3 ms·

The original comment has a point about not raising the quality of service in NYC but the consistency of Uber across states and even countries is a huge value ad

The original comment has a point about not raising the quality of service in NYC but the consistency of Uber across states and even countries is a huge value add. I have been able to quickly get a car in less populated areas of the USA than NYC or SF (the suburbs of Portland, Maine for instance) without having to guess at or research the quality of local car services. I have requested Ubers in almost a dozen different countries and been able to easily get a car without worrying about language barriers or being pressured into increased tourist prices. I actually deleted Uber due to the concerns about their company culture and ended up re-downloading their app because it's so helpful for international travel.

jtmcmc 8y ago
also let's not forget that getting a taxi in the bay area has always been a horrible, expensive experience.
djsumdog 8y ago
Hmm .. maybe an option in this startup space is a unified app for existing taxi and limo services? You see Taxis in every city with adverts on the side saying "Download our app." You can support local taxis if you want, but it takes that effort and no one does it. The last time I was in Berlin, Uber drivers were required to be taxi operators. The Uber app just hailed a taxi driver, so there was no real difference in getting a Uber vs hailing a cab. Instead of each Taxi company trying to stay on top with their own individual apps (which are probably made by like 3 US companies who sell/rebrand their services to everyone), why not an app system that connects you to local Taxi services? Support your local Taxi company. Put in your destination and get a list of rates and estimated wait times from companies .. you could put fancy Limo companies right next to the Taxis in the rare case someone wants to pay some crazy amount for a limo (or so they can use the same app to book one for a big engagement/later time). Is there anyone in this space?
- nradov 8y ago
  Flywheel

jtmcmc 8y ago

also let's not forget that getting a taxi in the bay area has always been a horrible, expensive experience.

djsumdog 8y ago

Hmm .. maybe an option in this startup space is a unified app for existing taxi and limo services? You see Taxis in every city with adverts on the side saying "Download our app." You can support local taxis if you want, but it takes that effort and no one does it. The last time I was in Berlin, Uber drivers were required to be taxi operators. The Uber app just hailed a taxi driver, so there was no real difference in getting a Uber vs hailing a cab. Instead of each Taxi company trying to stay on top with their own individual apps (which are probably made by like 3 US companies who sell/rebrand their services to everyone), why not an app system that connects you to local Taxi services? Support your local Taxi company. Put in your destination and get a list of rates and estimated wait times from companies .. you could put fancy Limo companies right next to the Taxis in the rare case someone wants to pay some crazy amount for a limo (or so they can use the same app to book one for a big engagement/later time). Is there anyone in this space?

nradov 8y ago
Flywheel