4 ms·

I learned within the past year that Uber sucks for drivers around NYC. The T&LC rules mean that someone who's not registered can't take pickups in NYC. They can

by ziml77 2y ago

I learned within the past year that Uber sucks for drivers around NYC. The T&LC rules mean that someone who's not registered can't take pickups in NYC. They can still drop you off though, so Uber considers it valid to assign a non-T&LC vehicle to drive into NYC. Of course when that happens, the driver has an empty car going back the other way. It's awful for their pay and a big waste of energy and road space. Some drivers will just deal with it, but many end up asking if you're going into NYC. If you're lucky they will cancel the ride immediately, but if not then you have to wait for them to drive by your pickup spot before canceling the ride (which I have to assume is so they can say that they couldn't find you). When I do need a car into the city and it's serviced by a non-T&LC driver, I now make sure to leave a huge tip to make up for Uber not giving drivers an option to not be matched with people going into NYC.

avree 2y ago
Uber drivers have been able to see the approximate destination before accepting the ride for over a year now in all markets.
- pavel_lishin 2y ago
  Yeah, which is why it's confusing that my mom had two drivers reject her the last time she needed to get to the airport when I wasn't able to give her a ride to JFK.
  - kevmo314 2y ago
    Wow, we've gone full circle. I remember when being able to reliably get an Uber to JFK was a selling point over taxis.
    - holowoodman 2y ago
      Isn't there a subway connection or something? I mean, it is an international airport and a big city...
      - poorlydefined 2y ago
        Taking the subway with potentially heavy check-in bags isn’t always possible. I wouldn’t say it’s the most convenient trip and I can understand why someone would prefer an Uber or taxi option.
        DEADMINCE 2y ago
        It's always possible, just rarely preferred and almost never easy.
      - lmm 2y ago
        The US has bizarre funding rules that made it effectively impossible to have a through ride from municipal public transport to the airport until recently.
      - CPLX 2y ago
        LMFAO welcome to New York. We have three major large scale airports, and none of them are connected to the subway. It would be comical if it wasn’t so sad.
        crazygringo 2y ago
        That's not really true. You can take the subway to JFK -- it's the A train. Or even faster, take the LIRR. For both, you have to transfer to the AirTrain for the last short stretch, but that train brings you directly to each terminal so you'd need to get on it anyways. And you can take NJ Transit light rail from Penn Station to Newark, it's 3 stops. It's not technically the subway -- but it's better because it goes faster and there are less stops. LaGuardia is the only airport you can't get to by train -- there was an attempt [1] but it was cancelled last year. But one of the big reasons for cancellation is that it was crazy expensive and you can already get to the airport pretty easily if you're willing to hop on bus connection from the subway or LIRR. So I'd say the situation isn't that sad. For Newark and JFK it's totally fine, and for LaGuardia you just need to add a bus. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirTrain_LaGuardia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirTrain_LaGuardia
  - dylan604 2y ago
    Some drivers just don't like going to airports. It's not that confusing. It's possible that the fact they could see the destination is precisely why the rejected it.
    - pavel_lishin 2y ago
      Maybe I don't understand how Uber works, but why would they have accepted it to begin with?
      - dylan604 2y ago
        Drivers are often assigned their next ride while they are still dropping off their current passenger(s), so if they are a good driver they won't look at the details of the next ride until they have dropped off their current passenger(s). Once they are stopped and able to safely look at their device again, they can at that point decide they don't want the next ride. At that point, the app has to play roulette to find another driver.
  - WheatMillington 2y ago
    Why don't drivers want to go to the airport?
    - dylan604 2y ago
      If you didn't have to go to the airport, would you want to go? Taking a single rider to the airport chews up a lot of time OR you can possibly pick up multiple shorter rides in the same span of time without having to deal with an airport.
      - WheatMillington 2y ago
        But there are ALWAYS people looking for rides to AND from the airport. And they're generally good long rides.
        dylan604 2y ago
        And some people like licorice. Not really sure the point you're trying to make.
- blendergeek 2y ago
  > in all markets. I am an Uber driver. I do not see the approximate destination prior to pickup. I don't know what percentage of Uber markets actually have that feature.
- vsuperpower2020 2y ago
  You're very confident about this, aren't you?
AdamJacobMuller 2y ago
It also sucks for the riders and I really can't imagine Uber likes the situation either. It's a really annoying situation because you end up arguing with some driver over text or worse in person about it. They don't want to cancel because cancelling a lot impacts their rating with uber and they will get less rides. I don't want to cancel because after a few minutes I'll be charged a cancellation fee and now I have to start all over with another driver and a dice-roll if i'll get another driver who refuses to go to NYC again. If I want my $5 back I also have to argue with some AI customer service rep for an hour. Terrible user experience. Lyft seems to do better with assigning only TLC cars to NYC rides, but, not 100% -- Uber also biases towards TLC cars for NYC routes but there isn't always one available of course so sometimes you get assigned another one, just anecdotally Lyft seems to get you a TLC car more often. TLC are the only ones winning here.
- tivert 2y ago
  > It also sucks for the riders and I really can't imagine Uber likes the situation either. I think the question is what does Uber do when it doesn't like a situation? Does it try to create the best user experience given the constraints, or does it make the situation shitty for everyone except themselves (maybe until it can force whatever change best serves Uber's interests, nevermind anyone else)? It sounds like it's totally within Uber's capabilities to make this situation better (add a "TLC car" flag to their system, and only use those cars for NYC rides), so why have they chosen not to do that?
  - szundi 2y ago
    Question is how many of these needs to be added for all the rogue cities
    - tivert 2y ago
      > Question is how many of these needs to be added for all the rogue cities "Rogue cities," seriously? I've seen some twisted propaganda ("PR") in my life, but that takes the cake.
jtriangle 2y ago
Uber could certainly throw additional tech at this problem, but, realistically, the problem is the fault of NYC, not Uber. If NYC got rid of their antiquated laws, this would be a non-issue, and, rides would likely be cheaper and easier to obtain. Not to mention you really don't want big names like Uber/Lyft to be the only players that can enter the game because they have the resources to enter a complex regulatory market.
- tivert 2y ago
  > Uber could certainly throw additional tech at this problem, but, realistically, the problem is the fault of NYC, not Uber. If NYC got rid of their antiquated laws, this would be a non-issue, and, rides would likely be cheaper and easier to obtain. No, you've got it ass-backwards. It's Uber's job to provide the best customer experience given their constraints, it's not NYC's job to bend over backwards to adapt its laws to Uber's model. The problem is the fault of Uber. > Not to mention you really don't want big names like Uber/Lyft to be the only players that can enter the game because they have the resources to enter a complex regulatory market. It sounds the additional tech required to "enter a complex regulatory market" is a boolean flag.
  - gruez 2y ago
    >No, you've got it ass-backwards. It's Uber's job to provide the best customer experience given their constraints, it's not NYC's job to bend over backwards to adapt its laws to Uber's model. >The problem is the fault of Uber. Are you claiming that the government can do no wrong regardless of what laws they pass?
    - dylan604 2y ago
      > Are you claiming that the government can do no wrong regardless of what laws they pass? I'm not claiming that, but I agree it is an Uber problem. Uber chose to enter this market knowing the rules in advance. They didn't petition the system to get an exception to operate as they wanted, they just "disrupted" and did what they wanted operating under the ask for forgiveness not permission mindset. If you're not going to play by the rules, you don't get to cry to your mummy about the rules being unfair.
m463 2y ago
T&LC = New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission

