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> [...] presence in so many cities around the world, and while that is a benefit, I'm not convinced it's enough It's enough in all those markets/countries wher

> [...] presence in so many cities around the world, and while that is a benefit, I'm not convinced it's enough It's enough in all those markets/countries where there is no viable alternative to Uber. Here in Australia the main competitor would be GoCatch but, while it's a very good app for calling taxis, the "private car / ridesharing" service is still in its infancy. Another field where Uber has no competitors thanks to its international presence is international travellers: when overseas, most people are obviously going to use Uber since it's a huge hassle to do your research and then sign up to local alternatives every time you travel.

ghaff 9y ago
>most people are obviously going to use Uber since it's a huge hassle to do your research and then sign up to local alternatives every time you travel. Or we just use a taxi in the many cities where there is decent taxi service. I travel to London a fair bit and rarely bother with using Uber there.
- eric_h 9y ago
  That works when you speak the local language. When you do not, using a local taxi can be a much more difficult experience, and in many places you are likely to be over charged. In Kiev, for example, very few of the taxi drivers speak English, and I don't speak Russian. Uber is both extremely easy to use there, there is no issue with the language barrier, and it is absurdly cheap (from my US perspective).
  - collyw 9y ago
    Written address or a map and a finger worked for me years before mobile phones were popular.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    I guess. Not that I use Uber/Lyft much, but in the US I've had a number of times when the driver ends up calling me because their GPS has ended up taking them to the wrong side of the hotel or whatever. My experience hasn't really been the smartphone making all verbal communication unnecessary.
jon_richards 9y ago
In many other counties an uber won't show up without calling first (and they won't call an international number). I ran into an issue where my US uber account "didn't exist" when I tried to log in on my local phone, but I couldn't create a new account because my name was already taken. Maybe they're better in other counties, but they aren't playing the international card as well as they could.
- jpalomaki 9y ago
  On what countries have you had this issue? Never had this problem. The same Uber account works in all countries.
  - kurthr 9y ago
    Not in China... last I tried, but then they were "bought" by Didi. It doesn't matter because the driver calls to discus pickup and tips with you before taking the call anyway. If you're not fluent in Mandarin, forget it.
eisa01 9y ago
True I tried to sign up for Ola in India to try it out, but that was impossible without an Indian cell phone number Uber really shines for international travelers

ghaff 9y ago

>most people are obviously going to use Uber since it's a huge hassle to do your research and then sign up to local alternatives every time you travel. Or we just use a taxi in the many cities where there is decent taxi service. I travel to London a fair bit and rarely bother with using Uber there.

eric_h 9y ago
That works when you speak the local language. When you do not, using a local taxi can be a much more difficult experience, and in many places you are likely to be over charged. In Kiev, for example, very few of the taxi drivers speak English, and I don't speak Russian. Uber is both extremely easy to use there, there is no issue with the language barrier, and it is absurdly cheap (from my US perspective).
- collyw 9y ago
  Written address or a map and a finger worked for me years before mobile phones were popular.
- ghaff 9y ago
  I guess. Not that I use Uber/Lyft much, but in the US I've had a number of times when the driver ends up calling me because their GPS has ended up taking them to the wrong side of the hotel or whatever. My experience hasn't really been the smartphone making all verbal communication unnecessary.

jon_richards 9y ago

In many other counties an uber won't show up without calling first (and they won't call an international number). I ran into an issue where my US uber account "didn't exist" when I tried to log in on my local phone, but I couldn't create a new account because my name was already taken. Maybe they're better in other counties, but they aren't playing the international card as well as they could.

jpalomaki 9y ago
On what countries have you had this issue? Never had this problem. The same Uber account works in all countries.
- kurthr 9y ago
  Not in China... last I tried, but then they were "bought" by Didi. It doesn't matter because the driver calls to discus pickup and tips with you before taking the call anyway. If you're not fluent in Mandarin, forget it.

eisa01 9y ago

True I tried to sign up for Ola in India to try it out, but that was impossible without an Indian cell phone number Uber really shines for international travelers