4 ms·

There's another reason I've wondered about. It's not politically correct. All the Ubers I've used had white or sometimes Hispanic-American drivers. But taxis

by kzhahou 11y ago

There's another reason I've wondered about. It's not politically correct. All the Ubers I've used had white or sometimes Hispanic-American drivers. But taxis have all (except for Portland) been either African (esp ~ethiopian), Palestinian, some region of India I can't place, etc. They're dominated by recent immigrants. So I wonder if average young white couple on their way to dinner or whatever, simply likes the white-driver experience.

habosa 11y ago
I have noticed a definite racial tinge to the conversation when people talk about preferring their Uber drivers. Even if it's not overt racism, there is unconscious bias at play. I have also noticed that when I get matched with a black Uber or Lyft driver they tend to have a low-ish rating (4.6-4.8 whereas most white drivers I get are 4.8-5.0) but I have not personally found drivers of any race to be any less skilled or courteous.
- AJ007 11y ago
  At some point a government agency will collect driver racial data from Uber and the results won't be pretty.
  - potatolicious 11y ago
    Messy for Uber? Unless they've been discriminating against drivers by race themselves they're in the clear. If driver race-rating data was ever publicized it'll be most damning against society in general, I think. I'd wager that Uber's passenger base is substantially more discriminatory than the company can hope to be on its most evil day. The 5-star rating system is cover for a lot of things that I think everyone knows to some extent but doesn't enjoy thinking about.
- EdHominem 11y ago
  Have you ever noticed that closet racists see racism everywhere?
BookmarkSaver 11y ago
Personally, I appreciate when my driver is fluent in English in case some sort of specific direction is required (which has happened before). This probably results in a noticeable racial bias.
koyote 11y ago
In London about 95% of my Uber drivers were named Mohammed whereas most of the black cab drivers I've encountered seemed to be white. Uber is just as popular in London than in the US so at least here that does not seem to play a role.
- JonoBB 11y ago
  I don't know why, but Asian drivers have always dominated private taxi drivers in London, so it makes sense that most Uber drivers are as well. Its also not clear why so many black cab drivers are white; I wonder why that is?
  - graywh 11y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#The_Knowledge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom...
jjulius 11y ago
I'd argue that this could vary depending on locale. I lived in Atlanta for five years, and a clear majority of my Uber drivers were black.
Camillo 11y ago
It is, in fact, extremely politically correct to insinuate that the young white couple is driven (heh) by racial bias. But in San Francisco lots of Uber or Lyft (I mainly use the latter) drivers are black, Indian, or Asian.
icebraining 11y ago
Well, that doesn't apply to Portugal (I don't think I've ever seen a non-white or foreign taxi driver), yet I still prefer Uber.
ericwood 11y ago
In NYC I've had uber drivers from all over the globe (they love to tell stories about their home countries!), I can't remember the last time I've had a white uber driver. There's quite a few that used to be cabbies or worked for private cab companies. Maybe that's just NYC, though.
stormbrew 11y ago
In the city I live in there are perhaps a few more white uber drivers than there are for taxis, but not by much. Most of the Uber drivers I've gotten could easily have been taxi drivers if you were profiling them. Many uber drivers are also former or even current taxi drivers, as well. On another interesting axis like this, I do not believe I have ever had a female taxi driver, but I've had several female uber drivers. This discussion always suffers from anecdata problems, since each city's taxi regime tends to be different in a bunch of different ways, and the people who drive for uber and services like it are very much subject to local circumstance.
sotojuan 11y ago
Anecdotal evidence. Here in NYC it's mostly African drivers.
RulingWalnut 11y ago
Chiming in with the crowd, I've taken 17 Uber rides (16 in NYC, 1 in Austin). I have never had a white driver.

by kzhahou 11y ago

habosa 11y ago

I have noticed a definite racial tinge to the conversation when people talk about preferring their Uber drivers. Even if it's not overt racism, there is unconscious bias at play. I have also noticed that when I get matched with a black Uber or Lyft driver they tend to have a low-ish rating (4.6-4.8 whereas most white drivers I get are 4.8-5.0) but I have not personally found drivers of any race to be any less skilled or courteous.

AJ007 11y ago
At some point a government agency will collect driver racial data from Uber and the results won't be pretty.
- potatolicious 11y ago
  Messy for Uber? Unless they've been discriminating against drivers by race themselves they're in the clear. If driver race-rating data was ever publicized it'll be most damning against society in general, I think. I'd wager that Uber's passenger base is substantially more discriminatory than the company can hope to be on its most evil day. The 5-star rating system is cover for a lot of things that I think everyone knows to some extent but doesn't enjoy thinking about.
EdHominem 11y ago
Have you ever noticed that closet racists see racism everywhere?

BookmarkSaver 11y ago

Personally, I appreciate when my driver is fluent in English in case some sort of specific direction is required (which has happened before). This probably results in a noticeable racial bias.

koyote 11y ago

In London about 95% of my Uber drivers were named Mohammed whereas most of the black cab drivers I've encountered seemed to be white. Uber is just as popular in London than in the US so at least here that does not seem to play a role.

JonoBB 11y ago
I don't know why, but Asian drivers have always dominated private taxi drivers in London, so it makes sense that most Uber drivers are as well. Its also not clear why so many black cab drivers are white; I wonder why that is?
- graywh 11y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#The_Knowledge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom...

jjulius 11y ago

I'd argue that this could vary depending on locale. I lived in Atlanta for five years, and a clear majority of my Uber drivers were black.

Camillo 11y ago

It is, in fact, extremely politically correct to insinuate that the young white couple is driven (heh) by racial bias. But in San Francisco lots of Uber or Lyft (I mainly use the latter) drivers are black, Indian, or Asian.

icebraining 11y ago

Well, that doesn't apply to Portugal (I don't think I've ever seen a non-white or foreign taxi driver), yet I still prefer Uber.

ericwood 11y ago

In NYC I've had uber drivers from all over the globe (they love to tell stories about their home countries!), I can't remember the last time I've had a white uber driver. There's quite a few that used to be cabbies or worked for private cab companies. Maybe that's just NYC, though.

stormbrew 11y ago

In the city I live in there are perhaps a few more white uber drivers than there are for taxis, but not by much. Most of the Uber drivers I've gotten could easily have been taxi drivers if you were profiling them. Many uber drivers are also former or even current taxi drivers, as well. On another interesting axis like this, I do not believe I have ever had a female taxi driver, but I've had several female uber drivers. This discussion always suffers from anecdata problems, since each city's taxi regime tends to be different in a bunch of different ways, and the people who drive for uber and services like it are very much subject to local circumstance.

sotojuan 11y ago

Anecdotal evidence. Here in NYC it's mostly African drivers.

RulingWalnut 11y ago

Chiming in with the crowd, I've taken 17 Uber rides (16 in NYC, 1 in Austin). I have never had a white driver.