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On the Android app, surge pricing is VERY clearly labeled. You have to agree to the rate before service is dispatched and you have the option to wait until the

by Donzo 12y ago

On the Android app, surge pricing is VERY clearly labeled. You have to agree to the rate before service is dispatched and you have the option to wait until the surge ends if you so choose. The problem with the BBB is that nobody goes there to report positive experiences. Only jaded customers use it to slam businesses with which they have a vendetta. Everybody other than an aging legacy group uses Yelp or other analogs. Uber may fight dirty, but their product is outstanding. I'm firmly convinced that when regulators discover how amazing it is they will attempt to either legislate it out of existence or shake them down until their rates are no better than taxis.

chimeracoder 12y ago
> or shake them down until their rates are no better than taxis. Despite their advertising to the contrary, Uber's rates are not always lower than yellow medallion cabs in NYC. For certain trips it may be cheaper, but oftentimes it is just as expensive, if not more[0]. Uber's pricing structure is different from the ones that the medallion cabs use[1], so it's not a one-to-one comparison. This makes it very easy to pick and choose certain trips which would make Uber look cheaper (which they do), and it's also easy to pick and choose trips which make them look more expensive. In addition, Uber is venture-funded and can easily operate below-cost right now (I would be shocked if they did otherwise). So it's worth keeping in mind that Uber's rates are arguably already be no better than taxis', depending on the city, depending on the trip, and especially if we assume they had to operate in the black. [0] This is hard to verify as Uber explicitly prohibits using their API for price comparison, specifically to discourage this. Though there was a project on HN a few weeks back which did do this, and the results were mixed (Uber won sometimes, but not always). [1] Which are set by the government, not by individual cabbies: http://www.dailydot.com/technology/uber-nyc-taxi-cheaper-price-war/ http://www.dailydot.com/technology/uber-nyc-taxi-cheaper-pri...
- Donzo 12y ago
  I can say that in Chicago, Uber's rates are much better than taxi's. Enough so that I will accept 2x surge pricing and still feel as though I am saving money.
- badusername 12y ago
  NYC does seem to have one of the higher rates for uberX, but still a bit cheaper than taxi - http://blog.uber.com/nyc/uberX-price-cut http://blog.uber.com/nyc/uberX-price-cut
- Swizec 12y ago
  > Despite their advertising to the contrary, Uber's rates are not always better than yellow medallion cabs in NYC To be honest, I'd use Uber even if it was more expensive than taxis. User experience is leaps and bounds ahead of any taxi I've ever used. Three things make Uber a far superior product compared to taxis for me: * no awkwardness/timesuck around payment, I arrive, I walk away * feedback how long I'll be waiting - when I'm in a hurry, seeing where exactly the car is and how long it's gonna take them to get to me helps calm me down, eases my nerves, even if it doesn't make the car arrive any faster (it *feels* faster though) * call cab while still getting ready to walk outside, again something that only works because I know how far the car is
  - wcummings 12y ago
    I agree.. except in NYC. Cabs are literally everywhere, even in the outer boroughs (I used to live in Queens) its as easy as walking out the door to find a cab in many places. That said, I use Uber almost exclusively in Boston/Cambridge.
- eli 12y ago
  In fact here in DC I have twice found Uber's price comparisons to their competitors to just plain wrong. They posted a correction not long after I complained about this particular post: http://blog.uber.com/DCuberXpricecut http://blog.uber.com/DCuberXpricecut It originally said the DC Taxi would cost $20 instead of $14. Pretty far off. (To be fair the new, lower UberX fares are now usually cheaper than a cab in DC... just not the whopping 51% cheaper they were claiming at one point.)
- wyager 12y ago
  I lived in NY for a while. Uber was always markedly cheaper, especially after factoring in tip (taxi drivers need tipping, Uber drivers don't). More recent anecdote: I was interviewing in CA the other day. Airport taxi to Menlo Park: $125. Uber from Menlo Park to Airport: $31.
hrrsn 12y ago
>On the Android app, surge pricing is VERY clearly labeled. I've only had surge pricing once, but on iOS it is a separate screen, explaining the process and what multiplier you're charged. I have no sympathy for these people who go through this.
- shampine 12y ago
  You also have to type the multiplier, e.g. "2.5" to continue.
  - untog 12y ago
    That hasn't always been the case, though. They introduced that as a result of complaints like these.
joelrunyon 12y ago
> but their product is outstanding. As they've expanded - their driver quality has gotten NOTICEABLY worse across MULTIPLE markets. I wonder how they're going to deal with training as some of the uber drivers poor experience has me rethinking about whether or not to use them.

