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Uber was recently launched in my city after the usual municipal hurdles (Calgary). I've taken it 10-20 times and have had a different driver each time. I alwa

by giarc 10y ago

Uber was recently launched in my city after the usual municipal hurdles (Calgary). I've taken it 10-20 times and have had a different driver each time. I always make small talk and usually ask how their experience has been. I always get a "meh" response. No driver has ever said it's awesome, and no one has said it's terrible (those drivers are likely not taking fares anymore). I can see why drivers don't remain on the platform. If you take a short break for whatever reason, you likely have very little motivation to pick up again. It doesn't seem like it's life changing for any driver in my city (one driver did say it was good for him, but he was a realtor who would hand out his business card). I think this shows why Uber needs to subsidize so many rides when first starting out. They need to provide their drivers with tons of business, otherwise the two sided marketplace doesn't get solved.

alexdrans 10y ago
Weird. I ask the same in London, and they all love it; working on their own time, no boss, secondary job et cetera. Not a shill.
- thesehands 10y ago
  Yep, every driver I've asked in London has positive feedback, but the ones I have spoken to had all been driving with them no longer than a year.
- balls187 10y ago
  That echo's the sentiment of many drivers I've questioned in Seattle.
- giarc 10y ago
  It likely depends on how busy you are. Calgary had a rough start. Uber came to Calgary but was then shut down for an extended period. It then started up again December 2016. Most of the comments by drivers are that it's not busy enough. You get a trip to one side of town and then you are left sitting there without another fare. They then have to either go home or drive to another part of town to try and guess where more fares will come from. This will likely be solved with more customers, and that's where my comment about Uber subsidizing more rides came from. EDIT - A lot of the drivers also appear to be out of work to decided to drive for Uber to make some spare cash (the drop in oil prices hurt Calgarians). So they didn't have a boss before Uber, they were unemployed. So I think they appreciate the extra income, but it's not as much as they hoped.
praneshp 10y ago
I spoke to a couple of drivers when I was visiting India in December (in Chennai), and I got nothing but praise. In the bay area I've had mixed experiences. Drivers in the city seem to be interested in a chat. In the south bay I've taken to wearing earphones just before getting on so I don't have to hear how evil Uber is.
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by giarc 10y ago

alexdrans 10y ago

Weird. I ask the same in London, and they all love it; working on their own time, no boss, secondary job et cetera. Not a shill.

thesehands 10y ago
Yep, every driver I've asked in London has positive feedback, but the ones I have spoken to had all been driving with them no longer than a year.
balls187 10y ago
That echo's the sentiment of many drivers I've questioned in Seattle.
giarc 10y ago
It likely depends on how busy you are. Calgary had a rough start. Uber came to Calgary but was then shut down for an extended period. It then started up again December 2016. Most of the comments by drivers are that it's not busy enough. You get a trip to one side of town and then you are left sitting there without another fare. They then have to either go home or drive to another part of town to try and guess where more fares will come from. This will likely be solved with more customers, and that's where my comment about Uber subsidizing more rides came from. EDIT - A lot of the drivers also appear to be out of work to decided to drive for Uber to make some spare cash (the drop in oil prices hurt Calgarians). So they didn't have a boss before Uber, they were unemployed. So I think they appreciate the extra income, but it's not as much as they hoped.

praneshp 10y ago

I spoke to a couple of drivers when I was visiting India in December (in Chennai), and I got nothing but praise. In the bay area I've had mixed experiences. Drivers in the city seem to be interested in a chat. In the south bay I've taken to wearing earphones just before getting on so I don't have to hear how evil Uber is.

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