers can and will refuse rides into places they don’t want to go. The difference is you’re talking with dispatch instead of a single driver so they get replaced without you knowing anything. Traditional taxi companies also have a dispatcher you can call and they will handle the recalcitrant drivers, but they may also negotiate a dead head fee.
But guess what? Uber and Lyft build dead heading directly into their fee structure. If you go out of the zone you pay an extra fee so the driver isn’t completely out of luck making money.
Uber and Lyft really are just digital dispatchers for privately run taxis.
I’ve taken hundreds of ubers and it’s always been within cents of the price I was quoted. I’ve taken hundreds of cab rides and only a handful of times was in given a price before hand.
I think it’s fair to say I know the price when it comes to an Uber and even if they can drive around to raise the price, it’s going to be obvious.
And on that note, at an airport near me there is a close by convenience store and if the Uber doesn’t want to take the fair, it’s know they will sit in there and wait for the customer to cancel it so they don’t get the hit. I’ve had it happen to me, contacted uber, and they gave me a discount on my next ride. I’m sure they don’t want to give away money, so I assume they are dealing with the driver at that point.
And I’ve had hundreds of cab rides that were just fine, and the fare was exactly what I expected. You cannot come in here comparing the excesses of one system against the normal usage of the other system and not get called on it.
“what I expected” please expand. Other than maybe having done the trip before a number of times (which would account for a tiny fraction of the rides I took), and even then time of day would affect the price, I really had very little idea what the ride would cost, especially if we’re talking within cents.
I’ve never had surge pricing in cabs. And yeah trips around your own town that would have been done multiple times.
When I drove, the destination was hidden until you start the ride.
That wasn’t true in the beginning, they did that because drivers were refusing rides. And drivers still try to conflate the expected fare with distance and even cancel rides after seeing the destination. Yes they can get removed if they do that too much but that doesn’t stop it from happening.
I’ve heard from Uber drivers that a longer trip can increase the price, but I’ve never seen it happen
They don’t advertise it. I’m not even sure customers can see it.
I dunno about you guys, but using a rideshare app, I’ve been canceled on numerous times, by multiple drivers. Often at the last minute, when maybe he app thinks they’re taking too long to reach me? I had a driver I was watching get closer and closer to me, and when they were around the corner the app changed my driver to someone a couple miles away. That shit didn’t happen with taxis because we weren’t reliant on some shitty algorithm that is only coldly making the most rides happen per minute to get higher margins for the company.
There are definitely drawbacks to the old school cab system, but I don’t like the app system. Sure, the meter would go up as you drive and sometimes you’d have to have an idea of where you’re going to not get screwed by a dishonest driver, but the app also randomly charges way more for the same ride depending on the app’s fuckin mood.
Crazy what we’ve let private companies do just because they marginally made our lives somewhat more convenient (on the surface).
Surge pricing. Ugh.