There has been some controversy in Wisconsin about transportation-network companies (such as Uber and Lyft) versus cabs because of an incident last year in which a man died after a TNC driver let him out of her vehicle (on his request) on an extremely busy road and he was hit by another car and killed. The driver was 20 or 21; city ordinance requires cab drivers to be at least 25; state law forbids municipalities from regulating TNCs. Now the legislature would like to forbid municipalities from regulating cab companies, too. Regulations currently imposed by some cities include ones regarding vehicle inspections, insurance coverage, licensing of drivers, and 24-hour-service.
I don’t think taxi drivers were significantly better off than Uber drivers. I have used Uber/Lyft in Washington D.C., Chicago and San Francisco and had pretty good experiences. In Charlotte used it to get home from the airport, also worked well. The big problem I see is that Uber keeps squeezing their drivers making it less and less profitable.
Drivers don’t make much money; Uber owners do.
" Both said that Uber has it’s own map system which is awful."
I’ve had a couple of Uber drivers tell me that; both just used their own phone maps instead.
I’ve never actually used a cab in my city–I hear they’re pretty bad. My MIL used them a lot after FIL stopped driving and after he passed away. They’d not show, etc.
In New Orleans, I’ve had a cab driver try to kick me out of a cab because he didn’t want to take me where I wanted to go. This was at Jazzfest where there is a line of cabs at an official pickup point–and a police officer overseeing it all, so we handled that. Then we had to give him turn by turn directions because he dosn’t know major streets. That’s been the case for almost every cab I’ve taken in NO. Don’t know their way around at all, don’t know major landmarks. I go there all the time and know my way around pretty well, I don’t know what true tourists are supposed to do with cabs like that.
A really good map needs a lot of investment. Or a license from Google (or Nokia I guess). Remember Apple/Google feud that resulted in iPhone maps becoming useless when Apple no longer was relying on Google’s tech?
I will never take a cab/taxi again if I can help it.
Uber drivers do try to please such as asking for the heat to be turned down or the window
to open. The rudeness of a cab driver is unsurpassed.
In fact the only trip to the airport we have had that involved a cab that was pleasant was
when I told him that my kid was sick and had a bag to vomit in and he needed to drive slowly.
He did as he had a new car.
In Boston we entered a cab with a cage that made the back seat so tight that my legs at 5’2
had to lean sideways (H is 6’2) and I cut my ankle on the metal bar holding it together.
One thing I don’t get is why cab companies haven’t adapted at least a little to keep up with a changing business model and the new competition. Make their cabs cleaner, their drivers more courteous and accommodating, allow for a feedback system like Lyft/Uber. They’re complaining but I see no evidence they are changing their own business model. I rarely use cabs given where I live but based on the posts here it sure doesn’t seem like they are changing with the times.
Having kids who are drinking age now, I love the price of Uber. They and their friends use it frequently. They would never pay the price for a taxi for a ride home, and then would probably drive. It’s great for that.
I like the fact that with Uber I don’t have to worry about a cab driver taking me the long way 'round to inflate the fare. I know up front what the ride will cost and any extra cost associated with getting lost is borne by the driver.
:). That’s the only map I use. Just too lazy to download google app. So far, so good. I suits my need.
Several times in NYC we encountered taxi drivers who at the end of the ride claimed their credit card processing device was broken and we had to pay cash. We take Lyft now.
Like they say in the old film noir movies, the taxi industry had it coming. They refused to improve or to change bad habits.
I’ve got a lot of sympathy for Uber/Lyft drivers.
It will be like what happened to Sears…while they are still hanging on by a thread, they used to be the Amazon of the catalog business. People shopped from their catalogs for all sorts of stuff. But they missed the bus, they didn’t change their business model when they needed to and they were overtaken by Amazon and essentially the online catalog for anything you could possibly want…technology is changing the marketplace for many industries. I even see it in the Utility business, where historically, innovation has not been a necessary consideration for staying in business. That’s all a changing…
This is a hard one for me, because my father supported us as a taxi driver when I was younger. I have fond memories of riding around in his taxi on the “jump seat.” Being an uber driver wouldn’t have been an option, as my parents only had a two seater for a while. (Yes, my mother held me in her arms while they drove. Just one of a myriad of ways in which my parents had complete disregard for my safety growing up :))
I agree that the taxi industry has failed to keep up/modernize/compete and they only have themselves to blame for that. On the other hand, I do think Uber/Lyft should hold their drivers to the same standards as taxi companies. In the end, it’s like hiring non-union workers. I used to be all for that (even though one of my uncles was a union president), and now that I’m older and wiser, I feel that that’s a very short-sighted way to look at things. I see how the constant negotiations of the union workers at DH’s employer kept our health care decent, prevented the company from eliminating holidays, and in general helped everyone’s benefits. Things have gone downhill since getting rid of the unions and I can’t say we’ve seen positive benefits by way of stock prices or raises related to cost savings.
I also think many are overstating their rideshare driver earnings. Once you take into account the wear and tear on the car, gas, and insurance costs, I’ve seen calculations where people are actually earning less than minimum wage. Most make less than $15/hour. The rideshare company stakeholders themselves are really the only true winners.
The NY Times podcast “The Daily” featured cab drivers today and how their lives have changed since Uber came. The medallions they worked many years to pay for were going to be their retirement funds, and now they are significantly downgraded. Several have committed suicide. It was heartbreaking to listen to.
NYC created the medallion system and owes these people something better. I don’t know what the solution is, but they city could offer a buyback program or something to cushion the blow that they helped to facilitate.
I prefer taking Lyft to cabs, and it’s mainly because it’s easier to call them up on your App and have them show up quickly. Cab companies need to catch up with this technology. It’s not good though, that Uber and Lyft have put so many more cars on our already crowded streets.
@1or2Musicians - some of my daughter’s wedding guests had a similar problem in New Orleans. Trying to find the botanical gardens inside city park. One cab driver accidentally ended up going across the river. He turned off his meter until he was heading the right way and was determined to get his passengers to the right place. One Uber driver tried to dump my elderly Aunt just anywhere in the park. He had put in the address for the business office for the garden, not the visitor center or entrance. Don’t these people use Waze? It would seem that you verify the destination that comes up on your map with your passenger before you start rolling.
Do taxi drivers buy medallions from the city or is there a secondary market for them?
@My3Kiddos is spot on. I’m a tax preparer, and had several Uber drivers as clients this year. The first one made a significant amount of money, but was intelligent about how he accepted rides - chaining as many rides together as he could, to reduce his down time and unproductive mileage. Then there was the one who wanted to report his income without most of his expenses. He was upset that I knew he could get a printout of his mileage from his account (he conveniently only printed out his income documents). Without mileage, he was getting a huge tax refund, due to Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit. With mileage his refund was almost non-existent, because he had almost no net income. Sorry, the reason he got a refund the year before was because he had actual earnings from the job that he quit to drive for Uber.
Incidentally, the taxi drivers I have as clients did make money, even after expenses, though not as much as you might think, and like Uber drivers, they’re paid as independent contractors too. Making a good living requires they work hard, but also smart
“CNN investigation: 103 Uber drivers accused of sexual assault or abuse”
They have, at least in some places. Flywheel is an app that lets you hail an actual taxi. Many taxis that I see these days prominently display the Flywheel logo indicating that they serve customers using Flywheel to hail them.