I think some of it might be self-inflicted too rather than purely a scaling issue. Anecdotal evidence here but probably relevant- I got a mail from Uber a while back, where (presumably) some automation noticed that I was taking a bunch of uber rides to the airport when I was in Boston, but never from, so it offered some Uber credit to use from the airport. I was pretty stoked that Uber had such great analytics and this past Saturday, requested an uber when I landed. Once I got picked up however, it was a different story, with the driver claiming I had "tricked him" and that it was illegal for him to pick anyone up from the airport and that Uber had specifically given him guidance not to pick anyone up from the airport. Clearly there was some miscommunication there and although he calmed down once I explained my side of the story, it still creates a bad experience (probably for both the customer and the driver). Uber support was reasonably prompt in getting back to me but it was somewhat of a non-reply and I still don't know if picking people up at Logan Airport is a supported scenario or not. However, my positive experiences with Uber far outweigh the negative ones and I think Uber still has that built-up goodwill going for it which should cushion it through these growing pains.
Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
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Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#32I've definitely had mixed experiences with Uber in San Francisco; In LA the drivers were excellent, here it seems to be hit or miss.
This seems to be a particular problem as regards UberX. With the Surge pricing making UberX more expensive, it's not really worth it for me if I have to show the guy where to go and he's not nice or accommodating in any way.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#33You get what you paid for.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#34I prefer taking Lyft to Uber because with the former the default mode is friendly conversation. When you take an Uber the assumption is that neither of you will talk to each other, like in a Taxi or Limo. In this sense Lyft is more revolutionary than Uber because it fundamentally changes the social dynamic, not just the economics.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#35> All of Uber's old school power users have gotten used to Uber and simply expect our service as a baseline at this point. What I mean is that as you have gotten used to Uber, your expectations of basic fundamental service have risen. Yeah ... no. I got fed up with taxi service in SF about 2 years ago and started using Uber. At first I was astounded: very clean cars, very nice drivers who were accommodating and pleas…
My recent experiences have been identical. A few janky cars (especially on UberX), drivers that don't seem to use the GPS, one guy who took a cash tip from guests that I sent with him, etc. It's actually a totally fine level of service for me but it's quite a ways from the awesome experience of 2 years ago. Perhaps it is time for them to implement a distributed force of "mystery shoppers" to provide detailed feedback.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
It was candid, but before I'd call it conspicuous I'd like to see him explain the driver on-boarding process and the level of knowledge it requires of city routes. This especially applies to UberX. I think it'd help everyone adjust their expectations.
Knowledge of city routes isn't THAT relevant when you can easily depend on Google Maps. Almost every time I use Uber, the drivers have used Google Maps if they didn't readily know where I wanted to go and I didn't mind them using it either. It instill confidence in me that they're following an optimized route provided by Google.
I don't know how it is for SF, but in LA, Google's routes are not necessarily optimal, particularly at rush hour. I like Uber, and many of the drivers I've had have been great, but there's definitely been a handful of trips where I thought drivers relied on Google's routing when they shouldn't have.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Knowledge of city routes isn't THAT relevant when you can easily depend on Google Maps. Almost every time I use Uber, the drivers have used Google Maps if they didn't readily know where I wanted to go and I didn't mind them using it either. It instill confidence in me that they're following an optimized route provided by Google.
I don't know how it is for SF, but in LA, Google's routes are not necessarily optimal, particularly at rush hour. I like Uber, and many of the drivers I've had have been great, but there's definitely been a handful of trips where I thought drivers relied on Google's routing when they shouldn't have.
I guess I'm speaking as someone who grew up driving in the era of smartphones and readily available GPS so even when I personally drive, I depend HEAVILY on Google maps. Like I'd really be lost without it.
I guess not relying on GPS map routing is something that I cannot fathom. It always impresses me when friends can just rattle off highway routes and directions.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#38We started using Uber this year to get to the airport. Though we are happy with the price, and very happy with the ease of scheduling, every single ride has made me uncomfortable with the safety and comfort of the service. Over four rides to the airport this year, these things have happened: 1) Three of the times the drivers claimed the AC wasn't working, and we had to drive on the interstate with the windows down. 2…
This is the problem with Uber.
Most drivers, don't give two shits about the job. And it's hard to blame most of them if you understand the dispatcher-model they generally work under. It's very cut-throat and has high pressures.
While this isn't an excuse on Uber's part, I think it's where Uber can step in and improve things. Originally Uber's goal was too make Taxi's an app. They've succeeded with that. Now they need to improve quality, and not necessary the quality of the app, but the drivers. They have to force a cultural shift through an antiquated market, where education levels are highly variable. They should test a drivers knowledge about Uber and ensure they know what customer expect in terms of service. On the flip side, it should be very clear to the customer what they should expect in terms of service.
They also need to improve there mechanism for feedback. They need this because they must force out bad drivers. It's single handily ruining their reputation.
Uber is great, the drivers are variable.
All that said, I live in a city and almost completely replaced my taxi usage with an eBike, so I hardly use the app anymore, but when I was a regular user (10-20 rides a month). Classical dispatching companies were much more reliable then Uber.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#39Perhaps the reason that the quality numbers have been mostly flat is because drivers have been pushing to get 5 star reviews. In case you didn't know, as a customer of uber, the driver gives you a star rating just like you give the driver. A lot of people in SF have figured that out, and a lot of time I'll get an offer of "5 for 5." The drivers are letting you know that if you give them a 5 star rating they will give…
Why they push for five stars: apparently you get fired if your star rating falls below 4.6 or 4.7 (can't remember which.)
Source: Uber drivers, so biased, but have you ever seen a driver with a 4.5 rating?
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#40Uber, at it's worst, is still far better than any experience I've had with traditional cabs.