by Donzo 12y ago

chimeracoder 12y ago

> or shake them down until their rates are no better than taxis. Despite their advertising to the contrary, Uber's rates are not always lower than yellow medallion cabs in NYC. For certain trips it may be cheaper, but oftentimes it is just as expensive, if not more[0]. Uber's pricing structure is different from the ones that the medallion cabs use[1], so it's not a one-to-one comparison. This makes it very easy to pick and choose certain trips which would make Uber look cheaper (which they do), and it's also easy to pick and choose trips which make them look more expensive. In addition, Uber is venture-funded and can easily operate below-cost right now (I would be shocked if they did otherwise). So it's worth keeping in mind that Uber's rates are arguably already be no better than taxis', depending on the city, depending on the trip, and especially if we assume they had to operate in the black. [0] This is hard to verify as Uber explicitly prohibits using their API for price comparison, specifically to discourage this. Though there was a project on HN a few weeks back which did do this, and the results were mixed (Uber won sometimes, but not always). [1] Which are set by the government, not by individual cabbies: http://www.dailydot.com/technology/uber-nyc-taxi-cheaper-price-war/ http://www.dailydot.com/technology/uber-nyc-taxi-cheaper-pri...

Donzo 12y ago
I can say that in Chicago, Uber's rates are much better than taxi's. Enough so that I will accept 2x surge pricing and still feel as though I am saving money.
badusername 12y ago
NYC does seem to have one of the higher rates for uberX, but still a bit cheaper than taxi - http://blog.uber.com/nyc/uberX-price-cut http://blog.uber.com/nyc/uberX-price-cut
Swizec 12y ago
> Despite their advertising to the contrary, Uber's rates are not always better than yellow medallion cabs in NYC To be honest, I'd use Uber even if it was more expensive than taxis. User experience is leaps and bounds ahead of any taxi I've ever used. Three things make Uber a far superior product compared to taxis for me: * no awkwardness/timesuck around payment, I arrive, I walk away * feedback how long I'll be waiting - when I'm in a hurry, seeing where exactly the car is and how long it's gonna take them to get to me helps calm me down, eases my nerves, even if it doesn't make the car arrive any faster (it *feels* faster though) * call cab while still getting ready to walk outside, again something that only works because I know how far the car is
- wcummings 12y ago
  I agree.. except in NYC. Cabs are literally everywhere, even in the outer boroughs (I used to live in Queens) its as easy as walking out the door to find a cab in many places. That said, I use Uber almost exclusively in Boston/Cambridge.
eli 12y ago
In fact here in DC I have twice found Uber's price comparisons to their competitors to just plain wrong. They posted a correction not long after I complained about this particular post: http://blog.uber.com/DCuberXpricecut http://blog.uber.com/DCuberXpricecut It originally said the DC Taxi would cost $20 instead of $14. Pretty far off. (To be fair the new, lower UberX fares are now usually cheaper than a cab in DC... just not the whopping 51% cheaper they were claiming at one point.)
wyager 12y ago
I lived in NY for a while. Uber was always markedly cheaper, especially after factoring in tip (taxi drivers need tipping, Uber drivers don't). More recent anecdote: I was interviewing in CA the other day. Airport taxi to Menlo Park: $125. Uber from Menlo Park to Airport: $31.

hrrsn 12y ago

>On the Android app, surge pricing is VERY clearly labeled. I've only had surge pricing once, but on iOS it is a separate screen, explaining the process and what multiplier you're charged. I have no sympathy for these people who go through this.

shampine 12y ago
You also have to type the multiplier, e.g. "2.5" to continue.
- untog 12y ago
  That hasn't always been the case, though. They introduced that as a result of complaints like these.

joelrunyon 12y ago

> but their product is outstanding. As they've expanded - their driver quality has gotten NOTICEABLY worse across MULTIPLE markets. I wonder how they're going to deal with training as some of the uber drivers poor experience has me rethinking about whether or not to use them.