Augie Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Serious question for you and anyone else (yes I know I can read articles, but I'm looking for more personal opinions). What makes Uber and Lyft so great over taxi's? Personally I've never really used either and only a taxi a few times in my life, so what is the big draw that makes it better than a cab? Convenience. You tap your phone, they know where you are, you can watch the little car get closer to you and judge when to grab your stuff and step outside to see the car (make, model and driver name and appearance known) pull up, and at the end, there's zero pain in the neck fumbling around with payment and tipping. (I don't tip the drivers, that's part of the sell to me.) Get out and walk away. It's all just so easy! Beside all that, the quality of the car and driver is generally higher too. Oh, then you get an email confirming the amount of the charge (previously estimated, but could change if the route varies), and it's less than what a taxi would be. We took Uber to the airport and it was $28. We took a taxi home and it was about $55. Which sounds better? With surge pricing the ride was about the same, in the $50+ range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Beside all that, the quality of the car and driver is generally higher too. Not generally; almost without exception. There are apparently strict standards for the Uber black cars, they are always spotless and relatively new. Even the cheaper Uber-X are almost always an improvement over the standard filth of a taxi. And each driver has a user rating visible before you book. And if for some reason there's an issue you can make two clicks to lodge a complaint/get a refund. And now you can have separate profiles/payment set up for work and personal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Not generally; almost without exception. There are apparently strict standards for the Uber black cars, they are always spotless and relatively new. Even the cheaper Uber-X are almost always an improvement over the standard filth of a taxi. And each driver has a user rating visible before you book. And if for some reason there's an issue you can make two clicks to lodge a complaint/get a refund. And now you can have separate profiles/payment set up for work and personal. I didn't realize this until recently (NCAA tournament in Orlando...what fun!), but the drivers rate the passengers too. I got a ride from a guy who said "yeah, I was about to head home but you popped up as a 5 star passenger, so why not one more ride?" I think "drunk Augie" humors the fine people of Uber! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 I didn't realize this until recently (NCAA tournament in Orlando...what fun!), but the drivers rate the passengers too. I got a ride from a guy who said "yeah, I was about to head home but you popped up as a 5 star passenger, so why not one more ride?" I think "drunk Augie" humors the fine people of Uber! Yup; weed out the a--hole passengers and the bad drivers and you end up with a nice service. I've never had an unpleasant experience with Uber/Lyft in over 100 trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Convenience. You tap your phone, they know where you are, you can watch the little car get closer to you and judge when to grab your stuff and step outside to see the car (make, model and driver name and appearance known) pull up, and at the end, there's zero pain in the neck fumbling around with payment and tipping. (I don't tip the drivers, that's part of the sell to me.) Get out and walk away. It's all just so easy! Beside all that, the quality of the car and driver is generally higher too. Oh, then you get an email confirming the amount of the charge (previously estimated, but could change if the route varies), and it's less than what a taxi would be. We took Uber to the airport and it was $28. We took a taxi home and it was about $55. Which sounds better? With surge pricing the ride was about the same, in the $50+ range. Yeah, this pretty much covers it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 You don't HAVE to tip the drivers but Uber lost a lawsuit awhile back for misleading riders with the notion tip was included. In a service based industry where you are getting door to door service in a nicer ride than a taxi, why wouldn't you tip? Does the driver load your bags for the airport trip? What a couple of cheap asses. The only people who shouldn't be tipping are ones that are using the service multiple times a day, college students etc. AAA shows up to unlock your car door, tip them to. You tip a cabbie but after saving 40 percent and having a better cleaner option you can't muscle a few bucks out of an ATM. Shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 You don't HAVE to tip the drivers but Uber lost a lawsuit awhile back for misleading riders with the notion tip was included. In a service based industry where you are getting door to door service in a nicer ride than a taxi, why wouldn't you tip? Does the driver load your bags for the airport trip? What a couple of cheap asses. The only people who shouldn't be tipping are ones that are using the service multiple times a day, college students etc. AAA shows up to unlock your car door, tip them to. You tip a cabbie but after saving 40 percent and having a better cleaner option you can't muscle a few bucks out of an ATM. Shame. Its a fair point. Uber's vision is to provide a seamless experience. You know they could easily include a tipping feature in the app, but they don't. They still get grief about it and don't budge. Personally, I usually have cash on me, so I tip. But I'm all for that "seamless experience" vision. No cash. Revolutionizing transportation. Most are aware that the end goal is automated vehicles of both land and air variety. And its closer to reality than you think. At that point, the tip feature will be useless, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Its a fair point. Uber's vision is to provide a seamless experience. You know they could easily include a tipping feature in the app, but they don't. They still get grief about it and don't budge. Personally, I usually have cash on me, so I tip. But I'm all for that "seamless experience" vision. No cash. Revolutionizing transportation. Most are aware that the end goal is automated vehicles of both land and air variety. And its closer to reality than you think. At that point, the tip feature will be useless, anyway. Uber is convienent for the riders and drivers but everything outside of that is a shame. From tipping, to spying on its drivers, manipulating surge, now manipulating upfront fares. They expanded so fast that their habitual line stepping hasn't stopped. When they lose one lawsuit they are setting themselves up for another, that's the cost of doing buisness is what Travis would say. I wonder how riders are going to react when the newest scheme gets more media attention. Now they are overcharging for rides. The upfront fares they are charging riders are 20/30 percent more than the actual fare which they are then taking their percentage of. In the Boston area they sent out an annendum to drivers just last night explaining that this happens and it's not going to change. Of course this is in reaction to the newest lawsuit. You won't have to tip a robot, but let's face it the general public is years away from accepting these cars on the road. They pulled them off the streets quickly in CA and stopped testing. Just wait until someone dies in one or because of one,that will bring everything to a crawl. Folks have cell phone cameras going 24/7 every misstep and accident these cars cause will be on the news. Until things change continue doing the right thing and take care of those that take care of you. I did a short stint driving for Uber to pay down some bills as we recently bought a home, furniture, etc. It worked and the overwhleming majority of riders are more than pleasant, I hear the same about the drivers. The service works because the people using it/doing it make it work. The peace of mind it provides when going out for a drink or two is well worth the price. Sorry for being mouthy earlier but it is misleading to tell folks new to the service that tipping is included, many men and women out there are driving to make ends meet as a second job and taking care of eachother is what makes it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-19/uber-s-future-may-rely-on-predicting-how-much-you-re-willing-to-pay?