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What kind of "superior" quality? It's easy when you don't need to buy a license whose cost can go up to 200'000 euros and you need 15-20 years to pay it off, an
by mk89 10y ago
What kind of "superior" quality? It's easy when you don't need to buy a license whose cost can go up to 200'000 euros and you need 15-20 years to pay it off, and when you have no rules to follow.
- tluyben2 10y agoWell if you remove the newer cars and better rates, both which I do not care much about and also can understand it might be(not sure) unfair, you still have cleaner cars, friendly, english speaking, non rude and non scamming drivers. Taxi drivers in all countries, even with me having Google maps, will try to take longer routes. They are often rude because complacent: why not, you cannot pick your driver anyway right? Spanish, Italian, HK, Shanghai taxi drivers generally speak no English: their Uber counterparts do. Might not be good but they try because ratings. I travel a lot and everywhere and take taxis anywhere (do not like subways) and regular taxi standards universally awful; we miss Uber instantly. My friend from Portugal always jokes about how rude the drivers are in his country when we get in/out a cab with him; he imitates them etc but then says 'what can you do?'.
- foldr 10y agoI'm sorry, but you're coming across as a parody of an awful America tourist. I don't think the majority of Italians are going to be all beat up about the fact that taxi drivers in their country speak (gasp!) Italian and not English. Although, stalking you via your HN profile, I note that you may not in fact be American. That just means you have no excuse!
- tluyben2 10y agoBut wait: I actually understand Italian. The point is not that they do not speak English, the point is; it is another point of service. He asked what superior service; multi lang is better than unilang right? And they do their best to accomodate you even as a foreigner. And maybe it is different in Italy, but in NL (where I am from) not too many people like the rude regular cab drivers: it is not only tourists :) That has changed a bit since Uber but not a lot so still not a lot of incentive to take the regular ones.
- foldr 10y agoIt's not something that I would personally worry about when taking a taxi. As long as you can say the name of your destination, or write it down, you'll be ok. I doubt it's more than a very small minority of people in Italy who will miss Uber for this reason.
- tluyben2 10y agoSure, but it is extra service beyond regular cabs wether or not you might need or want it is something else.
- Tomte 10y agoOkay, I'll start supporting Uber in those dreadful HN threads, as soon as a majority of Uber drivers in the US speaks German. Promise!
- tluyben2 10y agoStill not what I meant or implied. Maybe my dutch-english brain is off today as I do not know how to say it differently; I was not singling out language; it is an advantage. An advantage; not the top one, not the most important by any means. But wow, everyone is touchy about that. As native Dutch I would not mind the rest of my life speaking English or Spanish or German or Mandarin and never Dutch but I see others really fly off the handle. I am a person who goes to countries prepared and I speak my languages; I said it is an extra feature for drivers, not a must.
- icebraining 10y agoSeems like they should complain to whoever charges such extortionate licenses. Except of course they won't, because they like those licenses, as they reinforce their monopoly. So complaining that Uber doesn't pay them is just like any cartel complaining that the newcomer doesn't play by their rules.