5 ms·

So much THIS.. while anecdotal, i've started paying for rides much more since Uber entered the market where i would probably have used public transportation if

So much THIS.. while anecdotal, i've started paying for rides much more since Uber entered the market where i would probably have used public transportation if Uber wan't available. I'm not saying that Uber isn't hurting the Taxi business but they are surely also growing the market

user5994461 10y ago
+1 Uber is growing the market. Just think for a second about countries and cities which did not have taxis.
- TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
  That is genuinely a foreign thought to me. Which countries and cities didn't have taxis before Uber?
  - user5994461 10y ago
    All of France (ignoring Paris and the top 3 biggest airports & train stations). In the 6 months I spent in Lyon (2nd city from France), I only saw a taxi once.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
      I've never been to France, but I'm not convinced. I searched the internet for "taxis in France" and generally get the impression that "Rates in Paris are different from the rest of France. ... There are four main tariffs for taxis outside Paris."[1] This[2] article claims a "nationwide protest against Uber", which would seem odd for, as you would have us believe, a nation without taxis. 1. http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-france-taxis http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-france-taxis 2. http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/25/8844649/french-taxi-driver-protest-uber-pop-paris http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/25/8844649/french-taxi-driver...
  - statsknowitall 10y ago
    In huge portions of the US, taxis are considered a weird/shitty thing that most people wouldn't use. This applies to most places that are not major metro areas in my experience.
matwood 10y ago
I agree. Uber et al may be harming the taxi business, but my friends and I only took taxis if we had to in our town because they were hard to find, and generally sucked. Now we Uber to go out because it is so convenient. Another friends car broke down and he just never replaced it. He didn't drive that much anyway, and Uber satisfied his need for a car. He would have never done that with the traditional, unreliable taxi in my town. Uber has definitely expanded the number of people who take a driver service. I wonder if anyone has done any statistical studies around DUIs and Uber coming into a town.
- ipince 10y ago
  There have been studies, but they have conflicting conclusions. Some claim there has been an impact and others claim otherwise. A quick Google search will give you some examples.

user5994461 10y ago

+1 Uber is growing the market. Just think for a second about countries and cities which did not have taxis.

TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
That is genuinely a foreign thought to me. Which countries and cities didn't have taxis before Uber?
- user5994461 10y ago
  All of France (ignoring Paris and the top 3 biggest airports & train stations). In the 6 months I spent in Lyon (2nd city from France), I only saw a taxi once.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
    I've never been to France, but I'm not convinced. I searched the internet for "taxis in France" and generally get the impression that "Rates in Paris are different from the rest of France. ... There are four main tariffs for taxis outside Paris."[1] This[2] article claims a "nationwide protest against Uber", which would seem odd for, as you would have us believe, a nation without taxis. 1. http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-france-taxis http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-france-taxis 2. http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/25/8844649/french-taxi-driver-protest-uber-pop-paris http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/25/8844649/french-taxi-driver...
- statsknowitall 10y ago
  In huge portions of the US, taxis are considered a weird/shitty thing that most people wouldn't use. This applies to most places that are not major metro areas in my experience.

matwood 10y ago

I agree. Uber et al may be harming the taxi business, but my friends and I only took taxis if we had to in our town because they were hard to find, and generally sucked. Now we Uber to go out because it is so convenient. Another friends car broke down and he just never replaced it. He didn't drive that much anyway, and Uber satisfied his need for a car. He would have never done that with the traditional, unreliable taxi in my town. Uber has definitely expanded the number of people who take a driver service. I wonder if anyone has done any statistical studies around DUIs and Uber coming into a town.

ipince 10y ago
There have been studies, but they have conflicting conclusions. Some claim there has been an impact and others claim otherwise. A quick Google search will give you some examples.