5 ms·

>better reputation for taxi services, such as in London, Uber's inroads have not been as great as they have been in SF or NY. Odd, my personal experience has b

by eertami 10y ago

>better reputation for taxi services, such as in London, Uber's inroads have not been as great as they have been in SF or NY. Odd, my personal experience has been the exact opposite. I can't remember any of my friends (aged in their 20s) ever getting a taxi in London but catching Uber's is a weekly occurrence.

Wintamute 10y ago
Same. London black cabs are fairly expensive, and at busy times (like just after pubs and bars close at night) you can have a really hard time trying to find one. I don't know what the deal is with the non-black cabs in London ... but they seem more shady, it's much harder to tell if the driver is registered or just some dude with a car, so I just avoid them. Uber solves both these problems. I and my friends are in our 30s, and we nearly all have been using Uber exclusively since it arrived.
- throwaway049 10y ago
  If you're flagging down anything but a black taxi in central London then it's just some dude with a car: Official minicabs have to be booked by phone or from their offices.
pcrh 10y ago
A lot of those who used to drive for minicabs now drive under Uber's banner. However, for the last 30 years at least, in London there has always been the distinction between the more loosely regulated (and cheaper) minicabs with the more expensive Black Cabs providing a better service. With the advent of Uber and the like, minicab services have been the most under pressure since Black Cabs have officially sanctioned advantages that minicabs/Uber don't, such as using bus lanes, and actually knowing where they're going (rather than using a GPS). Also, they are more spacious than almost all ordinary vehicles and can accommodate you and up to 5 of your mates/family + luggage for the price of 1. In contrast a typical yellow taxi in NY has a tiny amount of space for the passenger, is usually upholstered with ripped plastic, and the driver is fresh off the boat, and a bit lost. So the improvement Uber offered over the prevailing options was much greater in NY and SF than in London.

by eertami 10y ago

Wintamute 10y ago

Same. London black cabs are fairly expensive, and at busy times (like just after pubs and bars close at night) you can have a really hard time trying to find one. I don't know what the deal is with the non-black cabs in London ... but they seem more shady, it's much harder to tell if the driver is registered or just some dude with a car, so I just avoid them. Uber solves both these problems. I and my friends are in our 30s, and we nearly all have been using Uber exclusively since it arrived.

throwaway049 10y ago
If you're flagging down anything but a black taxi in central London then it's just some dude with a car: Official minicabs have to be booked by phone or from their offices.

pcrh 10y ago

A lot of those who used to drive for minicabs now drive under Uber's banner. However, for the last 30 years at least, in London there has always been the distinction between the more loosely regulated (and cheaper) minicabs with the more expensive Black Cabs providing a better service. With the advent of Uber and the like, minicab services have been the most under pressure since Black Cabs have officially sanctioned advantages that minicabs/Uber don't, such as using bus lanes, and actually knowing where they're going (rather than using a GPS). Also, they are more spacious than almost all ordinary vehicles and can accommodate you and up to 5 of your mates/family + luggage for the price of 1. In contrast a typical yellow taxi in NY has a tiny amount of space for the passenger, is usually upholstered with ripped plastic, and the driver is fresh off the boat, and a bit lost. So the improvement Uber offered over the prevailing options was much greater in NY and SF than in London.