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I had so many similar issues with NYC cabbies. Off the top of my head: 1. Cabbie turning off his meter right before my stop, then quoting me a price that was x

I had so many similar issues with NYC cabbies. Off the top of my head: 1. Cabbie turning off his meter right before my stop, then quoting me a price that was x3 times the meter when I last caught glimpse of it. 2. Cabbies flat out refusing to accept credit cards. Forcing me to withdraw cash on an ATM to pay them. 3. Cabbies rudely demanding tip after being rude and inconsiderate the whole ride. There's a reason why Uber/Lyft are so popular. Yellow Cabs in NYC were never a pleasant experience, and all too often - an awful one.

Waterluvian 8y ago
Cab driving is a low skill job, which is why it's so important that proper competition can exist. My first ever Uber driver had water bottles and gum and even throw pillows and a blanket in the back. He was in a suit. He was really polite and all that. Because he's looking for 5 star rankings. Dump all taxi drivers into the same market as this guy and they'll have to improve or be pushed out of business when they get too many "1 star: tried to defraud me" reviews. Maybe we need an app that lets us photograph the legally mandated ID card so we can collectively leave reviews. But even then it's too late. You're already in the cab.
- dunpeal 8y ago
  Yeah, I think discussions like this one tend to focus on price, which is certainly one of the benefits Uber and Lyft bring to the table, but certainly not the only one. I typically travel for business, so I don't care about the price so much. Uber/Lyft are great because they provide a much better experience. I hate cabs because of all the friction: rude drivers imposing their personal preferences upon me, often illegally. The biggest improvement Uber introduced is accountability for drivers. Efficiency improved too, and reduced the price. But if you look at the comments here and in TFA, a lot of them are about service quality. Most of the worst offenses, like refusing to accept credit cards, are illegal. But the city has done a terrible job of enforcing it, so cab service has been terrible for decades. Then came Uber and Lyft and finally brought service that people love. So the city tries to take them down. Just like SF is harassing successful companies with bizarre new rules and regulations, such as banning cafeterias.
  - mjevans 8y ago
    Already having a 'universal' app that works across 'all' the markets you visit is surely part of the experience as well. It would really be nice if there were a standard API and naming system so that a global hierarchical registration system could be used by any application speaking that standard to provide the functionality presently provided by Lyft and Uber.
- 394549 8y ago
  > Cab driving is a low skill job, which is why it's so important that proper competition can exist. My first ever Uber driver had water bottles and gum and even throw pillows and a blanket in the back. He was in a suit. He was really polite and all that. Because he's looking for 5 star rankings. I see the offers of water bottles and gum as expressions of desperation in the face of precarity: a 4.6 average will get you fired from Uber (https://therideshareguy.com/10-things-that-can-get-you-deactivated-as-an-uber-driver/ https://therideshareguy.com/10-things-that-can-get-you-deact...). I want good service, which means a driver that does his job well, not a driver that makes me cringe because he feels pressured to humiliate himself in a performative display of over-the-top customer service.
  - ceejayoz 8y ago
    I really wish they'd adopt a simple "did something go wrong? was something exceptionally awesome?" flow instead of a star rating. 4/5 stars in a movie is pretty great. 4/5 stars in an Uber is, for some nonsensical reason, abysmal. What's the point of having 1-3 at all at that point?
    - _asummers 8y ago
      Additionally, one person's 5 star is another's 3 star. It should be the deviation from your typical ratings. If I give everyone 3s and I give someone a 2, that's less significant than if I regularly give everyone 5s and I give the person a 2. The second person likely messed up way more. Moreover, they will ask you for the rating several days later if you don't take frequent rides and open the app again. Unless it was terrible, I probably don't remember the details.
- darpa_escapee 8y ago
  > Cab driving is a low skill job, which is why it's so important that proper competition can exist. My first ever Uber driver had water bottles and gum and even throw pillows and a blanket in the back. He was in a suit. He was really polite and all that. Because he's looking for 5 star rankings. He's doing that because a small amount of ratings, however fickle or unfair, can make or break his ability to make money while driving for Uber.
  - misterprime 8y ago
    I once got a 1 star for asking the rider to finish his cigarette before getting into my car.

Waterluvian 8y ago

Cab driving is a low skill job, which is why it's so important that proper competition can exist. My first ever Uber driver had water bottles and gum and even throw pillows and a blanket in the back. He was in a suit. He was really polite and all that. Because he's looking for 5 star rankings. Dump all taxi drivers into the same market as this guy and they'll have to improve or be pushed out of business when they get too many "1 star: tried to defraud me" reviews. Maybe we need an app that lets us photograph the legally mandated ID card so we can collectively leave reviews. But even then it's too late. You're already in the cab.

dunpeal 8y ago
Yeah, I think discussions like this one tend to focus on price, which is certainly one of the benefits Uber and Lyft bring to the table, but certainly not the only one. I typically travel for business, so I don't care about the price so much. Uber/Lyft are great because they provide a much better experience. I hate cabs because of all the friction: rude drivers imposing their personal preferences upon me, often illegally. The biggest improvement Uber introduced is accountability for drivers. Efficiency improved too, and reduced the price. But if you look at the comments here and in TFA, a lot of them are about service quality. Most of the worst offenses, like refusing to accept credit cards, are illegal. But the city has done a terrible job of enforcing it, so cab service has been terrible for decades. Then came Uber and Lyft and finally brought service that people love. So the city tries to take them down. Just like SF is harassing successful companies with bizarre new rules and regulations, such as banning cafeterias.
- mjevans 8y ago
  Already having a 'universal' app that works across 'all' the markets you visit is surely part of the experience as well. It would really be nice if there were a standard API and naming system so that a global hierarchical registration system could be used by any application speaking that standard to provide the functionality presently provided by Lyft and Uber.
394549 8y ago
> Cab driving is a low skill job, which is why it's so important that proper competition can exist. My first ever Uber driver had water bottles and gum and even throw pillows and a blanket in the back. He was in a suit. He was really polite and all that. Because he's looking for 5 star rankings. I see the offers of water bottles and gum as expressions of desperation in the face of precarity: a 4.6 average will get you fired from Uber (https://therideshareguy.com/10-things-that-can-get-you-deactivated-as-an-uber-driver/ https://therideshareguy.com/10-things-that-can-get-you-deact...). I want good service, which means a driver that does his job well, not a driver that makes me cringe because he feels pressured to humiliate himself in a performative display of over-the-top customer service.
- ceejayoz 8y ago
  I really wish they'd adopt a simple "did something go wrong? was something exceptionally awesome?" flow instead of a star rating. 4/5 stars in a movie is pretty great. 4/5 stars in an Uber is, for some nonsensical reason, abysmal. What's the point of having 1-3 at all at that point?
  - _asummers 8y ago
    Additionally, one person's 5 star is another's 3 star. It should be the deviation from your typical ratings. If I give everyone 3s and I give someone a 2, that's less significant than if I regularly give everyone 5s and I give the person a 2. The second person likely messed up way more. Moreover, they will ask you for the rating several days later if you don't take frequent rides and open the app again. Unless it was terrible, I probably don't remember the details.
darpa_escapee 8y ago
> Cab driving is a low skill job, which is why it's so important that proper competition can exist. My first ever Uber driver had water bottles and gum and even throw pillows and a blanket in the back. He was in a suit. He was really polite and all that. Because he's looking for 5 star rankings. He's doing that because a small amount of ratings, however fickle or unfair, can make or break his ability to make money while driving for Uber.
- misterprime 8y ago
  I once got a 1 star for asking the rider to finish his cigarette before getting into my car.