The Post has an article about how the Yellow Cab companies are trying to destroy Uber because it is putting them out of business.
We have been using Uber lately and it is working out great. You just use the app on your phone and they come right to you and take you to where you have to go. They charge your card and email you a receipt. You don't have to fight with the cabbie if you want to use a card instead of cash. You don't have to worry about a tip since it is included. It is cut and dried. You pay a little more but you don't have to fight about the route where the cabbie might go roundabout to run up the tab.
Uber is not without faults. They don't wait for you if you are late which we always are in one way or another. They charge you ten bucks if you don't cancel the ride. Also it costs about $10 to $20 bucks more a ride. You are paying for convenience and a clean well kept car. Also you have a record of who drove you if there is a problem or left something in the cab. You can just call the guy.
The Yellow Cabs can't compete. Also the new Green Cabs can pick up street hails in the outer boroughs so they lose that business too. The Green Cabs are usually guys who drove car service so they know the boroughs and will go anywhere.
The Yellow Cab is going the route of the horse and buggy. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of illegal immigrants.
9 comments:
My knowledge of NYC is fuzzy. I thought you had to have a medallion worth a $100,000 to drive a cab in NYC. How does Uber get away with it? And when is the City going to restrict them to protect Yellow Cab?
They operate as a livery service which has always existed in the city. You would call a car service or limo service to book a fare. The difference is that only the Yellow cabs can take a street hail without you calling and booking a fare. What Uber did is streamlined it and made sort of a super car service with really good cars that are clean and well supervised.
Back in the 1980's there were a bunch of black car companies that people would take home. You would fill out a slip and they would bill your account. Uber opened it up to anyone who has a cellphone and a credit card.
It works which is why the government wants to outlaw it.
The cool thing about Uber is after they pick you up at your house and drop you at the airport, they can swing back to rob your house because they know you are gone.
(happened for realz in Denver)
That happens with Facebook posts as well.
I guess we have a better class of illegal immigrant limo drivers in New York.
Uber and Lyft are being attacked by the govt., which get kickbacks from cab companies. California just won an important case, claiming that Uber drivers are not independent contractors, but employees. That eviscerates their biz model. Govt. ALWAYS want people to be employees. That means more taxes and regulation.
Uber and Lyft are best when they are competing. When we got to San Diego last winter Lyft had just moved in so both Uber and Lyft had all kinds freebies. Uber was giving $20 credit for any new customer referred. We got about 7-8 free rides that way. The best driver we had was Mohammad, he had bottles of cold water and candy. Very nice guy. Most of the drivers are 20 somethings. Uber Plus is great if you have a group. We had 6 people going to the Padres game and got a nice Escalade. The driver was Mexican and has his own livery service. Most of his biz is corporate, shuttling people to LA and LAX, from the San Diego area. But, when he's not busy he just turns on his Uber app and picks up some fares.
I'm all for more competition, more choices, more value - but there are some risks when you hitch a ride with a stranger. This could be a problem for uber.
I'm down with the concept of uber and lyft, and I hate government monopolies, and government graft, but I'm not sure the kinks are worked out.
Troop - ugh facebook. One more reason to reject it. Mostly - I cannot stand that jerk zuckerberg.
April, You get the license#, make/model of car and the driver's first name PRIOR to the car arriving. You are every bit as safe as you are in a cab.
I just checked. Uber does local and Federal background checks on drivers. Hardly dispositive but it appears they do their due diligence.
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