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When I moved to New York a few years ago all it took was a handful of taxi rides to figure out that Uber will eventually put them out of the business. I've had

When I moved to New York a few years ago all it took was a handful of taxi rides to figure out that Uber will eventually put them out of the business. I've had drivers lie about not knowing where to go, intentionally take longer routes, and lie about credit card machines while trying to get rides from New York to Brooklyn, or Brooklyn to Brooklyn. To add insult to injury nearly every single cab is filthy and smells horrible, while costing the same if not more than an Uber ride. There's just no comparison here.

djtriptych 10y ago
I can tell you that among Black people in Brooklyn, Uber was a god-send. Cabs would outright lie as mentioned above, refuse to take you to certain boroughs, refuse to pick you up from Manhattan, etc. Agreed that the cab experience is about half as good, but for about the same price. Really a no-brainer. Everyone here uses AND loves Uber. I and a lot of my friends spend at least $100/mo outside of work commute costs. source: I'm a black person in Brooklyn.
- Nav_Panel 10y ago
  I remember reading this blog piece regarding Ubering while black, and it improved my opinion of the company/"taxi startup" industry: https://medium.com/matter/ubering-while-black-146db581b9db#.4qhpwjocq https://medium.com/matter/ubering-while-black-146db581b9db#....
rayiner 10y ago
I take cabs all the time (in Manhattan). I can't remember the last time I've been in one that's "filthy" or where the driver didn't take cards. All are pretty recent model cars with those screens in the back. Maybe its different in the boroughs?
- garethsprice 10y ago
  Agree on the cleanliness - most cabs are fine. However, try getting a yellow cab from Manhattan to Brooklyn after 9PM, especially in a popular/busy area. Anecdotally I'd estimate there's a 1 in 3 chance of the driver either driving off/refusing the route, having a "broken meter/card machine", but will take (a large amount of) cash or (if you appear to be from out of town) taking a ridiculously long route.
- jasonbarone 10y ago
  Yea odd, I blame it on my inexperience with the city. I lived in East Village and Lower East Side and had all of the scenarios I mention. In fact, on a rainy night once I had the "I don't know how to get there" happen twice in a row. On the first vehicle I got out of the car and hailed another, then I responded to the next driver that I would tell him where to go with my GPS. I got the broken credit card at least twice, both in a yellow cab and green cab coming into Manhattan. I had cash on me and didn't complain until I later found out they're not supposed to do that. I'm surprised you haven't gotten dirty cabs. I'm certainly not the type that has to be in some spotless car, but I honestly can't remember seeing a clean cab back in NY. The days following a rain storm are the absolute worse too as the floors and seat backs often covered in mud. I think the worst are broken A/C or window-down cabs in 90 degree summer. Those things smell horrible. Again, I'm not picky by any means but using Uber was better in almost every way for me in NY and I stopped using cabs immediately.
- hx87 10y ago
  I hate those screens--so loud and so difficult (or impossible) to mute or turn off. If I want infotainment, I have a cell phone in my pocket.
ethanbond 10y ago
Important point: while costing to the customer the same, if not more. The result? Uber operating at huge losses. The result of that? Well, austerity measures. You can already see the signs of Uber starting to clamp down and make their service worse and worse. Recommended pickup locations -> No longer door to door? Assigning next rides before the previous one has completed -> No longer "feeling like a baller" while your driver is fielding calls from other customers with you still in the car Wait times have been getting demonstrably worse all over Manhattan, probably elsewhere too General quality of car/driver has been in decline since Uber started, in part precisely because of their putting cabs out of business. What's your cab driver going to do when he decides it's not worth driving a cab anymore because of Uber? Duh, work for Uber. There's no comparison right now, but there will be soon. I'm never going to use Uber again except for business travel due to their nice tie-in with business accounts. Personal travel? Nope. In NYC I use Juno and elsewhere I'll use Lyft, Hailo, or any number of local alternatives.
- ihsw 10y ago
  Not parent commenter but I'll still take that over filthy cabs and sketchy-as-hell drivers.
  - ethanbond 10y ago
    You must've missed my point. I would too. However, > There's no comparison right now, but there will be soon. The things that I just listed are the things that are already happening, and their VCs haven't even started demanding their money back. And this is all if everything goes swimmingly for them. No massive regulatory hits, no demands for insurance, no declaration that drivers are employees, etc.
    - hx87 10y ago
      I'll hold the criticism until Uber drivers start using short wheelbase Camrys with vinyl seats and dividers (resulting in no legroom at all).
  - dajohnson89 10y ago
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
brendoncrawford 10y ago
In contrast to that, in Los Angeles, Uber drivers quite often are not familiar with the area they serve, so they are glued to their navigation apps. This can not only create unsafe driving conditions, but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride. If convenience, comfort, and customer service are not a priority, and I just need to get somewhere fast, the taxi is still the way to go.
- TeMPOraL 10y ago
  > but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride I never imagined navigation apps could suck like that! I have no love for Uber, but I always imagined any navigation app will on average outperform even a knowledgeable driver.
  - potatolicious 10y ago
    It's often not the navigation directions that suck, but the ability for the driver to drive effectively while glued to the GPS unit. I remember this one time in an uberX where the driver missed the Manhattan Bridge onramp turnoff 3 times in a row and had to circle around. The GPS directions were good, but inexperience also includes being unprepared to execute the directions given to you.
  - dragonwriter 10y ago
    > > but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride > I always imagined any navigation app will on average outperform even a knowledgeable driver. On average, probably. Worst case and on-average aren't the same thing, though.
  - jrnichols 10y ago
    I noticed this in San Francisco and i really think it depends on the devices. The iPhone users? Mostly spot on. But several other Uber/Lyft experiences with drivers that had lower cost phones (mostly the freebie Samsung or Motorola Android devices) were having issues with navigation. The iPhone and higher end Samsung devices definitely have more accurate GPS chipsets built in and were doing a way better job of keeping track of where we were.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
hackuser 10y ago
With respect, I find these stories hard to believe. I've been in a very large number of NY taxis and very rarely had these experiences. Cabs aren't problem-free or pristine, but they are almost universally clean enough and very functional. The cab driver doesn't want a bad-smelling, filthy cab either; they work in it, it affects their income, and the great majority are responsible, reasonable people. Why would anyone believe otherwise? I think there's some class-based stereotyping here - maybe not in the parent comment, but in these comments generally - cabs are working class, Uber is professional class. Working class is the 'other' to many professional people; something foreign, unknown, and scary.