by ziml77 2y ago

avree 2y ago

Uber drivers have been able to see the approximate destination before accepting the ride for over a year now in all markets.

pavel_lishin 2y ago
Yeah, which is why it's confusing that my mom had two drivers reject her the last time she needed to get to the airport when I wasn't able to give her a ride to JFK.
- kevmo314 2y ago
  Wow, we've gone full circle. I remember when being able to reliably get an Uber to JFK was a selling point over taxis.
  - holowoodman 2y ago
    Isn't there a subway connection or something? I mean, it is an international airport and a big city...
    - poorlydefined 2y ago
      Taking the subway with potentially heavy check-in bags isn’t always possible. I wouldn’t say it’s the most convenient trip and I can understand why someone would prefer an Uber or taxi option.
      - DEADMINCE 2y ago
        It's always possible, just rarely preferred and almost never easy.
    - lmm 2y ago
      The US has bizarre funding rules that made it effectively impossible to have a through ride from municipal public transport to the airport until recently.
    - CPLX 2y ago
      LMFAO welcome to New York. We have three major large scale airports, and none of them are connected to the subway. It would be comical if it wasn’t so sad.
      - crazygringo 2y ago
        That's not really true. You can take the subway to JFK -- it's the A train. Or even faster, take the LIRR. For both, you have to transfer to the AirTrain for the last short stretch, but that train brings you directly to each terminal so you'd need to get on it anyways. And you can take NJ Transit light rail from Penn Station to Newark, it's 3 stops. It's not technically the subway -- but it's better because it goes faster and there are less stops. LaGuardia is the only airport you can't get to by train -- there was an attempt [1] but it was cancelled last year. But one of the big reasons for cancellation is that it was crazy expensive and you can already get to the airport pretty easily if you're willing to hop on bus connection from the subway or LIRR. So I'd say the situation isn't that sad. For Newark and JFK it's totally fine, and for LaGuardia you just need to add a bus. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirTrain_LaGuardia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirTrain_LaGuardia
- dylan604 2y ago
  Some drivers just don't like going to airports. It's not that confusing. It's possible that the fact they could see the destination is precisely why the rejected it.
  - pavel_lishin 2y ago
    Maybe I don't understand how Uber works, but why would they have accepted it to begin with?
    - dylan604 2y ago
      Drivers are often assigned their next ride while they are still dropping off their current passenger(s), so if they are a good driver they won't look at the details of the next ride until they have dropped off their current passenger(s). Once they are stopped and able to safely look at their device again, they can at that point decide they don't want the next ride. At that point, the app has to play roulette to find another driver.
- WheatMillington 2y ago
  Why don't drivers want to go to the airport?
  - dylan604 2y ago
    If you didn't have to go to the airport, would you want to go? Taking a single rider to the airport chews up a lot of time OR you can possibly pick up multiple shorter rides in the same span of time without having to deal with an airport.
    - WheatMillington 2y ago
      But there are ALWAYS people looking for rides to AND from the airport. And they're generally good long rides.
      - dylan604 2y ago
        And some people like licorice. Not really sure the point you're trying to make.
blendergeek 2y ago
> in all markets. I am an Uber driver. I do not see the approximate destination prior to pickup. I don't know what percentage of Uber markets actually have that feature.
vsuperpower2020 2y ago
You're very confident about this, aren't you?

