In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis • Hacker News Board

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#21

Post by ethanbond » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:21 PM UTC

ihsw wrote: post #18

ethanbond wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Important point: while costing to the customer the same, if not more. The result? Uber operating at huge losses. The result of that? Well, austerity measures. You can already see the signs of Uber starting to clamp down and make their service worse and worse. Recommended pickup locations -> No longer door to door? Assigning next rides before the previous one has completed -> No longer "feeling like a baller" while yo…

Not parent commenter but I'll still take that over filthy cabs and sketchy-as-hell drivers.

You must've missed my point. I would too. However,

> There's no comparison right now, but there will be soon.

The things that I just listed are the things that are already happening, and their VCs haven't even started demanding their money back. And this is all if everything goes swimmingly for them. No massive regulatory hits, no demands for insurance, no declaration that drivers are employees, etc.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#22

Post by potatolicious » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:21 PM UTC

ethanbond wrote: post #17

jasonbarone wrote: post #15

When I moved to New York a few years ago all it took was a handful of taxi rides to figure out that Uber will eventually put them out of the business. I've had drivers lie about not knowing where to go, intentionally take longer routes, and lie about credit card machines while trying to get rides from New York to Brooklyn, or Brooklyn to Brooklyn. To add insult to injury nearly every single cab is filthy and smells h…

Important point: while costing to the customer the same, if not more. The result? Uber operating at huge losses. The result of that? Well, austerity measures. You can already see the signs of Uber starting to clamp down and make their service worse and worse. Recommended pickup locations -> No longer door to door? Assigning next rides before the previous one has completed -> No longer "feeling like a baller" while yo…

Agree. The UberX experience is just getting worse and worse over time in NYC - won't be long before it gets to yellow cab levels, if not worse.

UberBlack is fine as always, you get what you pay for.

Drivers are getting consistently worse - both in knowledge of streets and in general behavior. I'm a bit sympathetic - they're getting squeezed hard by Uber and the system can be draconian - but the reality is that I get more asshole behavior from UberX drivers nowadays than I do from yellow cabs, which are at least consistent in their mediocrity.

I feel like UberX is going to go down as a brief, glimmering moment when ridehailing was cheap and good, before economic reality picked one of the above, not both.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#23

Post by rayiner » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:25 PM UTC

jasonbarone wrote: post #15

When I moved to New York a few years ago all it took was a handful of taxi rides to figure out that Uber will eventually put them out of the business. I've had drivers lie about not knowing where to go, intentionally take longer routes, and lie about credit card machines while trying to get rides from New York to Brooklyn, or Brooklyn to Brooklyn. To add insult to injury nearly every single cab is filthy and smells h…

I take cabs all the time (in Manhattan). I can't remember the last time I've been in one that's "filthy" or where the driver didn't take cards. All are pretty recent model cars with those screens in the back.

Maybe its different in the boroughs?

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#24

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:26 PM UTC

jasonbarone wrote: post #15

When I moved to New York a few years ago all it took was a handful of taxi rides to figure out that Uber will eventually put them out of the business. I've had drivers lie about not knowing where to go, intentionally take longer routes, and lie about credit card machines while trying to get rides from New York to Brooklyn, or Brooklyn to Brooklyn. To add insult to injury nearly every single cab is filthy and smells h…

[deleted]

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#25

Post by Hydraulix989 » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:26 PM UTC

potatolicious wrote: post #22

ethanbond wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Important point: while costing to the customer the same, if not more. The result? Uber operating at huge losses. The result of that? Well, austerity measures. You can already see the signs of Uber starting to clamp down and make their service worse and worse. Recommended pickup locations -> No longer door to door? Assigning next rides before the previous one has completed -> No longer "feeling like a baller" while yo…

Agree. The UberX experience is just getting worse and worse over time in NYC - won't be long before it gets to yellow cab levels, if not worse. UberBlack is fine as always, you get what you pay for. Drivers are getting consistently worse - both in knowledge of streets and in general behavior. I'm a bit sympathetic - they're getting squeezed hard by Uber and the system can be draconian - but the reality is that I get…

