4 ms·

Black cabs roar back into favour as app firms put up their prices

25 points by edward 5y ago

Traubenfuchs 5y ago
Vienna: Cancelled my last 10 late night rides after they lied about arrival times that usually turned into something between „driver rejecting me until one 30min away accepts me“ and „infinity“. Running/walking to a taxi stand or just taking late night public transport is now generally faster. Also, it‘s not cheaper anymore. Uber is dead here.
- thefounder 5y ago
  >> Uber is dead here. I will be in Vienna soon and I guess I can't wait to get swilded by a taxi driver. At least with Uber you know how much you are going to pay and that the price is fair/market price which is not always the case with taxi drivers. Not to mention I had some really bad experiences with the taxi drivers(in Spain) trying to switch the banknotes given...you can't really appreciate Uber enough until you find the "right" taxi deriver(s)
version_five 5y ago
Anecdotally this has been going on for a while, at least where I am. When uber first started, the cab industry sucked, and needed "disrupting". That may still be true some places, but uber was able to peak and stagnate faster than anyone could imagine. I've been taking calling taxis for the last few years, and generally they come faster, are cheaper, and more professional. And ironically, I've come to really dislike uber, so I'm happy to support cab companies instead. I say ironically because when I first started using uber, I was happy to he depriving my local cab companies of income because of how user unfriendly and entitled they had become under a medallion system.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- klyrs 5y ago
  I've never installed an app to get a ride. Sometimes I call, but usually I'll simply hail a ride. I spot a cab, walk to the curb, and wave it down. Sometimes, the available cabs are going the wrong way, returning from whatever direction I want to go. Easy enough, just cross the street and let them handle the turnaround. Cabs certainly aren't what they used to be -- 20 years ago, cabbies knew the city. Today, they ask me for directions and implore me to use my phone. But I'll be damned if I'll invite a company to surveil my every trip.
anyfactor 5y ago
At the end of the day, ROE is the truth beyond everything else. Businesses have to justify their valuations at some point in their lifecycle.
silisili 5y ago
I don't see how investors didn't see or didn't want to see this outcome. You can't make a new taxi company, a cutthroat industry, and in addition to paying drivers, pay many many millions in Software Eng. All while magically charging less money than those who aren't paying those same overhead. I mean, it was good for us consumers for a while, but in the end someone was paying for that(via investments), and I really don't understand why.
- jjeaff 5y ago
  In many areas, the experience is just better with Uber or Lyft. Most taxi or black car services in most cities in America are only accessible by calling and booking and in many cases you need hours if not 24 hours or more lead time. Not to mention the huge number of smaller cities that have no other car services.
  - silisili 5y ago
    As someone past their partying days, the only time I typically use them is at the airports. And at the airports, I'm always blown away. Taxis as far as the eye can see, ready and willing. Yet most people are fumbling with their phone, walking around lost trying to find the Uber lot. As a data comparison, it cost me 10 seconds of my time and $33 to get a taxi ride home. It cost me 7 to 10 minutes of my time and $31 for an Uber. Doesn't make sense to me.
    - reducesuffering 5y ago
      Anecdotes differ. That’s why data is best for comparing these things. For example I would always take Uber or Lyft some weekends from the airport to the office and it would be around $15. One time my phone was dead, I hailed a taxi and they charged me $50. Haven’t taken them much since that’s been my typical experience.
- thefounder 5y ago
  Can someone tell me why Uber needs so many engineers? I mean the app has been developed, infrastructure software as well, probably was rewritten several times as well...why do you still need thousands of engineers for a taxi app? Do people really want more features? Can't they keep it going the "same" way for the next 20 years? Something like the craiglist approach.
bradknowles 5y ago
In the UK, I have found Black Cabs to be superior to any taxi system anywhere else in the world, at least any of the places I’ve been to. I mean, the sheer determination it takes to go through “The Knowledge” is just breathtaking. You really have to be committed to the job in order to do that. In the US, I’ve used rental limos on several occasions, including ExecuCar and BlackLane. They’ve both been great — not a single bad experience there. But there’s a huge leap downward from that to the “black car” service from companies like Uber. I’ve had occasion to use regular car service from Uber and Lyft, and between the two I think Lyft is better to their drivers and their customers. But that’s like saying one pile of poo is better than another pile of poo, because it stinks less. I haven’t had any really horrible experiences from either Lyft or Uber, and I have had some really good ones. But it’s a lot more hit and miss. I think they might be better than your average taxi, but only in some places. In others, I suspect your average taxi will still be better. I do prefer to use local co-op transportation services instead of either Uber or Lyft — like RideAustin here in Austin, TX. I’ll use RideAustin over Lyft or Uber any day of the week.
- thefounder 5y ago
  In the UK (London) I use Addison Lee. They've provided the Uber app experience before Uber was a thing. Not to mention the drivers are always on spot!
- BoorishBears 5y ago
  > But there’s a huge leap downward from that to the “black car” service from companies like Uber. I haven't seen that here in NYC. They wait something like 15 minutes without any complaints, they're always clean, always spacious. I like the little pre-trip survey that lets you communicate your preferred temperature and level conversation I'm not sure what more to expect?
- db579 5y ago
  Do any cab companies here let you book online via browser/PWA rather than requiring a proprietary app to be downloaded? Uber used to have m.uber.com but it seems lately that doesn't actually allow you to book rides in this region anymore and I've not come across any others yet.
throwawaysea 5y ago
No thanks. In my experience, taxi drivers the world over have regularly been rude, untrustworthy, and found ways to swindle customers. Uber was a game changer. I have no idea why they need an army of engineers, and maybe they can cut costs. But I appreciate their existence and the competition they brought to an otherwise uncompetitive racket. I would rather pay double for an Uber than deal with traditional taxis.

25 points by edward 5y ago

Vienna: Cancelled my last 10 late night rides after they lied about arrival times that usually turned into something between „driver rejecting me until one 30min away accepts me“ and „infinity“. Running/walking to a taxi stand or just taking late night public transport is now generally faster. Also, it‘s not cheaper anymore. Uber is dead here.

thefounder 5y ago
>> Uber is dead here. I will be in Vienna soon and I guess I can't wait to get swilded by a taxi driver. At least with Uber you know how much you are going to pay and that the price is fair/market price which is not always the case with taxi drivers. Not to mention I had some really bad experiences with the taxi drivers(in Spain) trying to switch the banknotes given...you can't really appreciate Uber enough until you find the "right" taxi deriver(s)

version_five 5y ago

Anecdotally this has been going on for a while, at least where I am. When uber first started, the cab industry sucked, and needed "disrupting". That may still be true some places, but uber was able to peak and stagnate faster than anyone could imagine. I've been taking calling taxis for the last few years, and generally they come faster, are cheaper, and more professional. And ironically, I've come to really dislike uber, so I'm happy to support cab companies instead. I say ironically because when I first started using uber, I was happy to he depriving my local cab companies of income because of how user unfriendly and entitled they had become under a medallion system.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
klyrs 5y ago
I've never installed an app to get a ride. Sometimes I call, but usually I'll simply hail a ride. I spot a cab, walk to the curb, and wave it down. Sometimes, the available cabs are going the wrong way, returning from whatever direction I want to go. Easy enough, just cross the street and let them handle the turnaround. Cabs certainly aren't what they used to be -- 20 years ago, cabbies knew the city. Today, they ask me for directions and implore me to use my phone. But I'll be damned if I'll invite a company to surveil my every trip.

anyfactor 5y ago

At the end of the day, ROE is the truth beyond everything else. Businesses have to justify their valuations at some point in their lifecycle.

silisili 5y ago

I don't see how investors didn't see or didn't want to see this outcome. You can't make a new taxi company, a cutthroat industry, and in addition to paying drivers, pay many many millions in Software Eng. All while magically charging less money than those who aren't paying those same overhead. I mean, it was good for us consumers for a while, but in the end someone was paying for that(via investments), and I really don't understand why.

jjeaff 5y ago
In many areas, the experience is just better with Uber or Lyft. Most taxi or black car services in most cities in America are only accessible by calling and booking and in many cases you need hours if not 24 hours or more lead time. Not to mention the huge number of smaller cities that have no other car services.
- silisili 5y ago
  As someone past their partying days, the only time I typically use them is at the airports. And at the airports, I'm always blown away. Taxis as far as the eye can see, ready and willing. Yet most people are fumbling with their phone, walking around lost trying to find the Uber lot. As a data comparison, it cost me 10 seconds of my time and $33 to get a taxi ride home. It cost me 7 to 10 minutes of my time and $31 for an Uber. Doesn't make sense to me.
  - reducesuffering 5y ago
    Anecdotes differ. That’s why data is best for comparing these things. For example I would always take Uber or Lyft some weekends from the airport to the office and it would be around $15. One time my phone was dead, I hailed a taxi and they charged me $50. Haven’t taken them much since that’s been my typical experience.
thefounder 5y ago
Can someone tell me why Uber needs so many engineers? I mean the app has been developed, infrastructure software as well, probably was rewritten several times as well...why do you still need thousands of engineers for a taxi app? Do people really want more features? Can't they keep it going the "same" way for the next 20 years? Something like the craiglist approach.

bradknowles 5y ago

In the UK, I have found Black Cabs to be superior to any taxi system anywhere else in the world, at least any of the places I’ve been to. I mean, the sheer determination it takes to go through “The Knowledge” is just breathtaking. You really have to be committed to the job in order to do that. In the US, I’ve used rental limos on several occasions, including ExecuCar and BlackLane. They’ve both been great — not a single bad experience there. But there’s a huge leap downward from that to the “black car” service from companies like Uber. I’ve had occasion to use regular car service from Uber and Lyft, and between the two I think Lyft is better to their drivers and their customers. But that’s like saying one pile of poo is better than another pile of poo, because it stinks less. I haven’t had any really horrible experiences from either Lyft or Uber, and I have had some really good ones. But it’s a lot more hit and miss. I think they might be better than your average taxi, but only in some places. In others, I suspect your average taxi will still be better. I do prefer to use local co-op transportation services instead of either Uber or Lyft — like RideAustin here in Austin, TX. I’ll use RideAustin over Lyft or Uber any day of the week.

thefounder 5y ago
In the UK (London) I use Addison Lee. They've provided the Uber app experience before Uber was a thing. Not to mention the drivers are always on spot!
BoorishBears 5y ago
> But there’s a huge leap downward from that to the “black car” service from companies like Uber. I haven't seen that here in NYC. They wait something like 15 minutes without any complaints, they're always clean, always spacious. I like the little pre-trip survey that lets you communicate your preferred temperature and level conversation I'm not sure what more to expect?
db579 5y ago
Do any cab companies here let you book online via browser/PWA rather than requiring a proprietary app to be downloaded? Uber used to have m.uber.com but it seems lately that doesn't actually allow you to book rides in this region anymore and I've not come across any others yet.

throwawaysea 5y ago

No thanks. In my experience, taxi drivers the world over have regularly been rude, untrustworthy, and found ways to swindle customers. Uber was a game changer. I have no idea why they need an army of engineers, and maybe they can cut costs. But I appreciate their existence and the competition they brought to an otherwise uncompetitive racket. I would rather pay double for an Uber than deal with traditional taxis.