4 ms·

I just had my first Las Vegas cab experience, it was at 11:30pm. The taxi driver picked us up from the airport and took us to our hotel 30 minutes away. He was

I just had my first Las Vegas cab experience, it was at 11:30pm. The taxi driver picked us up from the airport and took us to our hotel 30 minutes away. He was pretty helpful and seemed to know the area quite well. Then we got to our destination and he demanded that I pay cash, even though the taxi had a touchscreen terminal behind the front passenger seat for paying with card. He said that he needed the $55 fare in cash because he needs to take some money home and it is midnight. I told him that I didn't feel comfortable, he was apologetic, explained he needed the money and so, to save trouble, I went into the hotel and got out the cash for him because I just got off a few hours plane ride, I didn't want to deal with this nonsense at this time of night. I told the man behind the desk at the hotel and he explained that it happens all of the time. He said a lot of the drivers pocket the cash for themselves which is why they demand cash. He then advised us not to hire taxis and to use a hotel recommended private driver service that is the same cost (no doubt a nice referral fee for them). An ulterior motive there, but I don't doubt that this happens all of the time. This experience, other experiences from colleagues and friends as well as online paints a picture of a pretty broken and corrupt taxi system in Los Angeles especially. While I am not a big fan of Uber (ethically) I do like the idea of ridesharing and the rating system. If Lyft, Uber and other companies were operating here, perhaps things would be different.

achille2 12y ago
"He said a lot of the drivers pocket the cash for themselves which is why they demand cash." Uh. No. Where else would the money go? Cabbies pay everything upfront. They keep all earnings. The problem here is that both cabbies and customers are in a bad deal. The bulk of the profits go to taxi medallion holders which are typically investors.
- cheald 12y ago
  It's much easier to not pay taxes on cash income than on credit card income. Also, cabbies don't pocket the income, the medallion owner pockets the income. If that happens to be the cabbie, great, but frequently, cabbies simply lease the medallion from an investment company. If you're a non-medallion-owning driver, you can increase your hourly rate by requesting and not-reporting cash transactions.
artursapek 12y ago
I'm curious, what's your ethical problem with Uber?
- smackfu 12y ago
  Ha, have you not been paying attention?
  - joshstrange 12y ago
    This is a useless comment, I'm not saying Uber is ethical but saying "Ha, have you not been paying attention?" adds no value. I think artursapek poses a valid question to be answered with facts and sources not an off the cuff reply that expects everyone follows everything that happens. People have questions, why do you have to pretend they are stupid for not know every last detail?
    - smackfu 12y ago
      Fair enough. I should have included some links. Uber's playbook for sabotaging Lyft: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8229081 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8229081 Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 Uber rival accuses car service of dirty tactics: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7115177 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7115177
  - artursapek 12y ago
    No, I don't stare at HN all day. Started using Uber recently and I notice stories about them now.
- michael_h 12y ago
  Probably: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/12/lyft-uber-cancelled-rides/ http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/12/lyft-uber-cancelled-rides... http://www.businessinsider.com/an-uber-exec-brought-up-the-idea-of-spying-on-journalists-2014-11 http://www.businessinsider.com/an-uber-exec-brought-up-the-i... https://medium.com/@petersimsie/can-we-trust-uber-c0e793deda36 https://medium.com/@petersimsie/can-we-trust-uber-c0e793deda...
joezydeco 12y ago
For future reference, there are shared-ride hotel shuttles that operate out of McCarran: https://www.mccarran.com/Go/Shuttles.aspx https://www.mccarran.com/Go/Shuttles.aspx They are the cheapest option (usually <$15 round-trip) to get from LAS to your hotel but, like any shared-ride setup, it's gonna be a wait for the bus to arrive and a longer wait while you drop others off. Las Vegas is a unique situation where people try to scramble as fast as they can from airplane seat to casino seat and they tend to miss this option and sprint straight for the cab line.

achille2 12y ago

"He said a lot of the drivers pocket the cash for themselves which is why they demand cash." Uh. No. Where else would the money go? Cabbies pay everything upfront. They keep all earnings. The problem here is that both cabbies and customers are in a bad deal. The bulk of the profits go to taxi medallion holders which are typically investors.

cheald 12y ago
It's much easier to not pay taxes on cash income than on credit card income. Also, cabbies don't pocket the income, the medallion owner pockets the income. If that happens to be the cabbie, great, but frequently, cabbies simply lease the medallion from an investment company. If you're a non-medallion-owning driver, you can increase your hourly rate by requesting and not-reporting cash transactions.

artursapek 12y ago

I'm curious, what's your ethical problem with Uber?

smackfu 12y ago
Ha, have you not been paying attention?
- joshstrange 12y ago
  This is a useless comment, I'm not saying Uber is ethical but saying "Ha, have you not been paying attention?" adds no value. I think artursapek poses a valid question to be answered with facts and sources not an off the cuff reply that expects everyone follows everything that happens. People have questions, why do you have to pretend they are stupid for not know every last detail?
  - smackfu 12y ago
    Fair enough. I should have included some links. Uber's playbook for sabotaging Lyft: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8229081 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8229081 Uber Executive Suggests Digging Up Dirt on Journalists: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622003 Uber rival accuses car service of dirty tactics: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7115177 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7115177
- artursapek 12y ago
  No, I don't stare at HN all day. Started using Uber recently and I notice stories about them now.
michael_h 12y ago
Probably: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/12/lyft-uber-cancelled-rides/ http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/12/lyft-uber-cancelled-rides... http://www.businessinsider.com/an-uber-exec-brought-up-the-idea-of-spying-on-journalists-2014-11 http://www.businessinsider.com/an-uber-exec-brought-up-the-i... https://medium.com/@petersimsie/can-we-trust-uber-c0e793deda36 https://medium.com/@petersimsie/can-we-trust-uber-c0e793deda...

joezydeco 12y ago

For future reference, there are shared-ride hotel shuttles that operate out of McCarran: https://www.mccarran.com/Go/Shuttles.aspx https://www.mccarran.com/Go/Shuttles.aspx They are the cheapest option (usually <$15 round-trip) to get from LAS to your hotel but, like any shared-ride setup, it's gonna be a wait for the bus to arrive and a longer wait while you drop others off. Las Vegas is a unique situation where people try to scramble as fast as they can from airplane seat to casino seat and they tend to miss this option and sprint straight for the cab line.