[deleted]
Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
41–50 of 90 posts
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#42I 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.
Huh, I've always thought of chatting as the default in taxis (though not limos). Drivers seem to usually engage in small-talk with me, at least in California and southern Europe. I'm so used to it that the first time I took a taxi in Scandinavia, where the default is no chatting, I was sort of weirded out by the awkwardly silent ride.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#43You get what you paid for.
[deleted]
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#44As the original poster to Facebook that Travis is responding to, I'd just like to add a few thoughts here. First, I'm an early adopter of Uber and have been + remain a big fan of the company. Second, I commend Travis for taking the time to write out his thoughts and provide a well-thought out response--even if I don't fully agree with everything he wrote. Third, I think it's a good sign for Uber that a) people care enough to be talking about it...passionately; and b) their CEO is involved in the debate. Fourth, the quality in SF has been declining for those of us with a longitudinal view over time, and even if the top-line metric of overall reviews inflates the NPS score, the fact that this is striking a chord with "power users" should be alarming. Fifth, I think this is correctable, and is not unique for a company scaling this quickly. Thanks everyone for the debate. - Noah Lichtenstein
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#45We 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…
Uber claims [1] they have a "series of rigorous screening tests, including a background check, an in-person screening, a city knowledge exam, and other ongoing quality controls".
If true, that would seem to address your point about screening driver quality. But a number of people are reporting drivers who don't really know their way around the city, which suggests (if those reports are true) that the city-knowledge exam is either not rigorous enough, or somehow not testing the right thing.
[1] http://blog.uber.com/2013/02/25/uber-sf-to-add-more-drivers-...
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#46I 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.
Does the change in social dynamic result in an improvement in service? I don't think most people are looking for a social dynamic this form of transportation. Most people that I know are looking for friendly, clean, and efficient. Were friendly isn't intrusive unwanted discourse.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#47[deleted]
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#48Anything is better than waiting an hour for a taxi to show up, and then having to call a friend because the company just forgot about you.
I have had this happen to me so when I see people concerned about waiting 8 minutes instead of 2 I have to wonder, do they want the cars to have wings? 8 minutes sounds pretty good to me.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
Uber claims [1] they have a " series of rigorous screening tests, including a background check, an in-person screening, a city knowledge exam, and other ongoing quality controls ". If true, that would seem to address your point about screening driver quality. But a number of people are reporting drivers who don't really know their way around the city, which suggests (if those reports are true) that the city-knowledge…
I guess the problem is work ethic then, no follow through.
Which is why a feedback system is critical: bad drivers need to be expunged from the system, IMO.
EDIT: Perhaps undercover employees would be a good mechanism to flush out these drivers.
Re: Uber CEO responds to concern that Uber's SF service is decreasing in quality
#50I 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.
I wonder if this is a regional thing. Other than when in a group or when the driver was preoccupied on their cell, I've always made small talk with taxi drivers and uber drivers.