Uber thread
What is trv opinion regarding Uber? Is uber legal in your country? Would you recommend a foreign tourist to use it in your country? How cheap is it compared to local taxis? Do drivers provide a good service? Do you support taxi drivers claims?
I'll start
In Spain uber is not legal. As far as I know, we were one if the first countries to ban it, due to the powerful taxi lobby
However i live in China, where uber is legal and works really fine. There is huge competition between uber and chinese version of uber 滴滴打車 so prices are very low. Taxi drivers are pissed off. It will be difficult to call a uber if you don't speak Chinese though
What is it? I haven't heard of it in my country.
>>1075135
It's a taxi app, huge in the US and other countries
I live in LA, and I think uber is great. I'd rather die than use mass transit and cabs here are scarce.
>>1075130
I live in San Francisco and used Uber a lot when it first came out--cabs used to be really, really hard to call here, although it was easy enough to flag them down in many parts of the city. But with surge pricing, Uber was usually much more expensive than a real cab, which I gather is not the case in other cities. And the founders really seem like unethical, lousy human beings. So I used it with mixed feelings.
Nowadays I'm more likely to use Flywheel, the app the cab companies finally came up with once Uber started to kill them. All the convenience of Uber but typically cheaper. And customer service has gotten much better from cabs thanks to the apps taking away nearly all of their business.
it's now illegal in berlin thanks to our taxi mafia. for a while, uber exploited a loophole which allowed them to offer their service as long as they took less than 35cents per kilometer and declared it as a "voluntary tip". that made for incredibly cheap rides last summer.. took an uber to SXF airport south of berlin, usually runs you €45 with a 'real' taxi - barely spent €7.
>>1075130
I live in Australia and I use it a lot. It's illegal but that doesn't seem to have had any visible effect from the consumer's POV.
>Widely available
>Usually round 40% cheaper than cabs
>Very good service
Would absolutely recommend for foreign tourists in Australia.
The taxi industry in Australia is appallingly regulated in a number of ways and, while it's unfortunate the taxi owners are getting shafted, it's their fault for buying into such a corrupt system. Loss of profit for taxi owners is no reason to penalise consumers or stand in the way of progress.
I'm in India and use Uber all the time. It's dirt cheap and can save money even over auto-rickshaws, if you're traveling a short distance or are white and don't feel like haggling. Service is generally good. Most I've ever paid for an hour-long ride was about ₹300, or a little less than $5.
>>1075392
This.
The cab system here is corrupt, shitty, nasty, overpriced and unaccountable. As long as Uber is operating here, I won't spend another cent on those pricks, just had too many bad experiences. Uber on the other hand is great.
I'm traveling to Moscow soon, any tips about Moscow uber? Does it work in Sheremetyevo?
>>1075420
Use Gett Taxi or Yandex taxi in Moscow. Basically Uber with different names. I would say Gett is best as you can request an English speaking driver.
>>1075130
USA, mid-sized Southeastern city here.
Uber is legal here, and beginning to be regulated so that they have to have adequate insurance, etc., which was an issue before. (Lacking that, if they got in a wreck while driving you around and were running without insurance,m YOU could be on the hook.)
I don;t use them often (nor cabs) but when I have used them, they've been fine though not always as professional and the vehicles sometimes a bit sketchier. But WAY cheaper, unless you get caught up in a price hike during events and such.
Had an interesting conversation with a cab driver about it. He saw Uber as being something positive for his industry, pressuring it to provide better service and squeezing out some fly-by-night guys that created a bad image for taxi drivers. He saw a few niches where cabs could out-compete Uber, and was focusing his efforts on getting known and plugged in in those niches. What he did NOT say, but I am sure he had figured out, was that a taxi driver can supplement his income with Uber driving as easily as anybody else.
Pic slightly related, I have no taxi pictures but have some taxidermy. Best I can do.
>>1075436
Is the app in English?
It's fucking retarded expensive. A friend used it, and it was like 100 for a ten minute drive.
In Sweden uberPOP (equal to uber x in the US) is illegal, but still running. Most other ubers are legal, although some drivers lack certain things they should have, but they won't get fined for it.
>>1075130
I am in Malaysia and haven't used a cab in months. As a European they try to fix price your ride or you pay by meter in a crappy-cab.
There is an alternative to uber called GrabCar, its the exact same price, but you have a fixprice from start and pay in cash.
Its very cheap the drivers are nice guys, and all cars are great to ride in.
Instead of driving in a cab that smells like piss with an unfriendly driver ill rather pay less and enjoy the ride.
time for the taxi industry to step up their game.
>>1075562
it always depends on where you use it. Uber has factors for peak hours (on newyeahr they charged 3x the normal fare price).
>Long Beach/Los Angeles, USA
Using Uber for rides is great. Its cheaper and a more pleasant experience than taxis or sparse public transportation. Ideally if you come here, I recommend renting a car.
You dont make much money as a driver though. I tried driving for a few months to see what it was like. I ended up making $10-$15 an hour (after paying for gas) driving in the evening. Driving during the day you make less. I drive a new car and didnt want to keep running up the miles on it for such a low amount of money that I didnt really need anyway. After accounting for depreciation on my car, oil changes, and other maintenance, the already shitty $15/hour seemed like an even bigger scam. Then Uber is always pressuring you to keep your car clean and offer water or candy or some bullshit...
tldr, the drivers are getting fucked, always tip your driver
>>1075460
Yes, both of them are.