UberX is becoming UberLateModelPrius here in SF

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#26

Post by potatolicious » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:27 PM UTC

Hydraulix989 wrote: post #25

potatolicious wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. The UberX experience is just getting worse and worse over time in NYC - won't be long before it gets to yellow cab levels, if not worse. UberBlack is fine as always, you get what you pay for. Drivers are getting consistently worse - both in knowledge of streets and in general behavior. I'm a bit sympathetic - they're getting squeezed hard by Uber and the system can be draconian - but the reality is that I get…

UberX is becoming UberLateModelPrius here in SF

I'm less concerned about it being UberLateModelPrius (a not-fancy car was always part of the deal with X), but I've noticed last time in SF it was becoming UberFilthyLateModelPriusWithRudeDriver. That I do mind.

They're becoming just like the cabs they replaced, just without the brightly colored paint jobs.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#27

Post by bogomipz » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:29 PM UTC

Brooklyn has always been underserved by Taxis. Brooklyn has traditionally been the domain of "black cars" which are premium private livery services. So this isn't saying very much. Also he author states:

"October 12, 2015 marked the first day that Uber made more pickups in Brooklyn than yellow and green taxis combined."

First of yellow cabs don't operate in Brooklyn, the only way to get a yellow cab in Brooklyn is to happen to catch one who just finished dropping someone off on a Manhattan to Brooklyn fare and happens to have his "on duty light on." The will generally on put this light on if they aren't too far into Brooklyn as they don't want to continue further in.

Yes there are geen "Boro cabs" that were introduced in 2013 but even these underserve much of the outer boroughs so again this says less about Uber and more about the Boro Taxis failings in Brooklyn. Source:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/new-yorks-green-cabs-stay...

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#28

Post by ethanbond » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:30 PM UTC

solutionyogi wrote: post #20

ethanbond wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Important point: while costing to the customer the same, if not more. The result? Uber operating at huge losses. The result of that? Well, austerity measures. You can already see the signs of Uber starting to clamp down and make their service worse and worse. Recommended pickup locations -> No longer door to door? Assigning next rides before the previous one has completed -> No longer "feeling like a baller" while yo…

>>> Recommended pickup locations -> No longer door to door? Assigning next rides before the previous one has completed -> No longer "feeling like a baller" while your driver is fielding calls from other customers with you still in the car Above is applicable only if you use UberPool. It's a great way to save money.

Nope. I've had one of the above (or both) happen for all 5 of my most recent Manhattan UberX rides.

To be clear, I'm not talking about someone joining your UberPool ride. I'm cool with that, I chose Pool after all. I'm talking about how now, Uber will assign your current driver to his next rider before your ride has ended. As in, he will drop you off and he will already have been assigned the next rider to pick up.

I like the optimization, I don't like the fact that then the next rider will start calling the driver asking where he is/why he's going this direction/why he's taking so long etc.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#29

Post by ThomPete » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:32 PM UTC

ethanbond wrote: post #17

jasonbarone wrote: post #15

When I moved to New York a few years ago all it took was a handful of taxi rides to figure out that Uber will eventually put them out of the business. I've had drivers lie about not knowing where to go, intentionally take longer routes, and lie about credit card machines while trying to get rides from New York to Brooklyn, or Brooklyn to Brooklyn. To add insult to injury nearly every single cab is filthy and smells h…

Important point: while costing to the customer the same, if not more. The result? Uber operating at huge losses. The result of that? Well, austerity measures. You can already see the signs of Uber starting to clamp down and make their service worse and worse. Recommended pickup locations -> No longer door to door? Assigning next rides before the previous one has completed -> No longer "feeling like a baller" while yo…

Uber just have to survive until self-driving cars are a reality.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#30

Post by Tan__ » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 2:34 PM UTC

As someone who lived in Manhattan and just moved to Brooklyn, I can totally see why Uber is more popular than taxis.

For one it usually costs less. And two, depending on where you live there is no guarantee a taxi is around the corner. Uber is more convenient.