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SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

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Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#171

Post by HappyTypist »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #88
k-mcgrady wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "drivers took my word over the GPS every single time when I gave directions" So wouldn't a driver knowledgable of the city streets that you don't ever have to give directions to be better? I use Uber all the time but I find that regular taxi drivers are better in traffic as they tend to know ways around it the GPS doesn't provide. I also regularly get GPS focussed drivers taking 1 turn too early and driving in a c…

It'll be super funny when self-driving cars are seen following the at-times-ridiculous GPS directions. For the foreseeable future, I wouldn't want to be in a car without a steering wheel.

You know how in Google maps you can drag and modify routes and it'd modify the route? Id imagine self driving cars will support that.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#172

Post by HappyTypist »

orf wrote: post #134
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…

In London I actually find the opposite. I like Uber and the convenience, but all the drivers are foreign and don't know their way around. More than 3 times I've been taken a hugely longer way round because the driver blindly followed the terrible Uber GPS, literally adding 15-20 minutes to the journey for no reason. Sure, I can get some of the cash back (and it is super easy to do so) but I would like for them just t…

Drivers can use any GPS they want. The uber gps is Apple maps.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#173

Post by tw04 »

HappyTypist wrote: post #170
rhino369 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GPS still doesn't beat a good driver 9 out of 10 times for city driving. Uber drives consistently miss exits, head down clearly mistaken paths created by GPS errors, sit there staring at the GPS rather than the road I uber to work everyday and 90% of the time the uber driver blindly follows GPS through an alley that isn't really meant for traffic, ignoring the much simpler and faster route that whatever GPS uber uses…

I absolutely agree. This is compounded if you take UberPOOL because the driver is expected to follow the GPS route (for multiple pick ups to work). If you give me a clean car, reliability, and a driver who knows the city, I'd gladly get a taxi even if it's maybe 15 to 20% more.

I'm confounded as to how these uber drivers who either live in the city, or drive through it every day, don't know the city. How does that even happen?

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#174

Post by dietrichepp »

alanh wrote: post #147
seanp2k2 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It'll be super funny when self-driving cars are seen following the at-times-ridiculous GPS directions. For the foreseeable future, I wouldn't want to be in a car without a steering wheel.

Haha, apparently you are being downvoted for being a realist. (Oh, fun, me too. Looks like I need to drink some kool-ade.)

You're not being downvoted, the comment is, because it doesn't contribute to the discussion.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#175

Post by kasey_junk »

godzillabrennus wrote: post #115
rayiner wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber is sometimes more convenient and sometimes not. Downtown Chicago, NYC, or DC, it's more convenient hail the cab already driving by you. In the burbs Uber is more convenient. From Union Station in DC I take Uber, even though the cab line is way more convenient. It's about 40% cheaper accounting for no tip. Silicom Valley subsidizes my morning commute!

Disagree about that in Chicago. Can companies often claim their meters are down or go the "long way" to jack up the fare. Uber and Lyft have justly eaten up the market here.

Never, not once in 15 years, have I had a cab claim their meters are down. I've suspected a padded fare a couple of times but the difference was so small, that as a native I didn't notice. Credit card readers being down used to be a common refrain, but seems to have gone away in the face of Square.

What I have had, not commonly but often enough that it no longer surprises me, is extremely racists statements about where I live (I'm a white south sider which seems to attract crazy talk). This has occurred in taxis, Uber & Lyft. I've even had Uber and taxi drivers (Lyft isn't immune, just small sample size) try to refuse to drive me home after picking me up. I've reported these incidents to either 311 or the respective apps. With the apps I have no idea of the effectiveness. With 311 I had a case number assigned and received an update months later when a driver lost their license over a racist incident.

If I really had any complaint about Uber & Lyft is that it seems to have driven the profit out of livery cars and really created a race to the bottom in that market. I used to much prefer private cars for most things, but now the difference isn't worth paying for except for prescheduled events.

All that said, I use taxis, Uber, Lyft & livery cars with some regularity, and my usage of them largely is based on convenience not quality of service. Taxis when I'm in the loop or some other busy spot, Uber/Lyft when I need an adhoc ride elsewhere, and private cars for scheduled rides.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#176

Post by nommm-nommm »

rhino369 wrote: post #60
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…

GPS still doesn't beat a good driver 9 out of 10 times for city driving. Uber drives consistently miss exits, head down clearly mistaken paths created by GPS errors, sit there staring at the GPS rather than the road I uber to work everyday and 90% of the time the uber driver blindly follows GPS through an alley that isn't really meant for traffic, ignoring the much simpler and faster route that whatever GPS uber uses…

I've had Google maps tell me to go the wrong way down a one way street. Two different times! You gotta be paying attention to where the GPS is telling you to go. Knowing the roads in invaluable for a driver. That being said I've had many cabbies who had no idea where they were going.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#177

Post by rahimnathwani »

rhino369 wrote: post #60
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…

GPS still doesn't beat a good driver 9 out of 10 times for city driving. Uber drives consistently miss exits, head down clearly mistaken paths created by GPS errors, sit there staring at the GPS rather than the road I uber to work everyday and 90% of the time the uber driver blindly follows GPS through an alley that isn't really meant for traffic, ignoring the much simpler and faster route that whatever GPS uber uses…

"GPS still doesn't beat a good driver 9 out of 10 times for city driving."

Most of your data points are from a single route (your daily commute) and this may not be representative for all trips, even within your city.

I live in a city with significant variation in traffic patterns from day to day, and GPS with traffic info performs much better than someone who knows the roads.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#178

Post by kelnos »

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…

In my experience in SF, all Uber drivers who use the nav built into the Uber app fail at this. They never know which roads tend to be choked with traffic during different parts of the day, and it's rare to end up with a driver who actually knows the city well.

Drivers who use Waze (still a minority, it seems) tend to do much better.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#179

Post by kelnos »

tw04 wrote: post #173
HappyTypist wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I absolutely agree. This is compounded if you take UberPOOL because the driver is expected to follow the GPS route (for multiple pick ups to work). If you give me a clean car, reliability, and a driver who knows the city, I'd gladly get a taxi even if it's maybe 15 to 20% more.

I'm confounded as to how these uber drivers who either live in the city, or drive through it every day, don't know the city. How does that even happen?

From what I can tell, the vast majority of SF Uber drivers don't live in SF, and to make matters worse, most seem to have only been driving for Uber for a matter of months. Routes and traffic patterns are actually more complicated than you might expect, and it can take quite a while to figure it all out.

Re: SF Yellow Cab to file for bankruptcy

#180

Post by pmcginn »

rhino369 wrote: post #60
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…

GPS still doesn't beat a good driver 9 out of 10 times for city driving. Uber drives consistently miss exits, head down clearly mistaken paths created by GPS errors, sit there staring at the GPS rather than the road I uber to work everyday and 90% of the time the uber driver blindly follows GPS through an alley that isn't really meant for traffic, ignoring the much simpler and faster route that whatever GPS uber uses…

My own experience is just the opposite--I've never had a problem with Uber but have had plenty of problems with taxis. Just yesterday coming home from the airport the taxi driver got off the highway in the wrong neighborhood, ignored my verbal directions three separate times, and when he finally got to my house refused to get out and help me with my luggage.
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