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London has definitely not been conquered by Uber. YMMV, but I've had nothing but bad experiences in London (multiple driver cancellations, slow pickup times, e

London has definitely not been conquered by Uber. YMMV, but I've had nothing but bad experiences in London (multiple driver cancellations, slow pickup times, etc.) especially compared with Paris and many cities in the US.

adotjdotr 10y ago
100% incorrect. Uber has definitely won over most Londoners it is a complete game changer for the following reasons irrespective of your minimal bad experiences. I've spent several thousand pounds via work on Uber. This has resulted in 2-3 bad trips (which round out to 0.02%). - Quick pick up times - Usually responsive and helpful drivers (no complaining) - Helpful carrying heavy items (almost 100% of the time) - Cheap fees - Bill splitting is easy no friction - UberPool does make me slightly nervous The service works and is default for myself and 100s of business users, personally it works well too esp for date night. In comparison, London Black Cab drivers are rude, racist, crass, willing to rip you off and take advantage of you. They do not have their cars auditing a lot of the time, refusal to take cash is unacceptable in this day and age and should be in place in ALL taxis. There is no excuse for this.
- tobz 10y ago
  Sorry, I'm not sure I get your last point: are you saying the black cab drivers selectively take cash, or don't as a whole? I've never paid for an Uber with cash, so I'm struggling ti understand the argument you're making, because seemingly Uber wouldn't take cash either...
  - sefrost 10y ago
    Black cabs almost exclusively take cash, they'll take you to an ATM if you only have card.
    - switch007 10y ago
      That's not true. Around 50% currently take cards. [1] If you get in one that doesn't take cards, don't ask, then they will likely take you to an ATM. Anyway, by October this year they will all take cards. [1] [1] https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/february/card-payments-to-be-accepted-in-every-black-cab https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/februa...
- overcast 10y ago
  My experience a couple years ago, is that the cab driver WOULD NOT accept anything but cash. In fact he went as far as to say most do not, and I was stuck driving around looking for an ATM on my way to Heathrow Express.
  - switch007 10y ago
    As of Feb 2016, around 50% of cabs accepted cards. By October, all will be required to accept cards (with no surcharge). https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/february/card-payments-to-be-accepted-in-every-black-cab https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/februa...
    - overcast 10y ago
      Well that is much more reasonable. I must have been there just before it.
- burnstek 10y ago
  Fair enough, but again, YMMV. Agreed that black cabs in London are even more awful, but its much easier to find a ride, which is the core idea. When Uber in London provides the same level of service as it does in Dallas, NYC or Paris... then it will have taken over. Right now it's just competing.
- forgetsusername 10y ago
  The fact that he's had bad experiences is "100% incorrect", huh?

adotjdotr 10y ago

100% incorrect. Uber has definitely won over most Londoners it is a complete game changer for the following reasons irrespective of your minimal bad experiences. I've spent several thousand pounds via work on Uber. This has resulted in 2-3 bad trips (which round out to 0.02%). - Quick pick up times - Usually responsive and helpful drivers (no complaining) - Helpful carrying heavy items (almost 100% of the time) - Cheap fees - Bill splitting is easy no friction - UberPool does make me slightly nervous The service works and is default for myself and 100s of business users, personally it works well too esp for date night. In comparison, London Black Cab drivers are rude, racist, crass, willing to rip you off and take advantage of you. They do not have their cars auditing a lot of the time, refusal to take cash is unacceptable in this day and age and should be in place in ALL taxis. There is no excuse for this.

tobz 10y ago
Sorry, I'm not sure I get your last point: are you saying the black cab drivers selectively take cash, or don't as a whole? I've never paid for an Uber with cash, so I'm struggling ti understand the argument you're making, because seemingly Uber wouldn't take cash either...
- sefrost 10y ago
  Black cabs almost exclusively take cash, they'll take you to an ATM if you only have card.
  - switch007 10y ago
    That's not true. Around 50% currently take cards. [1] If you get in one that doesn't take cards, don't ask, then they will likely take you to an ATM. Anyway, by October this year they will all take cards. [1] [1] https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/february/card-payments-to-be-accepted-in-every-black-cab https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/februa...
overcast 10y ago
My experience a couple years ago, is that the cab driver WOULD NOT accept anything but cash. In fact he went as far as to say most do not, and I was stuck driving around looking for an ATM on my way to Heathrow Express.
- switch007 10y ago
  As of Feb 2016, around 50% of cabs accepted cards. By October, all will be required to accept cards (with no surcharge). https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/february/card-payments-to-be-accepted-in-every-black-cab https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/februa...
  - overcast 10y ago
    Well that is much more reasonable. I must have been there just before it.
burnstek 10y ago
Fair enough, but again, YMMV. Agreed that black cabs in London are even more awful, but its much easier to find a ride, which is the core idea. When Uber in London provides the same level of service as it does in Dallas, NYC or Paris... then it will have taken over. Right now it's just competing.
forgetsusername 10y ago
The fact that he's had bad experiences is "100% incorrect", huh?