6 ms·

Why would people in NYC use Uber or Lyft? Are they really so much cheaper than taxis?

by skizm 12y ago

jrlocke 12y ago
Ever try to grab a taxi in NYC? It's not always easy.
- gdilla 12y ago
  It's still pretty easy though - except when the bars let out in the bowery.
- skizm 12y ago
  I take cabs around NYC a lot. Never had trouble except around closing time near some bars on weekends.
billmalarky 12y ago
Because the experience is 100x better for the same price.
- JohnTHaller 12y ago
  It's the same experience, for the most part. The livery car services near me now also offer Uber. It's more expensive for the same trip, same driver, and same car with Uber, of course. They like it. For the rest of us with their number saved in our phone, we just keep using it for the same price as before.
  - billmalarky 12y ago
    Hailing a cab is not similar to using uber. Cabs you never know what to expect. The driver is rude, they tell you the credit card machine is broken, the car is in horrible condition. With uber you consistently get a pleasant experience.
    - JohnTHaller 12y ago
      You didn't even read my post. I said calling a livery car. Aka a car service. Aka the exact same guys that come when you use Uber. Car services have existed for longer than the internet has. Car services are different from cabs. It is illegal to hail a car service in NYC, you can only hail yellow cabs. Quite literally the EXACT driver in the EXACT car will come if you use Uber in my neighborhood because my local car service works with Uber. It costs more on Uber than if you call them directly, of course.
      - billmalarky 12y ago
        I get you. My response was to the original comment though, which was asking why use uber when there are cabs everywhere.
potatolicious 12y ago
Because NYC is bigger than just Manhattan. In fact, Manhattan is bigger than just Manhattan below 96th St ;) In the wealthy side of Manhattan the city is swarming with cabs. In Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and even Harlem, Washington Heights, etc, cabs can be hard to come by. UberX is also cheaper than a cab nowadays with the recent price drop. I disagree with billmalarky below about the experience being better though. Uber's drivers are almost always considerably less experienced than cab drivers. I've lost count of the number of times I've sat in an immobile Uber while the driver futzes with some shitty GPS unit so he knows where the hell to actually go. Also lost count of how many times an Uber driver couldn't find his way to the Manhattan Bridge on-ramp. These are things that are second-nature to cab drivers. When I get into a cab I might get a surly guy who's yakking on the phone the whole way, but I'll get to my destination quickly, and cheaply. When I get into an Uber I'm almost guaranteed to get someone who is polite, genial, and doesn't really know where they're going. I'll take the former, thanks.
- dntrkv 12y ago
  In my experience most Uber drivers were taxi drivers, so there is very little difference in that aspect. Sure, every now and then I get a noob that has to put the address into the GPS, but most of the time that is not the case. I have only taken a taxi once (in the bay area) in the last 2 years that I started using Uber and instantly regretted. It cost more, the condition of the car was horrendous, and the driver did not let me use his cable to charge my phone which I was using to call my friend to find the address of his place.
- skizm 12y ago
  > Because NYC is bigger than just Manhattan. You know, you're right. When someone says "NYC" I pretty much only think of Manhattan (from the top of central park down). I forget how enormous the city actually is.
- kaeawc 12y ago
  Taxis are no longer cheaper in NYC, and I've never met an inexperienced Uber driver.
  - 12y ago

Why would people in NYC use Uber or Lyft? Are they really so much cheaper than taxis?

by skizm 12y ago

Why would people in NYC use Uber or Lyft? Are they really so much cheaper than taxis?

jrlocke 12y ago

Ever try to grab a taxi in NYC? It's not always easy.

gdilla 12y ago
It's still pretty easy though - except when the bars let out in the bowery.
skizm 12y ago
I take cabs around NYC a lot. Never had trouble except around closing time near some bars on weekends.

billmalarky 12y ago

Because the experience is 100x better for the same price.

JohnTHaller 12y ago
It's the same experience, for the most part. The livery car services near me now also offer Uber. It's more expensive for the same trip, same driver, and same car with Uber, of course. They like it. For the rest of us with their number saved in our phone, we just keep using it for the same price as before.
- billmalarky 12y ago
  Hailing a cab is not similar to using uber. Cabs you never know what to expect. The driver is rude, they tell you the credit card machine is broken, the car is in horrible condition. With uber you consistently get a pleasant experience.
  - JohnTHaller 12y ago
    You didn't even read my post. I said calling a livery car. Aka a car service. Aka the exact same guys that come when you use Uber. Car services have existed for longer than the internet has. Car services are different from cabs. It is illegal to hail a car service in NYC, you can only hail yellow cabs. Quite literally the EXACT driver in the EXACT car will come if you use Uber in my neighborhood because my local car service works with Uber. It costs more on Uber than if you call them directly, of course.
    - billmalarky 12y ago
      I get you. My response was to the original comment though, which was asking why use uber when there are cabs everywhere.

potatolicious 12y ago

Because NYC is bigger than just Manhattan. In fact, Manhattan is bigger than just Manhattan below 96th St ;) In the wealthy side of Manhattan the city is swarming with cabs. In Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and even Harlem, Washington Heights, etc, cabs can be hard to come by. UberX is also cheaper than a cab nowadays with the recent price drop. I disagree with billmalarky below about the experience being better though. Uber's drivers are almost always considerably less experienced than cab drivers. I've lost count of the number of times I've sat in an immobile Uber while the driver futzes with some shitty GPS unit so he knows where the hell to actually go. Also lost count of how many times an Uber driver couldn't find his way to the Manhattan Bridge on-ramp. These are things that are second-nature to cab drivers. When I get into a cab I might get a surly guy who's yakking on the phone the whole way, but I'll get to my destination quickly, and cheaply. When I get into an Uber I'm almost guaranteed to get someone who is polite, genial, and doesn't really know where they're going. I'll take the former, thanks.

dntrkv 12y ago
In my experience most Uber drivers were taxi drivers, so there is very little difference in that aspect. Sure, every now and then I get a noob that has to put the address into the GPS, but most of the time that is not the case. I have only taken a taxi once (in the bay area) in the last 2 years that I started using Uber and instantly regretted. It cost more, the condition of the car was horrendous, and the driver did not let me use his cable to charge my phone which I was using to call my friend to find the address of his place.
skizm 12y ago
> Because NYC is bigger than just Manhattan. You know, you're right. When someone says "NYC" I pretty much only think of Manhattan (from the top of central park down). I forget how enormous the city actually is.
kaeawc 12y ago
Taxis are no longer cheaper in NYC, and I've never met an inexperienced Uber driver.
- 12y ago