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In theory, that's great. In practice, cabbies still rip people off sometimes. I'd be happier if they always took the Google Maps route. It's sad but they are s

In theory, that's great. In practice, cabbies still rip people off sometimes. I'd be happier if they always took the Google Maps route. It's sad but they are simply a victim of technology. Before sat nav, minicab drivers were very unreliable. They would get lost, they would have to consult maps, etc. Now, a minicab is as good or better than a taxi.

lozf 12y ago
Ugh, no. There are times when the Google Maps route would take way longer than even reasonably obvious alternative routes. Particularly in London. Google tries to pick the quickest route, but these roads are often way too busy. As usual it turns out that there are good & bad taxi drivers, and good & bad mini-cab drivers / companies too.
seanmcdirmid 12y ago
Google Maps is blocked in China, I hope they don't try to use it.
stevekemp 12y ago
> I'd be happier if they always took the Google Maps route. Part of being a good taxi-driver is knowing which parts of the city are going to busy at different points of time. If a taxi takes a detour from the best map-presented route you don't know if they're giving you a faster journey, or ripping you off. Too often people assume the latter.
- alextgordon 12y ago
  Maybe I was being prematurely futuristic and unfair, but it seems that at some point Google Maps will be better at routing than the average cabbie. Google has all the information a cabbie has (road layout, major disruptions, historical traffic patterns, speed limits). They also have real-time traffic information. This is the kind of problem that computers tend to beat humans at, eventually.
  - stevekemp 12y ago
    I expect it is only a matter of time. Using the same kind of volunteers who contribute to OpenStreetMap it should be possible to update routing based on temporary road-works (which might last for 3-5 days, here in Scotland), which would otherwise catch drivers out by surprise with detours.

lozf 12y ago

Ugh, no. There are times when the Google Maps route would take way longer than even reasonably obvious alternative routes. Particularly in London. Google tries to pick the quickest route, but these roads are often way too busy. As usual it turns out that there are good & bad taxi drivers, and good & bad mini-cab drivers / companies too.

seanmcdirmid 12y ago

Google Maps is blocked in China, I hope they don't try to use it.

stevekemp 12y ago

> I'd be happier if they always took the Google Maps route. Part of being a good taxi-driver is knowing which parts of the city are going to busy at different points of time. If a taxi takes a detour from the best map-presented route you don't know if they're giving you a faster journey, or ripping you off. Too often people assume the latter.

alextgordon 12y ago
Maybe I was being prematurely futuristic and unfair, but it seems that at some point Google Maps will be better at routing than the average cabbie. Google has all the information a cabbie has (road layout, major disruptions, historical traffic patterns, speed limits). They also have real-time traffic information. This is the kind of problem that computers tend to beat humans at, eventually.
- stevekemp 12y ago
  I expect it is only a matter of time. Using the same kind of volunteers who contribute to OpenStreetMap it should be possible to update routing based on temporary road-works (which might last for 3-5 days, here in Scotland), which would otherwise catch drivers out by surprise with detours.