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Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

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Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#231

Post by tlogan »

I have one question for somebody knowledgeable about this market.

Why companies like YellowCab do not offer something similar to Uber? They developed the app but the app is jut front end to dispatcher: so there is no guarantee that cab will actually come (I tried it).

For example, ability to pre-pay taxi via iPhone so that there is guarantee that cab will actually pick me up. Or maybe hailing taxi via iPhone? Or something like Lyft Line?

Is management of cab companies to blame? Or is it taxi drivers?

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#235

Post by akgerber »

joemaller1 wrote: post #78

In the last few years NYC has closed stretches of Broadway (a significant north-south corridor) to traffic, squeezed vehicle lane widths to add bike lanes and introduced several measures to slow or impede traffic so the city is safer for pedestrians. These are all very good things, but they come with a cost. Reducing the surface area of roads does not magically remove cars from the roads, it just creates congestion a…

Reducing the complexity of a large number of intersections (AKA closing & narrowing Broadway) can move traffic through them more quickly: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pedestrians/broadway.shtml 'Travel speeds for northbound trips throughout West Midtown improved 17% from fall 2008-2009, compared with 8% in East Midtown.'

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#236

Post by discardorama »

usaphp wrote: post #164
ajays wrote: post #163

Services like Uber definitely need some regulation. I drove from downtown SF to the Castro this evening, and witnessed 4 separate incidents of Uber drivers being reckless and/or discourteous. Things like: driver stopped in the leftmost lane, at a green light, because he suddenly decided that he wants to turn right instead of left; driver stopped in the right lane to pick up passenger, when he could have just stood in…

What does it have to do with Uber? A lot of drivers are doing that, and don't even get me started on taxi drivers in New York City, they just do whatever they want on a road.

I have noticed the same in SF.

> What does it have to do with Uber?

If these are Uber drivers picking up/dropping off passengers, then it's Uber's problem, isn't it? Setting aside the contractor/employee dispute, these drivers are engaged in activity for which they'll get money from Uber, so it definitely is Uber's problem.

> A lot of drivers are doing that

Not in SF. I've lived here 10 years, and never saw this level of ineptitude. These days whenever I see a driver being an asshole, I immediately check to see if it's an uber driver; and 9/10 it is. I sometimes work in a cafe which is on a corner; and I've lost count of the number of times I've seen Uber drivers doing a U-turn at the stop sign, confusing other traffic.

> don't even get me started on taxi drivers in New York City

Irrelevant, since we're talking about SF.

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#237

Post by CaptainApathy »

soyiuz wrote: post #217
zschallz wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even the yellow cabs within Manhattan would not take me places within Manhattan when hailed. They would stop and ask where to-- when I told them where (touristy areas) they'd just drive off.

"It is against the law for a taxi driver on duty to refuse to pick you up because of race, disability, or destination within New York City." http://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/2599/yellow-taxi-c... Write down their licence plate if this ever happens and report. Otherwise, as has been said: get in first then address always.

In grad school I worked part time for the city's non-emergency 311 help-line and took several calls related to taxi complaints. The process may have changed since then (early 2000's), but it's not a very friendly process for the individual making the complaint.

The person making the complaint is required to show up for a hearing, in person, at a date and time determined by the TLC, to present her complaint to a panel of "judges." The driver is also required to show up and to present their side of the story. My understanding is that they almost always find in favor of the complainee, even when there's no evidence and it's the driver's word vs. the complainee's. After the third judgment the driver loses their license.

So on one hand making a complaint is far more difficult than poorly rating a driver on a phone, a process that takes almost no effort. But on the flip side the complaints that were processed were taken very seriously and had very real repercussions.

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#238

Post by pavel_lishin »

jrockway wrote: post #48

I don't really like Uber's business practices but they do fill an essential niche in New York City. A couple years ago, the city allowed independent car services to paint their cars green and take street hails. They previously did this, of course, but it wasn't legal. And of course, not every "black car" became a green cab, so this still happens. It's the standard way to get around the outer boroughs of New York. I w…

> The "ridesharing services" rectify this problem; I've never had an Uber driver refuse to take me anywhere. If the licensed taxis want to be free from competition, they need to follow their own rules.

This is because all hails on Uber are tracked, and enough refusals would be noticed, and the driver would be fired.

It's shitty that green (or yellow) cabs do this; there should be a way to hold them accountable, but for now there is a stop-gap solution: lie.

Get in before telling them your destination. If they don't let you, lie and say you're going to somewhere in Brooklyn, then change your mind. As soon as you hear them begin to complain, snap a photo of their cab number, and start dialing 311.

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#239

Post by pavel_lishin »

humanrebar wrote: post #229
juliangregorian wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh? Isn't having a competing taxi hailing app the definition of competitiveness?

It's a portal provided by the government (through a contract). It's may be competitive for taxis (that's an empirical question, I think), but it's not competitive in terms of algorithms, ratings systems, predictive taxi distribution, etc.

> it's not competitive in terms of algorithms, ratings systems, predictive taxi distribution, etc.

Isn't that for the market to decide? :)

Re: Uber has defeated Bill de Blasio’s plan to rein them in

#240

Post by pavel_lishin »

dbcooper wrote: post #62

Caught a taxi tonight in Paris. 5 euro but jacked up to a minimum of 7, driver claimed he couldn't give me change. He spent 5 minutes pretending to have no change, then gave me 2 euros in coins plus a 10 in exchange for a 20. Great. Taxi services have practically begged for Uber etc to destroy them.

> driver claimed he couldn't give me change.

Are taxis in Paris not supposed to be able to accept credit cards?

In New York, if a cab's card reader is broken (hey, it happens) they're supposed to inform you of this before beginning the ride. If they don't, you get a free ride.

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