AdamJacobMuller 2y ago

It also sucks for the riders and I really can't imagine Uber likes the situation either. It's a really annoying situation because you end up arguing with some driver over text or worse in person about it. They don't want to cancel because cancelling a lot impacts their rating with uber and they will get less rides. I don't want to cancel because after a few minutes I'll be charged a cancellation fee and now I have to start all over with another driver and a dice-roll if i'll get another driver who refuses to go to NYC again. If I want my $5 back I also have to argue with some AI customer service rep for an hour. Terrible user experience. Lyft seems to do better with assigning only TLC cars to NYC rides, but, not 100% -- Uber also biases towards TLC cars for NYC routes but there isn't always one available of course so sometimes you get assigned another one, just anecdotally Lyft seems to get you a TLC car more often. TLC are the only ones winning here.

tivert 2y ago
> It also sucks for the riders and I really can't imagine Uber likes the situation either. I think the question is what does Uber do when it doesn't like a situation? Does it try to create the best user experience given the constraints, or does it make the situation shitty for everyone except themselves (maybe until it can force whatever change best serves Uber's interests, nevermind anyone else)? It sounds like it's totally within Uber's capabilities to make this situation better (add a "TLC car" flag to their system, and only use those cars for NYC rides), so why have they chosen not to do that?
- szundi 2y ago
  Question is how many of these needs to be added for all the rogue cities
  - tivert 2y ago
    > Question is how many of these needs to be added for all the rogue cities "Rogue cities," seriously? I've seen some twisted propaganda ("PR") in my life, but that takes the cake.

jtriangle 2y ago

Uber could certainly throw additional tech at this problem, but, realistically, the problem is the fault of NYC, not Uber. If NYC got rid of their antiquated laws, this would be a non-issue, and, rides would likely be cheaper and easier to obtain. Not to mention you really don't want big names like Uber/Lyft to be the only players that can enter the game because they have the resources to enter a complex regulatory market.

tivert 2y ago
> Uber could certainly throw additional tech at this problem, but, realistically, the problem is the fault of NYC, not Uber. If NYC got rid of their antiquated laws, this would be a non-issue, and, rides would likely be cheaper and easier to obtain. No, you've got it ass-backwards. It's Uber's job to provide the best customer experience given their constraints, it's not NYC's job to bend over backwards to adapt its laws to Uber's model. The problem is the fault of Uber. > Not to mention you really don't want big names like Uber/Lyft to be the only players that can enter the game because they have the resources to enter a complex regulatory market. It sounds the additional tech required to "enter a complex regulatory market" is a boolean flag.
- gruez 2y ago
  >No, you've got it ass-backwards. It's Uber's job to provide the best customer experience given their constraints, it's not NYC's job to bend over backwards to adapt its laws to Uber's model. >The problem is the fault of Uber. Are you claiming that the government can do no wrong regardless of what laws they pass?
  - dylan604 2y ago
    > Are you claiming that the government can do no wrong regardless of what laws they pass? I'm not claiming that, but I agree it is an Uber problem. Uber chose to enter this market knowing the rules in advance. They didn't petition the system to get an exception to operate as they wanted, they just "disrupted" and did what they wanted operating under the ask for forgiveness not permission mindset. If you're not going to play by the rules, you don't get to cry to your mummy about the rules being unfair.

m463 2y ago

T&LC = New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission