Getting a taxi in London is not a broken concept. It is easy to flag down a taxi and there are a lot of them all over the place. They have a great charging structure, charging for distance, not time. They are safe and the taxi drivers are reliable and certified to be knowledgeable on the geography of London.
Introducing UberTAXI
51–60 of 65 posts
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
> ...from a company with less questionable ethics Ok, I'll bite. What is questionable about Uber's ethics?
They are shifting all of the liability to the people who can least afford it. So far they have done everything in their power to not protect drivers like in the case last month. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Uber-denies-fault-in-S... An uber driver killed a girl, but Uber is claiming they are not liable because he did not have an active fare at the time. It is unlikely this driver can ever make the family who…
Not to say that Uber does not have questionable ethics, but I think your two examples are wrong. Uber is now insuring their drivers as long as they are logged into the app. http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/14/5508568/uber-expands-drive...
The car seizure you reference was in Belgium for a service that technically complies with local laws according to Uber and they are providing legal assistance to the two owners of the seized cars. http://tech.eu/news/screw-innovation-uber-already-deemed-ill...
You mention that so far Uber is covering the legal costs without an obligation to do so. So that makes them bad?
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#53So... it's like a taxi?
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#54I find the rise of Uber fanboys very interesting. Is it real or are they bots?
I love Uber and I'm real. It's a great service, really efficient, and not that expensive. I rely on it multiple times a week.
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#55Getting a taxi in London is not a broken concept. It is easy to flag down a taxi and there are a lot of them all over the place. They have a great charging structure, charging for distance, not time. They are safe and the taxi drivers are reliable and certified to be knowledgeable on the geography of London.
[deleted]
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#56As a non Uber customer, why would I use this over Hailo? And why would Uber customers opt for a more expensive taxi when the same application has a cheaper option? When I use black cabs here in London, I'd much rather use an established and local product from a company with less questionable ethics. That's Hailo.
> ...from a company with less questionable ethics Ok, I'll bite. What is questionable about Uber's ethics?
insurance situation is still quite ambiguous; also no phone number - even for emergencies. Get into a worst case scenario accident, and a passenger dies in your Uber? Sorry no phone number, send an email with details and pics.
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#57I find the rise of Uber fanboys very interesting. Is it real or are they bots?
Real. Been using it since 2010. Unapologetic fanboy.
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
In Chicago some licensed cab drivers use Uber to process their payments with the Uber Taxi service. You can call a cab with the app, pay the normal fare plus 20% gratuity and a small service fee. I don't use cabs often, but it's working out way better for me than when I used to call dispatch and maybe the cab would show up and maybe it wouldn't. It's also really nice to be able to just get in and get out without wast…
It's also nice that they can't charge "surge" pricing on cabs, so if they're doing a 2x or 4x you can call a taxi through it for a normal-ish fare. That said, the cab option always seems to be very sparsely populated whenever there's an ongoing pricing "surge". I haven't seen taxis done on uber anywhere other than Chicago though.
Well, surge pricing indicates increased demand and is a way to compensate on the market level. So the cars that don't have surge pricing will logically be hard to get then.
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#59If this service matches the quality of other Uber services, I could see it helping them get into holdout cities.
TBH, my least favorite part about scheduling cabs is dealing with the dispatchers. I've had them frequently hang up on me just because I am scheduling a pick-up for somewhere on Sixth Street in Austin, despite my not being intoxicated in the least. Not to mention, the times when my reservation seems to just get lost or left with a massive window for wait times. If it can give better service and feedback than the current Hail a Cab app thats pretty big in Austin, the extra commission would be completely worth it. Hopefully, it expands beyond London.
Re: Introducing UberTAXI
#60I find the rise of Uber fanboys very interesting. Is it real or are they bots?
I'm real. Uber isn't just a convenience for many. I rely on it to get around. Sometimes I might use it four or five times a day. Sometimes I don't use it at all. But I no longer have a car, nor do I want one, because of Uber. And I'm not alone. For many Uber has become a necessary utility.