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This really saddens me. I used to love Uber, it was one of my favourite companies. I remember when I first used it - I'd gone down to London and was going to tr

This really saddens me. I used to love Uber, it was one of my favourite companies. I remember when I first used it - I'd gone down to London and was going to try UberLux out, just for the one trip. I ended up using it about four times that day, even though it was far more expensive than a taxi. It was incredible and worth every penny because unlike taxis, Uber was professional[1]. The driver was polite, you got a bottle of water to drink and there was stuff to read too (and not rubbish either, quality stuff like the FT). For a while, it seemed like Uber was about the high-end - as Travis himself said, he created Uber to have a more "baller" way to travel around San Francisco - but then they started to care more and more about being seen as affordable and UberX is now clearly the company's top priority. And as prices drop and margins are squeezed, articles like this are the end result. People will complain that luxury isn't important (and they might be right) but Uber had a really good service that was different. Now they're just like all the other ride sharing companies. I really, really wish they would shut down UberX. I know they won't. But I want to love Uber again - but with all of these stories, almost all regarding UberX drivers - I feel obnoxious if I use them. I don't want to support them. Love the service, hate the company. [1] I was recently in a taxi where the taxi driver said a number of very racist things, directly insulted me, my fellow passenger and pretty much anyone he came into contact with during the ride (other cars, pedestrians, etc) and swore repeatedly. This isn't the first time I've experienced this (although it was the worst). I'm somewhat shy and find taxis to be, on occasion, somewhat intimidating. I've never felt that way in an Uber.

UK-AL 11y ago
Have you ever considered since there cutting into established markets now, the vast vast majority anti-uber articles are PR pieces from competitors. You'll be surprised how common this is.
- untog 11y ago
  Are you suggesting that Uber does not discriminate against disabled people? Because the evidence outlined in the article is quite damning. Dismissing any criticism as "probably PR by a competitor" is really not that useful.
  - UK-AL 11y ago
    No, i'm saying this is fairly common in the industry in general. It's only highlighted because its Uber, and there's a lot interest in giving them negative press. I've known disabled people who in general thinks Uber is better than tradional private cabs for his needs.
- stephenr 11y ago
  Really? You think it's more likely that their competitors have made up junk stories, than a company which has a known public history of ignoring rules and regulations, is breaking more rules and regulations?
  - UK-AL 11y ago
    Considering how many other taxi companies break regulations like this, but nothing said. Uber does it, and its a massive issue. I've lost count how many disabled unfriendly private taxi's there are, how many times the card machine "stops working". The industry in general is scummy. In general Uber is better than average. And junk stories are very common, common service PR companies provide. About 50% of news stories are PR pieces, basically because journalists are lazy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations#Negative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations#Negative I'm not saying this is one of those stories, but a huge quantity are. Especially when they mention other taxi companies in a good light, it makes it obvious.
    - jellicle 11y ago
      Taxi companies may fight regulations, but they don't flout them. If the city says, "We want 500 accessible taxicabs next year", taxi companies may say, "How about 200, five years from now?" But they won't say, "Fuck you, I'm a special bro-snowflake and your rules don't apply to me." Uber has gone out of its way to earn all the negative stories about itself.
bttf 11y ago
I've had a similar experience with Uber. Awesome at first, but then the horror stories started emerging, and what was upsetting was Uber's lack of initiative to abate the problems. I can understand their position in trying to keep their drivers as independent contractors and therefore less controlled and regulated. But it seems that they are not even trying to show a willingness to appease to their own trodden customers and conscientious user base.
- a3n 11y ago
  > their own trodden customers If I understand what Uber is really trying to do, I think the drivers are Uber's customers. Riders are simulataneously customers of the drivers, and the product being sold by Uber to drivers.
dopeboy 11y ago
Interesting - I've only been using Uber for ~2 years now but I came across it from the opposite direction. I couldn't afford them until UberX came out. I took an UberX last night and the driver didn't know the cross street in Harlem I told him to go to. He insisted on me finding the street address and putting it in the app so that GPS could guide him. Then he asked for five stars before I left. His car had random water bottles in the back seat. But none of that bothered me. I want to get to point B from point A - that 15 minute user experience isn't really important to me. So all I care about is cost and, atleast here in NYC, UberX can sometimes be cheaper than a yellow cab. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.
- kaolinite 11y ago
  That's fair enough. I certainly couldn't afford to use UberLux every day but I only rarely get taxis (maybe a few times a month) so I'd rather pay for a premium service when I do. A perfect situation I feel would be if Lyft concentrated on the affordable end and Uber went high end. Immediately, there'd be no more Lyft vs Uber nonsense and Lyft would get all of the aggression from the taxi industry instead of Uber, as Uber would no longer really be competing with taxis.
seiji 11y ago
> it was one of my favourite companies. But, why? They've always been boisterous and exploitative. Just because someone provides a "do what I want" button doesn't absolve them of all their koala-fueled tyranny in the background. It turns out when you allow cutthroat capitalism with no regulators or oversight (or regulators that lag by 5-10 years), it becomes easy to abuse so many features of our shared economy. Startups figured this out about 7 years ago and are going full steam ahead with exploitation at the speed of business model evolution. > he created Uber to have a more "baller" way to travel around San Francisco so, uber is basically 100% BroTaxi, just not so obviously branded. Then lyft is half BroTaxi ("mustache rides!") an half HippyTaxi (we'll be super dope BFFs forever! (at least until the end of this transactional ride)). What if transportation fractures like online communities fracture? Does each online message board get its own taxi service? That could potentially fix the quality problem since you would only be associating with people already like yourself. "MRA-only taxi service, hackernews-only taxi service, ..." Know the most 'baller' way to travel around San Francisco? Spend an hour trying to get somewhere 5 miles away on public transit then focus on fixing the system itself. Don't try to elevate yourself above what you perceive to be the oh-so-dirty unwashed masses. Remember: melting-pot, not gilded tower. Of course, all this people-taxi drama is time limited until we have self aware cars fulfilling our every transportation wish (let's just hope they don't get too clairvoyant).
- kaolinite 11y ago
  > But, why? They've always been boisterous and exploitative. Agreed. I'm not saying that I'm proud that I supported them. Previously, I bought into the "taxi mafia" story that Travis spun. I was at a talk he gave and, well, he was convincing. I think at the time, he was probably telling the truth: there probably was a lot of corruption in the taxi industry (and probably still is). But now, after he's used it time after time to justify treating drivers and customers poorly (fighting against insurance, for example), I feel like a fool for believing him. > so, uber is basically 100% BroTaxi I don't think he was using the term "baller" seriously, it was most likely a joke. UberExec/Lux certainly doesn't feel like it's for "bros", it feels like it's for professionals.
  - 11y ago
DanBC 11y ago
> I was recently in a taxi where the taxi driver said a number of very racist things, directly insulted me, my fellow passenger and pretty much anyone he came into contact with during the ride (other cars, pedestrians, etc) and swore repeatedly. Please do always reprt this! I know you shouldn't have to; I know it happens far too often. But please do report it. https://www.tfl.gov.uk/forms/12397.aspx https://www.tfl.gov.uk/forms/12397.aspx https://www.tfl.gov.uk/forms/12407.aspx https://www.tfl.gov.uk/forms/12407.aspx http://www.londonblacktaxis.net/complaints.htm http://www.londonblacktaxis.net/complaints.htm (Are these the right websites?)
- jessriedel 11y ago
  > Please do always reprt this! Relevant satire: https://medium.com/@blakeross/uber-gov-29db5fdff372 https://medium.com/@blakeross/uber-gov-29db5fdff372
- kaolinite 11y ago
  Thanks for those links, I didn't realise it was that easy. However, this was in a private taxi and not in London, but yes, I could have reported it. Honestly though, my problem isn't with the occasional awful ride, but the far more frequent slightly annoying rides. The ones where the driver won't stop talking or asking about local women or good bars in the city or the latest football gossip. I can't complain about that (nor do I really have the right to) but it's a huge reason why I prefer the Uber service.

