7 ms·

I’d think a good ole fashioned taxi would work. Is there a reason you couldn’t or wouldn’t use one?

aceman22 6y ago
In California, most cities are very spread out so taking taxis anywhere are super expensive. You can't just hail one down on the street like other cities, you have to order one over the phone to come pick you up from where ever you are.
- adrr 6y ago
  There are taxi apps that are similar in functionality to Uber and Lyft. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/curb-the-taxi-app/id299226386 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/curb-the-taxi-app/id299226386
  - smsm42 6y ago
    What's the availability? I.e. are you actually able to get a ride within 10 mins in SV, for example? How about rest of California?
  - smsm42 6y ago
    I decided to check for myself and registered in the app. The nearest ride is in 20 minutes (about 2x from the rideshares) and the price from my house to SFO is about $160. My last ride with Uber was about $70. Make your own conclusions. Oh yes and the app is buggy as heck, losing internet connection all the time (on my home wifi!) and getting stuck in random places.
    - tmp538394722 6y ago
      I mean, one conclusion is that Lyft and Uber are not charging enough to continue to operate.
      - smsm42 6y ago
        They were stopping operations not because they couldn't afford it. But because the courts and lawmakers banned their whole business model.
ur-whale 6y ago
Because they're a giant PITA to use compared to ridesharing.
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
The reason that Uber and Lyft were eating the taxi business's lunch: Less cost and better service.
- theplague42 6y ago
  In part by ignoring city and state laws!
  - AnimalMuppet 6y ago
    Sure. That wasn't the point of this conversation, though. The point of this conversation was why one would use Lyft and Uber, and still not want to use the regular taxi companies.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
  - smsm42 6y ago
    Because those laws led to low availability, high prices and subpar service. And now they will lead to it again.
biztos 6y ago
Depends where you are. In much of the Valley you will not see a cab anywhere, but you might be able to call one. In SF proper, there are more cabs, but don't forget the hour-long waits we had before the ride-sharing thing started. I don't know if it'll get that bad again, but I don't think they authorized thousands of new cabs like (IMO) they should have. Also, I've had cabbies in SF tell me point-blank they won't take my fare because it's not far enough. Yeah, illegal, they don't care. Further out... good luck. You're in Concord and need a ride to Walnut Creek? Might work, but it might be faster to try Craigslist.
sneak 6y ago
Uber was founded because there are frequently 60 minute waits for taxis in SFBA, if they show up at all.
servercobra 6y ago
The last cab I was in, the driver was asking my girlfriend how to get where we were going (Chinatown in LA from downtown...not exactly challenging), which she didn't know because she doesn't drive. He was rude to us both the entire time, and then when we got out, (even after she left him a reasonable tip), he called her a "fcking btch" and sped away. We tried complaining to the cab company a few times but nothing came of it. I've never had an issue even remotely close to that in Uber/Lyft, but have had more unpleasant than pleasant experiences in taxis all over the country.
smsm42 6y ago
I remember taxis before Uber/Lyft. They sucked. They were very expensive. Low availability - I once was stuck in the middle of one 200k+ city with literally no cars available after calling several companies. After an hour or so, I had to call friends to pick me up. Then, if you get a cab, you have no idea who is your driver and have no history and no resort if something happens - you could call the dispatcher again but they won't take complaints, as it's not their business, and even if you manage to get the taxi company's support number (provided such thing exists) they'd probably ignore you. Oh yes, and last time I used it half of the drivers couldn't even make a credit card transactions - you had to have cash (hopefully at least this one is fixed now?)
chasd00 6y ago
i can get an uber from my house to the airport at 4AM in about 10 minutes. I can't get a taxi in the middle of the day sooner than 45 minutes. (I live in Dallas TX)

In California, most cities are very spread out so taking taxis anywhere are super expensive. You can't just hail one down on the street like other cities, you have to order one over the phone to come pick you up from where ever you are.

adrr 6y ago
There are taxi apps that are similar in functionality to Uber and Lyft. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/curb-the-taxi-app/id299226386 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/curb-the-taxi-app/id299226386
- smsm42 6y ago
  What's the availability? I.e. are you actually able to get a ride within 10 mins in SV, for example? How about rest of California?
- smsm42 6y ago
  I decided to check for myself and registered in the app. The nearest ride is in 20 minutes (about 2x from the rideshares) and the price from my house to SFO is about $160. My last ride with Uber was about $70. Make your own conclusions. Oh yes and the app is buggy as heck, losing internet connection all the time (on my home wifi!) and getting stuck in random places.
  - tmp538394722 6y ago
    I mean, one conclusion is that Lyft and Uber are not charging enough to continue to operate.
    - smsm42 6y ago
      They were stopping operations not because they couldn't afford it. But because the courts and lawmakers banned their whole business model.

ur-whale 6y ago

Because they're a giant PITA to use compared to ridesharing.

AnimalMuppet 6y ago

The reason that Uber and Lyft were eating the taxi business's lunch: Less cost and better service.

theplague42 6y ago
In part by ignoring city and state laws!
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  Sure. That wasn't the point of this conversation, though. The point of this conversation was why one would use Lyft and Uber, and still not want to use the regular taxi companies.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- smsm42 6y ago
  Because those laws led to low availability, high prices and subpar service. And now they will lead to it again.

biztos 6y ago

Depends where you are. In much of the Valley you will not see a cab anywhere, but you might be able to call one. In SF proper, there are more cabs, but don't forget the hour-long waits we had before the ride-sharing thing started. I don't know if it'll get that bad again, but I don't think they authorized thousands of new cabs like (IMO) they should have. Also, I've had cabbies in SF tell me point-blank they won't take my fare because it's not far enough. Yeah, illegal, they don't care. Further out... good luck. You're in Concord and need a ride to Walnut Creek? Might work, but it might be faster to try Craigslist.

sneak 6y ago

Uber was founded because there are frequently 60 minute waits for taxis in SFBA, if they show up at all.

servercobra 6y ago

The last cab I was in, the driver was asking my girlfriend how to get where we were going (Chinatown in LA from downtown...not exactly challenging), which she didn't know because she doesn't drive. He was rude to us both the entire time, and then when we got out, (even after she left him a reasonable tip), he called her a "fcking btch" and sped away. We tried complaining to the cab company a few times but nothing came of it. I've never had an issue even remotely close to that in Uber/Lyft, but have had more unpleasant than pleasant experiences in taxis all over the country.

smsm42 6y ago

I remember taxis before Uber/Lyft. They sucked. They were very expensive. Low availability - I once was stuck in the middle of one 200k+ city with literally no cars available after calling several companies. After an hour or so, I had to call friends to pick me up. Then, if you get a cab, you have no idea who is your driver and have no history and no resort if something happens - you could call the dispatcher again but they won't take complaints, as it's not their business, and even if you manage to get the taxi company's support number (provided such thing exists) they'd probably ignore you. Oh yes, and last time I used it half of the drivers couldn't even make a credit card transactions - you had to have cash (hopefully at least this one is fixed now?)

chasd00 6y ago

i can get an uber from my house to the airport at 4AM in about 10 minutes. I can't get a taxi in the middle of the day sooner than 45 minutes. (I live in Dallas TX)