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social This is what I alluded too earlier. How do people feel about paying different prices based on their expected income which is being determined by locations of pick ups and drop offs? Fares are no longer calculated by the time and distance a driver takes you. They charge you what they want when they want, if you live in a nicer neighborhood you pay more for the same service. Uber is a **** company, unfortunately the ease of the APP has everyone fish hooked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Its a fair point. Uber's vision is to provide a seamless experience. You know they could easily include a tipping feature in the app, but they don't. They still get grief about it and don't budge. Personally, I usually have cash on me, so I tip. But I'm all for that "seamless experience" vision. No cash. Revolutionizing transportation. Most are aware that the end goal is automated vehicles of both land and air variety. And its closer to reality than you think. At that point, the tip feature will be useless, anyway. I'm for seamless too. If they would build in (maybe when you get the email of the amount paid) and option to add say 10, 15, 20 or 25% and you could just click on the tip, I'd gladly do it. It's not that I'm cheap, it's just one of the things I likes about the service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 (edited) No one makes you use it. Don't like it, don't use it. They are in business to make money. Edited May 19, 2017 by mead107 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-19/uber-s-future-may-rely-on-predicting-how-much-you-re-willing-to-pay?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social This is what I alluded too earlier. How do people feel about paying different prices based on their expected income which is being determined by locations of pick ups and drop offs? Fares are no longer calculated by the time and distance a driver takes you. They charge you what they want when they want, if you live in a nicer neighborhood you pay more for the same service. Uber is a **** company, unfortunately the ease of the APP has everyone fish hooked. Hopefully then Lyft or someone else will do it better. Add a tip option on the app (post ride experience) and I'd love that too. It's not the app I like, it's the ease of use and convenient transportation. Yes, the app is certainly PART if that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommonCents Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Hopefully then Lyft or someone else will do it better. Add a tip option on the app (post ride experience) and I'd love that too. It's not the app I like, it's the ease of use and convenient transportation. Yes, the app is certainly PART if that. Lyft has the tip option but instead of take the lead they have followed Uber for the most part. Maybe that changes with the riders pricing, if they are smart they would. They could gain ground quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 (edited) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-19/uber-s-future-may-rely-on-predicting-how-much-you-re-willing-to-pay?cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_content=business&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social This is what I alluded too earlier. How do people feel about paying different prices based on their expected income which is being determined by locations of pick ups and drop offs? Fares are no longer calculated by the time and distance a driver takes you. They charge you what they want when they want, if you live in a nicer neighborhood you pay more for the same service. Uber is a **** company, unfortunately the ease of the APP has everyone fish hooked. I feel like that's a matter of supply and demand that I've seen in hundreds of other places, most dramatically on my income tax return. Why is produce more expensive at Whole Foods than at the bogeda a mile away? I'm for seamless too. If they would build in (maybe when you get the email of the amount paid) and option to add say 10, 15, 20 or 25% and you could just click on the tip, I'd gladly do it. It's not that I'm cheap, it's just one of the things I likes about the service. Yup. I tip on Lyft but not on Uber. Seamless is the whole ballgame; plus, often I have no cash on me. It's amazing how infrequently you need cash these days. Edited May 20, 2017 by KD in CA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Used Uber a bunch on a recent trip to Vegas, San Diego and Los Angeles. Awesome experience all three places. I just assumed Uber and Lyft was everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 I just assumed Uber and Lyft was everywhere. I think Uber is for the most part but Lyft is still building up to that. Will be real interesting when one of them or Google or Musk starts the driverless ride-shares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 I feel like that's a matter of supply and demand that one I've seen in hundreds of other places, most dramatically on my income tax return. Why is produce more expensive at Whole Foods than at the bogeda a mile away? Yup. I tip on Lyft but not on Uber. Seamless is the whole ballgame; plus, often I have no cash on me. It's amazing how infrequently you need cash these days. Same here, I stop at an ATM and take $100 at a time, but rarely. I stopped yesterday because I'd been walking around with $2 cash for a week or two. Heading to Nashville in the morning and just might need a little cash along the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 My Uber driving buddy says about one in twelve actually tips. Made me feel better, I'm not the only guy who thought the deal was the deal. That being said, I may lean that way more often after giving it more thought. I wish they would add it to the app. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 My Uber driving buddy says about one in twelve actually tips. Made me feel better, I'm not the only guy who thought the deal was the deal. That being said, I may lean that way more often after giving it more thought. I wish they would add it to the app. I tip UberEATS drivers pretty much every time. I guess I instinctually viewed food delivery as more of a tippable service. I think I had only taken a taxi once in my life before Uber showed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 Seriously considering just removing this !@#$ed up company's app from my phone and going 100% Lyft. http://abc7news.com/business/uber-ceo-to-take-leave-leadership-team-to-run-company/2093280/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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