UK-AL 11y ago

Have you ever considered since there cutting into established markets now, the vast vast majority anti-uber articles are PR pieces from competitors. You'll be surprised how common this is.

untog 11y ago
Are you suggesting that Uber does not discriminate against disabled people? Because the evidence outlined in the article is quite damning. Dismissing any criticism as "probably PR by a competitor" is really not that useful.
- UK-AL 11y ago
  No, i'm saying this is fairly common in the industry in general. It's only highlighted because its Uber, and there's a lot interest in giving them negative press. I've known disabled people who in general thinks Uber is better than tradional private cabs for his needs.
stephenr 11y ago
Really? You think it's more likely that their competitors have made up junk stories, than a company which has a known public history of ignoring rules and regulations, is breaking more rules and regulations?
- UK-AL 11y ago
  Considering how many other taxi companies break regulations like this, but nothing said. Uber does it, and its a massive issue. I've lost count how many disabled unfriendly private taxi's there are, how many times the card machine "stops working". The industry in general is scummy. In general Uber is better than average. And junk stories are very common, common service PR companies provide. About 50% of news stories are PR pieces, basically because journalists are lazy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations#Negative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations#Negative I'm not saying this is one of those stories, but a huge quantity are. Especially when they mention other taxi companies in a good light, it makes it obvious.
  - jellicle 11y ago
    Taxi companies may fight regulations, but they don't flout them. If the city says, "We want 500 accessible taxicabs next year", taxi companies may say, "How about 200, five years from now?" But they won't say, "Fuck you, I'm a special bro-snowflake and your rules don't apply to me." Uber has gone out of its way to earn all the negative stories about itself.

