SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy • Hacker News Board

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#41

Post by Grishnakh » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:32 PM UTC

bobby_9x wrote: post #34

Grishnakh wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Um, I thought the reason cabs are so terrible is not because of unionization, but because it's a cartel , and it's given that power by the government because of the issuance of licenses (called "medallions") which ensure a limited supply of cabs, artificially restricting competition.

"but because it's a cartel, and it's given that power by the government because of the issuance of licenses (called "medallions") which ensure a limited supply of cabs, artificially restricting competition." Right, the unions. It's not a corporation that is artificially restriction competition, it's the unions. These unions have deals with the government. The same thing happens in the auto industry.

No, that's not a union, that's a cartel. A union is an organization of labor, not company owners. And it's the cab owners who have the deal with the government.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#42

Post by niccaluim » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:32 PM UTC

kw71 wrote: post #5

What's it like to ride in a SF taxi? I'm not a frequent taxi user, but last time I rode in an NYC cab, the partition made me feel like I was going to jail and the advertising screen made me feel like I was riding public transportation. No doubt the normal private cars are more comfortable.

Harrowing. They drive like maniacs.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#43

Post by Tiktaalik » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:32 PM UTC

mayank wrote: post #27

Grishnakh wrote: post #4

Too bad, so sad... If they hadn't allowed their service to get so horrible, with nasty old cars, drivers that don't speak English and drive around in circles to increase fares, drivers claiming their card readers are "broken" so you have to pay cash, taking an hour to show up when called, passing by black people, etc., then this wouldn't be happening. From the article: "Cab drivers, on the other hand, maintain that t…

> Who cares about knowledge of city streets? Funny story: for a while in SF, the taxi union (?) was running ads that were thinly veiled attacks on Uber/Lyft. One of them showed a smiling taxi driver with the caption "would you rather have a driver who knows the city by heart or by GPS?" I found it particularly hilarious because the answer, for me at least, is GPS with live traffic information. Just another example of…

I have had a SF cab driver input the wrong address in GPS and start driving the entirely wrong direction, so it is pretty good to have a driver that knows the city. Hilariously though, this clueless driver wasn't a Uber/Lyft driver, but a traditional taxi cab driver!

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#44

Post by pyrocat » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

artursapek wrote: post #32

gergles wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What, of course there is. There's a red button in the lower-right hand corner you can hit to turn it off in most cabs; granted, there are some where you cannot turn the screen 'off' but you can turn off the display of advertising on it (and it just then says "Touch here to resume").

That "off button" doesn't turn it off, it makes it goes into a silent slideshow mode showing you more ads with an equally bright screen. Point is you can't win against the ad machine.

Take a brick with you.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#45

Post by Grishnakh » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #23

mahouse wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not saying it's Uber's case, but yes, in many cases, some businesses only exist because they evade taxes. That's the reason lobbies exist.

My argument is that we shouldn't allow businesses to exist that flout the law, taxes or otherwise.

So you think we should shut down the oil companies and agriculture companies and all the large banks?

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#46

Post by muaddirac » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

kw71 wrote: post #5

What's it like to ride in a SF taxi? I'm not a frequent taxi user, but last time I rode in an NYC cab, the partition made me feel like I was going to jail and the advertising screen made me feel like I was riding public transportation. No doubt the normal private cars are more comfortable.

Where I live there is a minimum fare of $75 imposed on Uber cars leaving from the airport. I took an Uber there and had a great, simple experience ($34 fare) but had to take a taxi back when returning from my trip.

The cab was falling apart. One of the doors didn't open from the inside. The axles made horrible, periodic thunking sounds (I'd guess the CV joints but am no car expert). The engine light, the wheel stability light, and the SRS warning light lit up the dash. The cab driver drove 10-15mph over the speed limit and nearly side-swiped several other cars. I asked to pay with a card and was met with a grunt of disgust, even as I added a standard 10% tip.

I understand there are some regulation issues related to Uber in many cities, but given the experiences I've had, I can't wait to be rid of taxis.

I should add that in London I had the opposite experience, where the standard cabs (and official app) were fantastic, but Uber was price gouging during a tube strike.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#47

Post by artursapek » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

gkoberger wrote: post #21

kzhahou wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What makes U&L lower cost? Just the lack of driver health insurance and benefits?

There's a lot of snarky answers, but some things off the top of my head why Uber can be cheaper: * More efficient (less down-time driving around) * People use their own cars (no need to buy/maintain taxis) * Less overhead (no need for managers, dispatchers, etc) * No taxi medallions * More popular, so more rides * Subsidized by VC money (Okay, kinda snarky, but legitimate) The last point about subsidization sounds ba…

I am really looking forward to self-driving cabs. When I see what the job does to people I usually feel bad for them. It sucks getting in a cab whose driver is a jerk, but I honestly can't expect them to be happy with a job like that. People shouldn't have to be doing that job.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#48

Post by voltagex_ » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

mayank wrote: post #27

Grishnakh wrote: post #4

Too bad, so sad... If they hadn't allowed their service to get so horrible, with nasty old cars, drivers that don't speak English and drive around in circles to increase fares, drivers claiming their card readers are "broken" so you have to pay cash, taking an hour to show up when called, passing by black people, etc., then this wouldn't be happening. From the article: "Cab drivers, on the other hand, maintain that t…

> Who cares about knowledge of city streets? Funny story: for a while in SF, the taxi union (?) was running ads that were thinly veiled attacks on Uber/Lyft. One of them showed a smiling taxi driver with the caption "would you rather have a driver who knows the city by heart or by GPS?" I found it particularly hilarious because the answer, for me at least, is GPS with live traffic information. Just another example of…

The "union" here in Australia has been running campaigns too, sometimes with hilarious results [0].

0:http://www.smh.com.au/national/my-cab-driver-fell-asleep-tax... (warning, autoplay video)

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#49

Post by pbhjpbhj » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

RickS wrote: post #37

mayank wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Who cares about knowledge of city streets? Funny story: for a while in SF, the taxi union (?) was running ads that were thinly veiled attacks on Uber/Lyft. One of them showed a smiling taxi driver with the caption "would you rather have a driver who knows the city by heart or by GPS?" I found it particularly hilarious because the answer, for me at least, is GPS with live traffic information. Just another example of…

I can appreciate both sides of this. There are lots of times that uber's maps will ignore an alley that would prevent having to circle the block, or will try to send a driver on the highway for one exit when going between 4th and 9th, which is a horrible idea. There's a particular brand of driving that feels like "Only barely keeping it together because of the GPS" that's a little uncomfortable. A confident driver wi…

You can probably buy GPS data for travel between any two given locations that will indicate the most popular routes and how long they took - from cellphone companies, Google and the like? Do driver routing companies (deliveries, taxis and such) do this to discover implied optimal routes?

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#50

Post by Larrikin » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 10:36 PM UTC

daeatenone wrote: post #24

Grishnakh wrote: post #4

Too bad, so sad... If they hadn't allowed their service to get so horrible, with nasty old cars, drivers that don't speak English and drive around in circles to increase fares, drivers claiming their card readers are "broken" so you have to pay cash, taking an hour to show up when called, passing by black people, etc., then this wouldn't be happening. From the article: "Cab drivers, on the other hand, maintain that t…

The one thing that cabs do have going for them is no surge pricing. During peak weekend hours where surge pricing is 2x+ on both Uber and Lyft, cab fares stay the same. That's the only time I find myself taking a cab.

In Tokyo, taxis all suddenly become way more expensive after last train.