Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis • Hacker News Board

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#101

Post by codyb » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:19 PM UTC

asavadatti wrote: post #92

codyb wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you ignore the tip? Points one and three are valid, and you should always hop in before you direct, but ignoring the tip on what is essentially a luxury good (metro is $2.75 a ride and you can transfer as many times as you need to get where you need to go) is quite rude when it's expected and part of the culture. If you can't afford to tip your taxi driver, take the train. Sorry.

That is no justification for the driver to be rude or snarky.

Hmm, I'm not sure if I agree.

In certain Asian households it is expected that you take your shoes off, if you know this, and still stomp around the household in your shoes, would you say there was no justification for the owner of the household to be rude or snarky?

You might be able to argue that the enlightened person might say "I don't know what has happened to this person today, or why they're doing this, and I will try to find out their story before assuming they're just being an uncultured ass", but there is certainly justification, especially when it comes to the fact that these people are earning their livelihoods in this way and the tips are an essential part of that.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#102

Post by cmurf » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:24 PM UTC

I can pretty much guarantee the city will find a way to screw this up, one way or another. There is a pile of money behind the monopolies called medallions. Those owners expect their monopoly enforced, or why bother? Clearly going into debt to buy a newish card to get better Uber rates is a better economic decision than going into debt to buy a medallion which doesn't directly do jack squat for you. So the city in turn will want its cut somehow: it'll be a tax, or a fee, or both, probably multiple fees.

A while ago the city found income taxes weren't enough, and the state and feds didn't give them enough, so there's a separate NYC income tax. And then that wasn't enough so if you're a small business there's a separate unincorporated business tax. It's not enough to just add a new line or worksheet to compute this tax, it's a whole separate form, a whole separate set of duplicative questions, a separate mailing address, a separate check. And then that wasn't enough so they created the MCTMT income tax, which again is a separate form, separate mailing address, and its own check.

The tax amount isn't as costly as the additional bureaucracy generated at both ends of the equation. Raise the rate? Nah. Add a new line for computation? Nah. They want completely separate offices, forms, addresses, and their own check.

Oh and each one of those wants separate estimated income tax payments made 4x per year. It's just insane.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#103

Post by mahyarm » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:26 PM UTC

mgob wrote: post #33

Spooky23 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more than that. There's a finite number of people seeking a ride, it's a zero sum market where the supply of rides will crash, and Uber will jack up the rates. Uber ultimately will have enormous leverage to submarine any meaningful competition and even to displace public transit. Their national scope will make them a force to be reckoned with.

The idea that uber will replace public transit in NYC is laughable. Sure, there is a group of rich yuppies (and their parents) that will gladly give uber their business, but NYC's transit system serves a much, much broader demographic of customers that cannot and/or will not to pay ten dollars or more every time they want to get around the city.

What is the unsubsidized price of an NYC transit ride? For example, the unsubsidized price of a MUNI ride in SF is $10. So there is an edge case where a subsidized uber-like service would be cheaper than MUNI for the state.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#104

Post by thoughtpalette » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:29 PM UTC

StriverGuy wrote: post #78

brianwawok wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here is the problem 1) Uber comes in pays well - sources on the net for hip drivers - You get awesome English speaking nice drivers 2) Uber starts to drop rates 3) Good Uber drivers quit for lack of pay, existing cabbies start to drive for Uber 4) You end up getting the same cabbies as before Uber, but with surge pricing. It takes a while, but eventually it ends back up in the same exact place as before :( Totally ha…

You obviously arent aware of how the Uber app works. If a driver receives only 1 or 2 severely low ratings, they are contacted by their managing office. After warnings they will eventually be fired. Uber adds a level of accountability that NYC cabs do not have.

Per my driver last night, if you do get dropped from Uber because of poor ratings (minus 4.7 I believe), you just pay $60 to go to a Driver Enlightenment class to get reinstated in Uber.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#105

Post by dreaminvm » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:29 PM UTC

codyb wrote: post #80

CodeSheikh wrote: post #30

I would take Uber over rude Manhattan cabbies any day. My personal experience with Manhattan taxi drivers after living in NYC for last two years. 1) They drive as if they are on a rally track. I have had never experienced motion sickness before until I moved to Manhattan. 2) If you ignore the tip or tip them in the range of $1-3 you get snarky remarks from them. 3) If you try to hail a cab and (regrettably) ask the t…

Why would you ignore the tip? Points one and three are valid, and you should always hop in before you direct, but ignoring the tip on what is essentially a luxury good (metro is $2.75 a ride and you can transfer as many times as you need to get where you need to go) is quite rude when it's expected and part of the culture. If you can't afford to tip your taxi driver, take the train. Sorry.