djtriptych 10y ago

I can tell you that among Black people in Brooklyn, Uber was a god-send. Cabs would outright lie as mentioned above, refuse to take you to certain boroughs, refuse to pick you up from Manhattan, etc. Agreed that the cab experience is about half as good, but for about the same price. Really a no-brainer. Everyone here uses AND loves Uber. I and a lot of my friends spend at least $100/mo outside of work commute costs. source: I'm a black person in Brooklyn.

Nav_Panel 10y ago
I remember reading this blog piece regarding Ubering while black, and it improved my opinion of the company/"taxi startup" industry: https://medium.com/matter/ubering-while-black-146db581b9db#.4qhpwjocq https://medium.com/matter/ubering-while-black-146db581b9db#....

rayiner 10y ago

I take cabs all the time (in Manhattan). I can't remember the last time I've been in one that's "filthy" or where the driver didn't take cards. All are pretty recent model cars with those screens in the back. Maybe its different in the boroughs?

garethsprice 10y ago
Agree on the cleanliness - most cabs are fine. However, try getting a yellow cab from Manhattan to Brooklyn after 9PM, especially in a popular/busy area. Anecdotally I'd estimate there's a 1 in 3 chance of the driver either driving off/refusing the route, having a "broken meter/card machine", but will take (a large amount of) cash or (if you appear to be from out of town) taking a ridiculously long route.
jasonbarone 10y ago
Yea odd, I blame it on my inexperience with the city. I lived in East Village and Lower East Side and had all of the scenarios I mention. In fact, on a rainy night once I had the "I don't know how to get there" happen twice in a row. On the first vehicle I got out of the car and hailed another, then I responded to the next driver that I would tell him where to go with my GPS. I got the broken credit card at least twice, both in a yellow cab and green cab coming into Manhattan. I had cash on me and didn't complain until I later found out they're not supposed to do that. I'm surprised you haven't gotten dirty cabs. I'm certainly not the type that has to be in some spotless car, but I honestly can't remember seeing a clean cab back in NY. The days following a rain storm are the absolute worse too as the floors and seat backs often covered in mud. I think the worst are broken A/C or window-down cabs in 90 degree summer. Those things smell horrible. Again, I'm not picky by any means but using Uber was better in almost every way for me in NY and I stopped using cabs immediately.
hx87 10y ago
I hate those screens--so loud and so difficult (or impossible) to mute or turn off. If I want infotainment, I have a cell phone in my pocket.

