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

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#61

Post by jasonbarone » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:23 PM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #23

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?

Yea odd, I blame it on my inexperience with the city. I lived in East Village and Lower East Side and had all of the scenarios I mention. In fact, on a rainy night once I had the "I don't know how to get there" happen twice in a row. On the first vehicle I got out of the car and hailed another, then I responded to the next driver that I would tell him where to go with my GPS.

I got the broken credit card at least twice, both in a yellow cab and green cab coming into Manhattan. I had cash on me and didn't complain until I later found out they're not supposed to do that.

I'm surprised you haven't gotten dirty cabs. I'm certainly not the type that has to be in some spotless car, but I honestly can't remember seeing a clean cab back in NY. The days following a rain storm are the absolute worse too as the floors and seat backs often covered in mud. I think the worst are broken A/C or window-down cabs in 90 degree summer. Those things smell horrible.

Again, I'm not picky by any means but using Uber was better in almost every way for me in NY and I stopped using cabs immediately.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#62

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:24 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

#63

Post by wcummings » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:24 PM UTC

I use Uber when I occasionally take taxis in Boston, but I never used in NYC. It takes longer to hail an Uber and squint at a hunch of license plate numbers in the dark looking for your driver than it does to hail a cab. There's cabs everywhere.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#64

Post by hx87 » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:31 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #57

pjc50 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What happened to the legendary driver ratings system enforcing politeness?

High turnover would be my guess. The rude driver you see is on his way out, only to be quickly replaced by another one.

I wonder if it would be possible (and legal) to use machine learning algorithms to determine which driver applicants are likely to have low ratings.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#65

Post by potatolicious » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:32 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #60

brendoncrawford wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In contrast to that, in Los Angeles, Uber drivers quite often are not familiar with the area they serve, so they are glued to their navigation apps. This can not only create unsafe driving conditions, but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride. If convenience, comfort, and customer service are not a priority, and I just need to get somewhere fast, the taxi is still the way to go.

> but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride I never imagined navigation apps could suck like that! I have no love for Uber, but I always imagined any navigation app will on average outperform even a knowledgeable driver.

It's often not the navigation directions that suck, but the ability for the driver to drive effectively while glued to the GPS unit.

I remember this one time in an uberX where the driver missed the Manhattan Bridge onramp turnoff 3 times in a row and had to circle around. The GPS directions were good, but inexperience also includes being unprepared to execute the directions given to you.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#66

Post by HoyaSaxa » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:33 PM UTC

Uber really doesn't have that great of a value proposition in NYC IMHO. While Uber provides a huge value add in most markets via markedly lower rates and the convenience of not finding a taxi, this is not the case in NYC. Drivers still need to be licensed by the taxi commission so rides end up being more or less the same cost all in with the 20% tip as a normal yellow cab. More importantly, a cab is often the worst way to get from point a to point b in Manhattan. The subway and/or the bikesharing program, Citi bike, are generally the fastest ways to get around from 8AM to 8PM. Even if a cab/uber is going to be your best option, cabs are generally always available within a minute or two of waiting on any Manhattan corner while Ubers usually take 5-10 minutes to arrive depending on traffic and the time of day. It really boils down to population density. NYC is simply too dense to give Uber a logistical advantage like the majority of its markets.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#67

Post by hx87 » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:33 PM UTC

ethanbond wrote: post #21

ihsw wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'll hold the criticism until Uber drivers start using short wheelbase Camrys with vinyl seats and dividers (resulting in no legroom at all).

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#68

Post by 1024core » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:34 PM UTC

I don't know about Brooklyn, but when I was traveling in India, Uber was a lifesaver.

In the past, you had to leave your dwelling to venture out into the streets, looking for the auto-rickshaws ("tuk-tuk"s). Then you had to haggle with them about the price (no one used a meter). Then, only if they felt like it was worth it, they'd agree to take you there.

With uber, you tap the app and the ride appears outside your door. No haggling about the fare. Since Uber pays them by the ride (and not the distance), it's in their interest to get you to your destination faster. And my Uber app that I installed in US worked flawlessly. All in all, it made taking taxis a totally different experience.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#69

Post by hx87 » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:34 PM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #23

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?

I hate those screens--so loud and so difficult (or impossible) to mute or turn off. If I want infotainment, I have a cell phone in my pocket.

Re: In Brooklyn, Uber is now bigger than taxis

#70

Post by dragonwriter » Mon, Sep 26, 2016, 3:35 PM UTC

TeMPOraL wrote: post #60

brendoncrawford wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In contrast to that, in Los Angeles, Uber drivers quite often are not familiar with the area they serve, so they are glued to their navigation apps. This can not only create unsafe driving conditions, but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride. If convenience, comfort, and customer service are not a priority, and I just need to get somewhere fast, the taxi is still the way to go.

> but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride I never imagined navigation apps could suck like that! I have no love for Uber, but I always imagined any navigation app will on average outperform even a knowledgeable driver.

> > but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride

> I always imagined any navigation app will on average outperform even a knowledgeable driver.

On average, probably. Worst case and on-average aren't the same thing, though.