A tip is additional compensation for great service solely at the discretion of the passenger.

If cab drivers expect a tip regardless of service quality, then the tip might as well be added to the cab rate.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#106

Post by Mikeb85 » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:29 PM UTC

codyb wrote: post #101

asavadatti wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is no justification for the driver to be rude or snarky.

Hmm, I'm not sure if I agree. In certain Asian households it is expected that you take your shoes off, if you know this, and still stomp around the household in your shoes, would you say there was no justification for the owner of the household to be rude or snarky? You might be able to argue that the enlightened person might say "I don't know what has happened to this person today, or why they're doing this, and I w…

> In certain Asian households it is expected that you take your shoes off

As well as all of Canada (when we have a house party, there can be a pile of 30+ shoes at the front door, and someone inevitably loses one or both shoes), and most other countries...

Shoes in the house is the strangest part of the US to me.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#107

Post by finnh » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:33 PM UTC

beambot wrote: post #97

mbca wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The quality of Uber drivers in San Francisco has dropped all the way to the point where I simply will not try to use Uber anywhere near downtown. They will accept the ride and the app will show they are "1 minute" away, however it will often take upwards of 15 minutes for them to reach me because they don't know their way around the city and are confused by all the one-way streets in downtown. I promise I"m not exagg…

Sounds like an opportunity for Uber to improve their software to include GPS navigation for fare pickup.

No joke. When my brother uses Uber on the south end of Mercer Island, it regularly shows the "closest" car as being in Seward Park - about 1/2 mile away across a lake. The bridge of course is far north, and pretty much every Uber in Seattle's downtown or centrally-located neighborhoods is significantly closer than the one Uber picks.

Seems like they are simply using as-the-crow-flies distance, which is kinda crazy.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#108

Post by motxilo » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:41 PM UTC

tajen wrote: post #91

suneilp wrote: post #51

I can't say I'm sorry to hear taxis lose business. Uber is being innovative and I like it. Taxi drivers, from what I understand, have been getting shafted for a long time by a corrupt system. Uber drivers might not be making bank, but from what I can tell they are doing better. If I'm wrong about please correct me, I'd love to hear some feedback on that. I often ask Uber drivers if the pay is worthwhile since I don't…

Few professions attract as much despise as taxis, and this is worldwide. Hotels and hostels being undercut by AirBnb because of taxes? Yes we could have some compassion. Taxi drivers? Unanimity against[1]. Worldwide . The debate is not only for NYC or DC. It's knowing that your transportation service in Paris, Kinshasa or Moscow has a 4.5 rating. [1] I don't even have a personal opinion on this, personally I loved ca…

In Madrid? Prfff, you were lucky, my friend. I lived there for 4 years and I see them as the Mafia on wheels.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#109

Post by Agustus » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 8:56 PM UTC

nextweek2 wrote: post #23

I am pleased with progress but it does seem like Uber is on track to be the next PayPal, eBay, Facebook. Ten years down the line are drivers going to be complaining about the Uber tax after a price hike?

Ten years down the line the drivers will be replaced by automated vehicles.

Re: Uber Is Taking Millions of Manhattan Rides Away from Taxis

#110

Post by dotBen » Wed, Oct 14, 2015, 9:11 PM UTC

brianwawok wrote: post #57

cm2012 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But currently Uber is cheaper than cabbies anyway. You're saying Uber will drop rates even lower?

Not rate to customer. Rate to drivers - which makes the good drivers leave. In a new market Uber will pay something like 95-110% of fares taken in to drivers (not exact numbers, would need to look). Over the long run I think it drops to 60-70%, or something significantly worse (as clearly paying drivers 110% of income is not sustainable).

Not true. Uber sets a commission (differs across different markets) with a new driver and that's what they get from the miles + time portion of the fare.

If Uber decides to change the commission it almost always grandfathers existing drivers to what they had when they joined.