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> Taxis in London were just terrible (and expensive) until Uber Private hire cabs were terrible. Hackney cabs (the black ones that do on-street pickup) were ge

> Taxis in London were just terrible (and expensive) until Uber Private hire cabs were terrible. Hackney cabs (the black ones that do on-street pickup) were generally very good if a bit expensive.

MagnumOpus 6y ago
> Hackney cabs [...] very good If you didn't mind listening to racist diatribe from the driver and were willing to support their tax evasion as "the card reader's broken guv - cash only".
- burntoutfire 6y ago
  Ain't that the truth. The first time I drove a London cab, the driver appeared scruffy and a bit mad, constantly mumbling under his nose stuff like "I wouldn't mind hitting that guy, I really wouldn't" (after someone cut him off).
- C1sc0cat 6y ago
  But supporting Ubers tax evasion and exploitation of workers is then.
  - JAlexoid 6y ago
    "Exploitattion".... when people chose to drive for Uber, instead of getting a full blown cab license or work for a fraudster cab company. I hate Uber for a lot of things, but they don't exploit anyone. If anything Uber is the disruptor that stopped straight up mobs owning the market.
    - C1sc0cat 6y ago
      I call pretending that they are self employed instead of workers and doing them out of holiday and sick pay - yeh I call that exploitation.
      - JAlexoid 6y ago
        They are self employed. They drive their own cars. They set their own work schedule. They engage with uber on per ride basis. They can be working for Uber, Lyft and the local minicab all at the same time. They are not employees at all... and they must figure out their own holiday and sick pay.
wastedhours 6y ago
Depends on the time of day - Hackney cabs during the day in Zones 1 and 2 were good (though only if you had a good chunk of cash before they all had to have card readers), whereas private hire was better for those 2am trips home from some Zone 4 random location. I'm not a fan of Uber specifically, but they certainly do blend together (most of) the best of both worlds for London cab use I've experienced. I'd also argue that the Night Tube was really helped by their prevalence, so they've made even public transport better as a result (as a traveller, rather than an operator).
iso1631 6y ago
Completely disagree, due to the cost I rarely took them, but about half the time they would refuse to go where I wanted or take anything but cash (had the same issue with "cash only" in several cities - Brussels and Washington DC come to mind. That's why I use Uber)
- alasdair_ 6y ago
  >about half the time they would refuse to go where I wanted There are two types of license for London black cabs - one for the city center and one for the whole of London. The one that can only do the city center have a green sticker. Also, if the "for hire" light is on, they are not allowed to refuse to take you to anywhere within their boundary. In practice, if there are a bunch of cabs around, it may make sense to get another one, but if it's pissing down with rain and there are no other cabs in sight, get in the cab first THEN tell them where you are going and insist on it. As for cash: since 2016, every cab must have a working credit card meter to pick up a far.
  - Ichthypresbyter 6y ago
    >There are two types of license for London black cabs - one for the city center and one for the whole of London. The one that can only do the city center have a green sticker. AFAIK the opposite is true. The green badge is the 'All London' badge, which entitles the holder to work everywhere in London. The yellow badge is the Suburban badge, which allows them to work in one of 9 specific areas that form a ring around Inner London.
    - VBprogrammer 6y ago
      Good luck remembering that after 6 pints.
      - iso1631 6y ago
        Cheaper to book a hotel in central london than get a black cab back to the suburbs.

> Taxis in London were just terrible (and expensive) until Uber Private hire cabs were terrible. Hackney cabs (the black ones that do on-street pickup) were generally very good if a bit expensive.

MagnumOpus 6y ago

> Hackney cabs [...] very good If you didn't mind listening to racist diatribe from the driver and were willing to support their tax evasion as "the card reader's broken guv - cash only".

burntoutfire 6y ago
Ain't that the truth. The first time I drove a London cab, the driver appeared scruffy and a bit mad, constantly mumbling under his nose stuff like "I wouldn't mind hitting that guy, I really wouldn't" (after someone cut him off).
C1sc0cat 6y ago
But supporting Ubers tax evasion and exploitation of workers is then.
- JAlexoid 6y ago
  "Exploitattion".... when people chose to drive for Uber, instead of getting a full blown cab license or work for a fraudster cab company. I hate Uber for a lot of things, but they don't exploit anyone. If anything Uber is the disruptor that stopped straight up mobs owning the market.
  - C1sc0cat 6y ago
    I call pretending that they are self employed instead of workers and doing them out of holiday and sick pay - yeh I call that exploitation.
    - JAlexoid 6y ago
      They are self employed. They drive their own cars. They set their own work schedule. They engage with uber on per ride basis. They can be working for Uber, Lyft and the local minicab all at the same time. They are not employees at all... and they must figure out their own holiday and sick pay.

wastedhours 6y ago

Depends on the time of day - Hackney cabs during the day in Zones 1 and 2 were good (though only if you had a good chunk of cash before they all had to have card readers), whereas private hire was better for those 2am trips home from some Zone 4 random location. I'm not a fan of Uber specifically, but they certainly do blend together (most of) the best of both worlds for London cab use I've experienced. I'd also argue that the Night Tube was really helped by their prevalence, so they've made even public transport better as a result (as a traveller, rather than an operator).

iso1631 6y ago

Completely disagree, due to the cost I rarely took them, but about half the time they would refuse to go where I wanted or take anything but cash (had the same issue with "cash only" in several cities - Brussels and Washington DC come to mind. That's why I use Uber)

alasdair_ 6y ago
>about half the time they would refuse to go where I wanted There are two types of license for London black cabs - one for the city center and one for the whole of London. The one that can only do the city center have a green sticker. Also, if the "for hire" light is on, they are not allowed to refuse to take you to anywhere within their boundary. In practice, if there are a bunch of cabs around, it may make sense to get another one, but if it's pissing down with rain and there are no other cabs in sight, get in the cab first THEN tell them where you are going and insist on it. As for cash: since 2016, every cab must have a working credit card meter to pick up a far.
- Ichthypresbyter 6y ago
  >There are two types of license for London black cabs - one for the city center and one for the whole of London. The one that can only do the city center have a green sticker. AFAIK the opposite is true. The green badge is the 'All London' badge, which entitles the holder to work everywhere in London. The yellow badge is the Suburban badge, which allows them to work in one of 9 specific areas that form a ring around Inner London.
  - VBprogrammer 6y ago
    Good luck remembering that after 6 pints.
    - iso1631 6y ago
      Cheaper to book a hotel in central london than get a black cab back to the suburbs.