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> predictable waiting times, ease of finding cabs in remote locations, ease of payment As someone who used call cabs in various Polish towns and suburbs since

> predictable waiting times, ease of finding cabs in remote locations, ease of payment As someone who used call cabs in various Polish towns and suburbs since early 2000s, is claiming this was particularly bad is short memory or is the US bad at not just mass transit but also taxi service? I could get a cab within 15 minutes pretty much in any agglomeration, and even close suburbs. I didn't even need an app.

tomp 7y ago
Same in Slovenia, yeah. Call, wait 15 minutes, cab shows up... or not. Again, Uber / Smart Phone tech improves on that, at least they tell you immediately if the driver cancels. (Admittedly, in the old days, the drivers didn't actually cancel, just gave up when they couldn't find your house or you weren't waiting outside at the very right moment... still Uber solves that, mostly.)
- LaGrange 7y ago
  > Same in Slovenia, yeah. Call, wait 15 minutes, cab shows up... or not ...I had that happen _once_, and: > at least they tell you immediately if the driver cancels. ...exactly that happened. Amazing, it's like they ask you for your phone number for a reason. This wasn't much of a problem pretty much since cell phones became a mainstay. I am not sure how Uber improves on that, guesses from the travel path that the driver gave up even if the driver decides not to report?
  - ecnahc515 7y ago
    An Uber can't pick up a new passenger without cancelling their current pickup or picking up their current passenger and finishing the ride. Either way, the passenger both can see if they're coming to pick them up, and are made aware immediately if the driver cancels. With cabs, you're expecting a cabby to call to dispatch that they're not picking you up. A cabby can easily be on the way to pick you up, find someone on the way and never let you know. That's a big difference in both what's possible, and what the reality is: cabbies never let you know if they're not coming in my experience. That said, many cab companies have an app now.
    - LaGrange 7y ago
      > A cabby can easily be on the way to pick you up, find someone on the way and never let you know. ...what? That sounds really unlikely. > cabbies never let you know if they're not coming in my experience. Well, that's opposite of mine.

tomp 7y ago

Same in Slovenia, yeah. Call, wait 15 minutes, cab shows up... or not. Again, Uber / Smart Phone tech improves on that, at least they tell you immediately if the driver cancels. (Admittedly, in the old days, the drivers didn't actually cancel, just gave up when they couldn't find your house or you weren't waiting outside at the very right moment... still Uber solves that, mostly.)

LaGrange 7y ago
> Same in Slovenia, yeah. Call, wait 15 minutes, cab shows up... or not ...I had that happen _once_, and: > at least they tell you immediately if the driver cancels. ...exactly that happened. Amazing, it's like they ask you for your phone number for a reason. This wasn't much of a problem pretty much since cell phones became a mainstay. I am not sure how Uber improves on that, guesses from the travel path that the driver gave up even if the driver decides not to report?
- ecnahc515 7y ago
  An Uber can't pick up a new passenger without cancelling their current pickup or picking up their current passenger and finishing the ride. Either way, the passenger both can see if they're coming to pick them up, and are made aware immediately if the driver cancels. With cabs, you're expecting a cabby to call to dispatch that they're not picking you up. A cabby can easily be on the way to pick you up, find someone on the way and never let you know. That's a big difference in both what's possible, and what the reality is: cabbies never let you know if they're not coming in my experience. That said, many cab companies have an app now.
  - LaGrange 7y ago
    > A cabby can easily be on the way to pick you up, find someone on the way and never let you know. ...what? That sounds really unlikely. > cabbies never let you know if they're not coming in my experience. Well, that's opposite of mine.