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Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

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Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#81

Post by mrgoldenbrown »

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #41
beaglesss wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Always carry an object capable of smashing out a window when you ride in a 3rd world taxi

Why? They don't have child locks on the doors. You're gonna be stuck trying to explain to somebody why you think it's OK to carry around a life hammer when you inevitably have to go through a metal detector. Plus cars in developing countries aren't built as heavily as ones in the west - you could probably just kick the window out if you need to. Just don't wear flip flops everywhere. You're probably going to be some…

Don't know about developing countries but in the US (Boston) I have encountered cabs with the rear door lock mechanism broken so that we couldn't get out until the driver unlocked the doors. Luckily I wasn't by myself but it was creepy.

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#82

Post by lxgr »

paxys wrote: post #80
lxgr wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> airports enforce this rule for a reason. What is that reason, and why are things handled so differently for taxis?

Have you tried writing to your local airport authority and asking them the reason? Or are you automatically assuming that there's a grand conspiracy at play against you? In most cases it's a simple capacity problem. Taxis have to be hailed physically, and there are already reserved taxi stands at every airport. There's no reason for that to change.

I don't think this is a conspiracy at all, just a pretty standard case of an incumbent getting preferential treatment (why else do taxis get a reserved taxi stand, but Uber/Lyft don't?) and an "innovator" disrupting at any cost and externalizing the consequences (in this case congestion throughout the terminal and surrounding streets).

A more efficient stable state is clearly not being reached through market forces, but since there will never be agreement on whether that's due to too little (get rid of the medallions!) or too much market liberalization (ban the rideshares!!), and the only thing everybody can agree on is that a public transit solution is impossible, I don't see any way out.

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#83

Post by outcoldman »

My experience with Uber/Taxi in Sweden. Got out of ferry, need to go to the airport, 40 minutes drive. There are a lot of taxies at the ferry terminal, sure, I talked to them, asked how much is to Airport, they all replied "by meter". Well I know you can set any rate to your meter. And all of them drove that route a lot of times, nobody gave me an estimate. So I have ordered Uber. Uber driver asked me how much Uber is going to charge me, and offered that he would cancel the ride, and I will pay him directly. I declined, just because I want to support Uber. I understand, that maybe some rides are not as beneficial as others, but give me a reasonable estimate, and I will agree to it.

But this behavior of taxi drivers that would rather do one drive in 2 hours instead of 2 rides, and they make approximately the same amount of money - that is what created Uber/Lyft. Passengers frustration with the taxis.

And I had bad experiences with Uber/Lyft and with Taxi. Cars can be filthy. But what I need: easy way to order a car, know exactly how much I am going to pay (estimate is fine with adjustment to changing traffic/time), what I don't want - not knowing if they will decide to charge me between 50-300 EUR/USD. That is not an estimate.

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#84

Post by Night_Thastus »

beaglesss wrote: post #4

This makes no sense,why wouldn't Uber just increase rates and take a cut rather than let the drivers eat their lunch? What incentive do they have to charge less than the market will bear?

While I think undercutting competition is true, I think there's another aspect - common with food delivery apps.

If Uber (or others) actually charged what it would really cost to perform the service, pay a fair wage, etc - the resulting price would be so high that the average user wouldn't accept it.

The only way they've been able to get any interest at all is by finding every possible way of keeping the price way lower than it should be. Mostly be underpaying drivers.

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#85

Post by amarcheschi »

outcoldman wrote: post #83

My experience with Uber/Taxi in Sweden. Got out of ferry, need to go to the airport, 40 minutes drive. There are a lot of taxies at the ferry terminal, sure, I talked to them, asked how much is to Airport, they all replied "by meter". Well I know you can set any rate to your meter. And all of them drove that route a lot of times, nobody gave me an estimate. So I have ordered Uber. Uber driver asked me how much Uber i…

In italy taxis are one of the most important lobbiy, along with industrial groups and beach license owners. I'm not joking

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#86

Post by iammjm »

danielfoster wrote: post #15

I remember using Uber in Kenya. Half the time, I had to reject the ride because the license plate on the car did not match the app.

Out of safety reasons? In Europe I never even considered checking if the plates match, i also wouldn't care if they didn't

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#87

Post by nradov »

lxgr wrote: post #73
paxys wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber/Lyft's system is that taxis wait in a (virtual) queue in an airport parking lot, and when you request one they come to the terminal to pick you up.

Yeah, and that's arguably absurd. It creates dozens of people and dozens of cars all in each other's way. It's complete and utter chaos I've not experienced in any other country.

No, that's not how it works. The ride share drivers wait in a parking lot near the airport. Then when you hail one using the app they come pick you up in a designated zone. The app notifies you when your car arrives and you can check the license plate. It works fine most of the time, there's very little chaos. Have you ever even been to a US airport?

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#88

Post by lxgr »

outcoldman wrote: post #83

My experience with Uber/Taxi in Sweden. Got out of ferry, need to go to the airport, 40 minutes drive. There are a lot of taxies at the ferry terminal, sure, I talked to them, asked how much is to Airport, they all replied "by meter". Well I know you can set any rate to your meter. And all of them drove that route a lot of times, nobody gave me an estimate. So I have ordered Uber. Uber driver asked me how much Uber i…

> Well I know you can set any rate to your meter.

Do you mean meter manipulation? I think that's pretty hard at least in the places I've taken taxis in. What's much more common for taxis (and much harder to prove) is taking a circuitous/slower route on purpose.

>But what I need: easy way to order a car, know exactly how much I am going to pay

Same for me, and Uber has been hit and miss on both lately.

I've both had drivers cancel on me (or even ask me to cancel so they don't take the Whuffie hit) because they don't want to go to some place, and drivers taking detours for which Uber would later charge me (as "unexpected extra time").

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#89

Post by egorfine »

twelve40 wrote: post #11

It always amazed me how Uber was able to quickly force itself into the most criminal markets (which in poorer countries is typically anything that has to do with taxis). But in hindsight, after a quick surprise win worldwide, they were eventually forced out. In Russia, weirdly enough, not by criminals but by a quasi-state company, starting back in 2018. In parts of Mexico, by what seems like outright criminals and co…

> It always amazed me how Uber was able to quickly force itself into the most criminal markets

We had a horrendous taxi market in Ukraine, before Uber. We knew Uber is coming for about a couple years prior to the first ride, so the market decided to prepare.

Cut to Uber opening in Kiev: they have managed not only to get the worst drivers (drug addicts, drunk people, outright fake accounts, etc), but they have pushed the bar far lower. There weren't a taxi service as bad as Uber ever before.

OTOH, one of the previously worst services decided to preemptively compete with Uber and became one of the best I have ever used. Perfect cars, excellent drivers, top-notch service and support, incredibly, unbelievably good.

So there's that.

Re: Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

#90

Post by gopkarthik »

lxgr wrote: post #59
johncessna wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This used to be very common in the US especially around airports where drivers wait for up to an hour to get a fare and want to make sure it's worth the wait. It may still be happening, but I just go straight for the cab to avoid the hassle.

The US airport rideshare model (if you even want to call a largely emergent phenomenon that) must be one of the most wasteful things in transportation ever. Why do I have to wait for, and find, my specific Uber/Lyft out of a sea of otherwise identical ones that are all in each other's way, all while idling and wasting tons of fuel? (I know that the legal answer is "taxi medallions"; that doesn't make it any less absu…

Uber/Ola at Indian airports do not actually assign you specific driver/car. You are given a PIN & asked to go queue at the relevant counter (Premier, Electric, XL, Go etc). You just get into the car then, tell your PIN & the ride starts.
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