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What do you use instead? In London, cabs are so expensive, even just looking at one is more expensive than 30mins Uber trip... In addition, unless you're in a

• ghaff 7y ago
  In the case of London specifically, there's a pretty good public transit system. Most people also have legs they can exercise. I'm usually in London a few times a year and I very rarely take a cab (whether black or minicabs); don't think I've ever taken an Uber there. Usually only if I need a very early run to the airport or if I have luggage to transport between two locations where transit isn't super-convenient.
  • tim333 7y ago
    Also in London, Kapten and Bolt are currently undercutting Uber. Ola launches in Sept. You often get almost free rides at the launch to promote take up.
    • PenguinCoder 7y ago
      What is stopping those undercutting companies from facing the same fate as Uber/Lyft in a few years?
  • tomp 7y ago
    I want to accuse you that "you don't live in London" but your comment admits as much. London has a huge sprawl so walking doesn't really make sense. A few biking lanes but not really relevant for most commutes. Public transport is great if you can use it, which generally means if you want to go to/from Central London. Buses are notoriously unreliable and will "change destination" at a moments notice. Yeah, the tube map looks "dense" on the map but see above for sprawl. Good luck commuting in any direction other than radially (unless you happen to be near an Overground line, which is a big if). In addition, most tube lines are closed at night and many have repairs done over the weekend. On top of that, late hours attract drunk / rowdy people, so I often prefer to avoid them. I'm fortunate to be able to use public transport for my normal daily commute, but I also often use other modes of transport (my favorite is bike, which public bikes make easy... again if you happen to find yourself near a station) over the weekend if I want to get anywhere "interesting".
    • ghaff 7y ago
      Fair enough. And, of course, when I'm there I'm usually there for events/activities that are mostly clustered around central London and I plan lodging accordingly.
    • cosmodisk 7y ago
      He's kind of right about public transport/walking. Apart from some outskirts of London, the city has a pretty well developed public transport network. In my case,if Uber will hike up the prices,I'd go back using the buses when shopping or switch back to online ordering.
• rainyMammoth 7y ago
  How did people do before Uber? When I was there about 6-7 years ago (before Uber), none of my well-off friends would use cabs to go around London. We would take the tube + walking. Maybe a cab at night after going out but that would be it.
  • vidarh 7y ago
    It is not that bad - there are plenty of minicab companies, and they are all much cheaper than black cabs and many are often cheaper than Uber. The problem is convenience - Uber has a better app, and typically shorter wait times and few competitors in London cover the entire town. I see Uber as an expensive convenience - my 'local' minicab company is usually cheaper but odds are I will wait 10 minutes instead of 3-4 for a car, and if I'm in another part of town I have to resort to Uber or finding another minicab company anyway.
• cruano 7y ago
  Right now yeah, Uber and Lyft are cheaper but they are also not profitable for the companies. If they want to be, and choose to do so by raising prices (Which I don't think they will), nobody is going to want to use them
  • skinnymuch 7y ago
    If no one uses them, how would they be profitable? Profit only matters if their revenues are still in the billions. If both of them raised prices by 25% this year and another 25% this year and lowered whatever advertising or marketing they do, they could probably cut down on their losses significantly. And without losing too much revenue.