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I disagree. We need alternatives or modernization to current transit systems and companies; we don't need Uber. I'm living abroad at the moment in St. Petersb

by csydas 10y ago

I disagree. We need alternatives or modernization to current transit systems and companies; we don't need Uber. I'm living abroad at the moment in St. Petersburg Russia, and the local taxi company's response to Uber was basically to clone Uber. People here are just as ready to summon a Yandex taxi or one from the multiple other taxi services publicly available as they are to use Uber. My last experience with a Yandex taxi was seamless - driver was to our location in a few minutes, fare was ~ 500 RUB (little under $10), no tip expected, and they made exceptions for us having multiple stops for different people. There is nothing unique or special to Uber except the huge amount of hype and VC money behind them - just like we saw in the US with Austin, TX, Uber's model is easily replicable and scalable for local companies. Uber is throwing its weight around and finding out that it really doesn't carry as much weight as it thinks it does, and pretty soon investors and other transit companies are going to start to capitalize on this.

onebyzero 10y ago
As a local, this may solve your problem in St. Petersburg. But what if i am a traveller and regularly travels b/n different places in the world. Do i need to keep track of every taxi service? That will be painful. It does not mean that i support Uber as a company. I support for their global transport model. We will help you go from Point A to Point B without much hassle wherever you are in this world. That's why, if Uber dies, no one will again dare to attempt to solve this amazing problem. I am really surprised with different regulations in different countries for such a beautiful solution which they are offering. That's really a pity. :/
- csydas 10y ago
  I agree that there is benefit to a ubiquitous service, but is this not applicable to virtually any service whenever you travel? Searching for Taxis St. Petersburg Russia provides me with the same information and taxi services that locals would use, with results in my language, phone numbers, and websites. You really don't need to keep track of every taxi service any more than you need to keep track of every restaurant, every public transit service, or every hotel chain - the grand majority of the time, search for [service]+[location] and you will find what you need. I do understand there is a convenience factor, but I feel the discovery aspect is being overstated.
- madsbuch 10y ago
  A global transport model would be nice. But it should not rely on a single operator. Instead it should be based on a standard (like HTTP, etc) such that all taxi companies are independent and able to live up to national standards.
drdaeman 10y ago
I can't say what parent comment exactly meant, but I suspect it wasn't about a specific company and not about how it's called, "Uber", "Yandex.Taxi", "Gett", "Lyft" or whatever else. We surely do need a good-UX taxi service that works like Uber does. Pull a smartphone, input a location, have all information available, get car assigned and visible on the map, pay online - this sort of convenience.
natoliniak 10y ago
> we don't need Uber I hope that one day we won't need Uber, but here in Boston, Uber has been a blessing and a much needed catalyst of change for the corrupt, low quality, monopolistic and expensive taxi service. The licensed Taxi system here was basically a govt protected racket that needed a shakeup. Uber is the company that started the shaking.

by csydas 10y ago

onebyzero 10y ago

As a local, this may solve your problem in St. Petersburg. But what if i am a traveller and regularly travels b/n different places in the world. Do i need to keep track of every taxi service? That will be painful. It does not mean that i support Uber as a company. I support for their global transport model. We will help you go from Point A to Point B without much hassle wherever you are in this world. That's why, if Uber dies, no one will again dare to attempt to solve this amazing problem. I am really surprised with different regulations in different countries for such a beautiful solution which they are offering. That's really a pity. :/

csydas 10y ago
I agree that there is benefit to a ubiquitous service, but is this not applicable to virtually any service whenever you travel? Searching for Taxis St. Petersburg Russia provides me with the same information and taxi services that locals would use, with results in my language, phone numbers, and websites. You really don't need to keep track of every taxi service any more than you need to keep track of every restaurant, every public transit service, or every hotel chain - the grand majority of the time, search for [service]+[location] and you will find what you need. I do understand there is a convenience factor, but I feel the discovery aspect is being overstated.
madsbuch 10y ago
A global transport model would be nice. But it should not rely on a single operator. Instead it should be based on a standard (like HTTP, etc) such that all taxi companies are independent and able to live up to national standards.

drdaeman 10y ago

I can't say what parent comment exactly meant, but I suspect it wasn't about a specific company and not about how it's called, "Uber", "Yandex.Taxi", "Gett", "Lyft" or whatever else. We surely do need a good-UX taxi service that works like Uber does. Pull a smartphone, input a location, have all information available, get car assigned and visible on the map, pay online - this sort of convenience.

natoliniak 10y ago

> we don't need Uber I hope that one day we won't need Uber, but here in Boston, Uber has been a blessing and a much needed catalyst of change for the corrupt, low quality, monopolistic and expensive taxi service. The licensed Taxi system here was basically a govt protected racket that needed a shakeup. Uber is the company that started the shaking.