bttf 11y ago

I've had a similar experience with Uber. Awesome at first, but then the horror stories started emerging, and what was upsetting was Uber's lack of initiative to abate the problems. I can understand their position in trying to keep their drivers as independent contractors and therefore less controlled and regulated. But it seems that they are not even trying to show a willingness to appease to their own trodden customers and conscientious user base.

a3n 11y ago
> their own trodden customers If I understand what Uber is really trying to do, I think the drivers are Uber's customers. Riders are simulataneously customers of the drivers, and the product being sold by Uber to drivers.

dopeboy 11y ago

Interesting - I've only been using Uber for ~2 years now but I came across it from the opposite direction. I couldn't afford them until UberX came out. I took an UberX last night and the driver didn't know the cross street in Harlem I told him to go to. He insisted on me finding the street address and putting it in the app so that GPS could guide him. Then he asked for five stars before I left. His car had random water bottles in the back seat. But none of that bothered me. I want to get to point B from point A - that 15 minute user experience isn't really important to me. So all I care about is cost and, atleast here in NYC, UberX can sometimes be cheaper than a yellow cab. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

kaolinite 11y ago
That's fair enough. I certainly couldn't afford to use UberLux every day but I only rarely get taxis (maybe a few times a month) so I'd rather pay for a premium service when I do. A perfect situation I feel would be if Lyft concentrated on the affordable end and Uber went high end. Immediately, there'd be no more Lyft vs Uber nonsense and Lyft would get all of the aggression from the taxi industry instead of Uber, as Uber would no longer really be competing with taxis.

seiji 11y ago

> it was one of my favourite companies. But, why? They've always been boisterous and exploitative. Just because someone provides a "do what I want" button doesn't absolve them of all their koala-fueled tyranny in the background. It turns out when you allow cutthroat capitalism with no regulators or oversight (or regulators that lag by 5-10 years), it becomes easy to abuse so many features of our shared economy. Startups figured this out about 7 years ago and are going full steam ahead with exploitation at the speed of business model evolution. > he created Uber to have a more "baller" way to travel around San Francisco so, uber is basically 100% BroTaxi, just not so obviously branded. Then lyft is half BroTaxi ("mustache rides!") an half HippyTaxi (we'll be super dope BFFs forever! (at least until the end of this transactional ride)). What if transportation fractures like online communities fracture? Does each online message board get its own taxi service? That could potentially fix the quality problem since you would only be associating with people already like yourself. "MRA-only taxi service, hackernews-only taxi service, ..." Know the most 'baller' way to travel around San Francisco? Spend an hour trying to get somewhere 5 miles away on public transit then focus on fixing the system itself. Don't try to elevate yourself above what you perceive to be the oh-so-dirty unwashed masses. Remember: melting-pot, not gilded tower. Of course, all this people-taxi drama is time limited until we have self aware cars fulfilling our every transportation wish (let's just hope they don't get too clairvoyant).

kaolinite 11y ago
> But, why? They've always been boisterous and exploitative. Agreed. I'm not saying that I'm proud that I supported them. Previously, I bought into the "taxi mafia" story that Travis spun. I was at a talk he gave and, well, he was convincing. I think at the time, he was probably telling the truth: there probably was a lot of corruption in the taxi industry (and probably still is). But now, after he's used it time after time to justify treating drivers and customers poorly (fighting against insurance, for example), I feel like a fool for believing him. > so, uber is basically 100% BroTaxi I don't think he was using the term "baller" seriously, it was most likely a joke. UberExec/Lux certainly doesn't feel like it's for "bros", it feels like it's for professionals.
- 11y ago

DanBC 11y ago

> I was recently in a taxi where the taxi driver said a number of very racist things, directly insulted me, my fellow passenger and pretty much anyone he came into contact with during the ride (other cars, pedestrians, etc) and swore repeatedly. Please do always reprt this! I know you shouldn't have to; I know it happens far too often. But please do report it. https://www.tfl.gov.uk/forms/12397.aspx https://www.tfl.gov.uk/forms/12397.aspx https://www.tfl.gov.uk/forms/12407.aspx https://www.tfl.gov.uk/forms/12407.aspx http://www.londonblacktaxis.net/complaints.htm http://www.londonblacktaxis.net/complaints.htm (Are these the right websites?)

jessriedel 11y ago
> Please do always reprt this! Relevant satire: https://medium.com/@blakeross/uber-gov-29db5fdff372 https://medium.com/@blakeross/uber-gov-29db5fdff372
kaolinite 11y ago
Thanks for those links, I didn't realise it was that easy. However, this was in a private taxi and not in London, but yes, I could have reported it. Honestly though, my problem isn't with the occasional awful ride, but the far more frequent slightly annoying rides. The ones where the driver won't stop talking or asking about local women or good bars in the city or the latest football gossip. I can't complain about that (nor do I really have the right to) but it's a huge reason why I prefer the Uber service.