ethanbond 10y ago

Important point: while costing to the customer the same, if not more. The result? Uber operating at huge losses. The result of that? Well, austerity measures. You can already see the signs of Uber starting to clamp down and make their service worse and worse. Recommended pickup locations -> No longer door to door? Assigning next rides before the previous one has completed -> No longer "feeling like a baller" while your driver is fielding calls from other customers with you still in the car Wait times have been getting demonstrably worse all over Manhattan, probably elsewhere too General quality of car/driver has been in decline since Uber started, in part precisely because of their putting cabs out of business. What's your cab driver going to do when he decides it's not worth driving a cab anymore because of Uber? Duh, work for Uber. There's no comparison right now, but there will be soon. I'm never going to use Uber again except for business travel due to their nice tie-in with business accounts. Personal travel? Nope. In NYC I use Juno and elsewhere I'll use Lyft, Hailo, or any number of local alternatives.

ihsw 10y ago
Not parent commenter but I'll still take that over filthy cabs and sketchy-as-hell drivers.
- ethanbond 10y ago
  You must've missed my point. I would too. However, > There's no comparison right now, but there will be soon. The things that I just listed are the things that are already happening, and their VCs haven't even started demanding their money back. And this is all if everything goes swimmingly for them. No massive regulatory hits, no demands for insurance, no declaration that drivers are employees, etc.
  - hx87 10y ago
    I'll hold the criticism until Uber drivers start using short wheelbase Camrys with vinyl seats and dividers (resulting in no legroom at all).
- dajohnson89 10y ago

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

brendoncrawford 10y ago

In contrast to that, in Los Angeles, Uber drivers quite often are not familiar with the area they serve, so they are glued to their navigation apps. This can not only create unsafe driving conditions, but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride. If convenience, comfort, and customer service are not a priority, and I just need to get somewhere fast, the taxi is still the way to go.

TeMPOraL 10y ago
> but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride I never imagined navigation apps could suck like that! I have no love for Uber, but I always imagined any navigation app will on average outperform even a knowledgeable driver.
- potatolicious 10y ago
  It's often not the navigation directions that suck, but the ability for the driver to drive effectively while glued to the GPS unit. I remember this one time in an uberX where the driver missed the Manhattan Bridge onramp turnoff 3 times in a row and had to circle around. The GPS directions were good, but inexperience also includes being unprepared to execute the directions given to you.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  > > but sometimes can cause an Uber ride to take twice as long as a taxi ride > I always imagined any navigation app will on average outperform even a knowledgeable driver. On average, probably. Worst case and on-average aren't the same thing, though.
- jrnichols 10y ago
  I noticed this in San Francisco and i really think it depends on the devices. The iPhone users? Mostly spot on. But several other Uber/Lyft experiences with drivers that had lower cost phones (mostly the freebie Samsung or Motorola Android devices) were having issues with navigation. The iPhone and higher end Samsung devices definitely have more accurate GPS chipsets built in and were doing a way better job of keeping track of where we were.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

hackuser 10y ago

With respect, I find these stories hard to believe. I've been in a very large number of NY taxis and very rarely had these experiences. Cabs aren't problem-free or pristine, but they are almost universally clean enough and very functional. The cab driver doesn't want a bad-smelling, filthy cab either; they work in it, it affects their income, and the great majority are responsible, reasonable people. Why would anyone believe otherwise? I think there's some class-based stereotyping here - maybe not in the parent comment, but in these comments generally - cabs are working class, Uber is professional class. Working class is the 'other' to many professional people; something foreign, unknown, and scary.