4 ms·

Uber is amazing. It's one of my favorite pockets of the unevenly distributed future that I've come to rely on since moving to SF. Tracking the progress of my

by spudlyo 14y ago

Uber is amazing. It's one of my favorite pockets of the unevenly distributed future that I've come to rely on since moving to SF. Tracking the progress of my ride on my smartphone as it makes the usually less than 3 minute journey to me is still a thrill. Uber is maybe 10% more expensive, yet 500% more reliable. I don't know if you've ever tried to hail a cab in SF, but it's a huge exercise in frustration. Calling a dispatch service is equally vexing. I'm with you, the doom of the Taxi business can't come soon enough for me.

ryguytilidie 14y ago
As much as I agree with you in loving Uber, your 10% more calculation is insanely low. I have done comparison drives twice. Once I took a cab from SOMA to Pac heights: $8.35, Uber back to the same spot: $15.95 SOMA to Dolores Park. Cab: 7.90. Uber: 15.25 Clearly not 10%. I guess the big thing for me is that I really don't care about bottles of water or the type of car the person shows up in. I just want an on demand service that gets everything done in a sensible way. If there was a cheaper version of Uber for regular cabs I would be all over it. The bigger picture though is how much people will fight to keep crappy businesses in business. We will hear the argument about how we cant lose jobs right now when unemployment is so high, but for the love of god, this is progress people. If some cab drivers lose their jobs in the name of progress is this really worth hurting society over?
- olivercameron 14y ago
  There is a cheaper version of Uber, it's called UberX[1]. 1. http://allthingsd.com/20120702/a-status-symbol-moves-down-market-whats-behind-the-uberx-launch/ http://allthingsd.com/20120702/a-status-symbol-moves-down-ma...
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- cyen 14y ago
  (Check out side.cr and lyft.me! I've been calling them Uber for poor people.)
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - ajju 14y ago
    or InstantCab, which works directly with cab drivers - who are motivated to provide good customer service, instead of cab companies which are generally glorified car rental companies that only provide customer service for legacy reasons and don't care about it.
    - tlrobinson 14y ago
      Last time I tried InstantCab some kid (who was clearly not a cab driver) in an old Toyota (which was clearly not a cab) showed up to pick me up.
      - ajju 14y ago
        Could have been me, I drive an old(ish) Toyota, but I would have asked you about 280 North. So it must have been someone else. We are still in beta and so we usually have a backup driver, often one of us, who'll go and pickup customers if there is no taxi nearby. It's been quite interesting meeting people this way. I think I have had 5 "office hours" with Justin Kan this way :)
        tlrobinson 14y ago
        I asked the driver if they worked at InstantCab and it sounded like a part time thing for him. It might not have been a Toyota. Anyway, I wouldn't have minded if I had expected it. My girlfriend was skeptical, and I wouldn't expect her to get in some random car if I wasn't with her. I'd suggest asking riders if they're ok with a backup driver picking them up first (assuming this is even legal...) I'll give it another try. I hope you guys succeed. TaxiMagic and Cabulous never work for me precisely because drivers will cancel your pickup at the drop of a hat if they find a closer pickup, and there's no feedback mechanism to discourage this.
        14y ago
- technotony 14y ago
  And Cabulous app basically provides you the same level of service as a regular cab, but you get one quickly and can track it on your phone as it arrives.
  - tlrobinson 14y ago
    I rarely have a good experience with Cabulous or TaxiMagic in SF. Drivers will drop your pickup in an instant if they see someone hailing a cab on their way to you. I usually go through 3 drivers or so before one actually picks me up.
raldi 14y ago
I love your phrase about "pockets of the unevenly distributed future" and will be stealing it.
- damian2000 14y ago
  Original may be this ... "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed." http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Gibson http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Gibson

by spudlyo 14y ago

ryguytilidie 14y ago

As much as I agree with you in loving Uber, your 10% more calculation is insanely low. I have done comparison drives twice. Once I took a cab from SOMA to Pac heights: $8.35, Uber back to the same spot: $15.95 SOMA to Dolores Park. Cab: 7.90. Uber: 15.25 Clearly not 10%. I guess the big thing for me is that I really don't care about bottles of water or the type of car the person shows up in. I just want an on demand service that gets everything done in a sensible way. If there was a cheaper version of Uber for regular cabs I would be all over it. The bigger picture though is how much people will fight to keep crappy businesses in business. We will hear the argument about how we cant lose jobs right now when unemployment is so high, but for the love of god, this is progress people. If some cab drivers lose their jobs in the name of progress is this really worth hurting society over?

olivercameron 14y ago
There is a cheaper version of Uber, it's called UberX[1]. 1. http://allthingsd.com/20120702/a-status-symbol-moves-down-market-whats-behind-the-uberx-launch/ http://allthingsd.com/20120702/a-status-symbol-moves-down-ma...
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
cyen 14y ago
(Check out side.cr and lyft.me! I've been calling them Uber for poor people.)
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- ajju 14y ago
  or InstantCab, which works directly with cab drivers - who are motivated to provide good customer service, instead of cab companies which are generally glorified car rental companies that only provide customer service for legacy reasons and don't care about it.
  - tlrobinson 14y ago
    Last time I tried InstantCab some kid (who was clearly not a cab driver) in an old Toyota (which was clearly not a cab) showed up to pick me up.
    - ajju 14y ago
      Could have been me, I drive an old(ish) Toyota, but I would have asked you about 280 North. So it must have been someone else. We are still in beta and so we usually have a backup driver, often one of us, who'll go and pickup customers if there is no taxi nearby. It's been quite interesting meeting people this way. I think I have had 5 "office hours" with Justin Kan this way :)
      - tlrobinson 14y ago
        I asked the driver if they worked at InstantCab and it sounded like a part time thing for him. It might not have been a Toyota. Anyway, I wouldn't have minded if I had expected it. My girlfriend was skeptical, and I wouldn't expect her to get in some random car if I wasn't with her. I'd suggest asking riders if they're ok with a backup driver picking them up first (assuming this is even legal...) I'll give it another try. I hope you guys succeed. TaxiMagic and Cabulous never work for me precisely because drivers will cancel your pickup at the drop of a hat if they find a closer pickup, and there's no feedback mechanism to discourage this.
        14y ago
technotony 14y ago
And Cabulous app basically provides you the same level of service as a regular cab, but you get one quickly and can track it on your phone as it arrives.
- tlrobinson 14y ago
  I rarely have a good experience with Cabulous or TaxiMagic in SF. Drivers will drop your pickup in an instant if they see someone hailing a cab on their way to you. I usually go through 3 drivers or so before one actually picks me up.

raldi 14y ago

I love your phrase about "pockets of the unevenly distributed future" and will be stealing it.

damian2000 14y ago
Original may be this ... "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed." http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Gibson http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Gibson