4 ms·

Why do I need an app for this? I swear some of these apps are solving problems that simply don't exist. I speed dial Eastland Car Service in Brooklyn and call

by pacemkr 15y ago

Why do I need an app for this? I swear some of these apps are solving problems that simply don't exist. I speed dial Eastland Car Service in Brooklyn and call it a night (excuse the pun.) *Ring* "Eastland." "Can I have a car to the Moon please?" "5 minutes." Click. 3 minutes later it's waiting for you. Edit: Funny story, once I was picked up by a brand new Porsche Cayenne. Pretty good for an $8 cab.

deleted 15y ago
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blhack 15y ago
>Why do I need an app for this? You don't, but it makes the entire stack easier for everybody involved. I don't live in a NYC, I live in Phoenix, but we have our own problems that necessitate taxicabs (urban sprawl, meaning if I going to beers-with-friends, I'm paying for a cab). Sitting in the bar and pressing a button on my phone to hail a cab would be awesome. The management software on the backend finds the closest 5 available drivers, lets them bid on me, and whichever one bids the lowest takes me home. Honestly, you could take it a step further and do AirBNB for car services. Give me the ability to rate drivers and their cars, and then let drivers bid on me where I get to choose which one takes me home.
- pacemkr 15y ago
  I've spoken to Eastland drivers -- I've been riding with them for years -- and thats exactly what they do, minus the complexity. They announce an address over radio and the closest driver takes it. I don't remember how they enforce this policy in the company (sorry), but they do and it works. As a customer, I don't have to muck about in some app, especially while buzzed, to get a car. I call and get a real person and am done in 5 seconds. No app can do that. Admittedly, it works because they have a lot of drivers. I can see how this becomes a problem when you have many smaller companies and you need to hail the closest. Thanks for the perspective.
  - modeless 15y ago
    Speak for yourself; I find it far faster and easier to open an app and press a button than call a phone number and try to verbally explain my location to some guy with a thick accent. When you add in the fact that Uber also takes care of payment and tip, which is another hassle at the end of the trip, it's a far better experience.

by pacemkr 15y ago

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

blhack 15y ago

>Why do I need an app for this? You don't, but it makes the entire stack easier for everybody involved. I don't live in a NYC, I live in Phoenix, but we have our own problems that necessitate taxicabs (urban sprawl, meaning if I going to beers-with-friends, I'm paying for a cab). Sitting in the bar and pressing a button on my phone to hail a cab would be awesome. The management software on the backend finds the closest 5 available drivers, lets them bid on me, and whichever one bids the lowest takes me home. Honestly, you could take it a step further and do AirBNB for car services. Give me the ability to rate drivers and their cars, and then let drivers bid on me where I get to choose which one takes me home.

pacemkr 15y ago
I've spoken to Eastland drivers -- I've been riding with them for years -- and thats exactly what they do, minus the complexity. They announce an address over radio and the closest driver takes it. I don't remember how they enforce this policy in the company (sorry), but they do and it works. As a customer, I don't have to muck about in some app, especially while buzzed, to get a car. I call and get a real person and am done in 5 seconds. No app can do that. Admittedly, it works because they have a lot of drivers. I can see how this becomes a problem when you have many smaller companies and you need to hail the closest. Thanks for the perspective.
- modeless 15y ago
  Speak for yourself; I find it far faster and easier to open an app and press a button than call a phone number and try to verbally explain my location to some guy with a thick accent. When you add in the fact that Uber also takes care of payment and tip, which is another hassle at the end of the trip, it's a far better experience.