Uber: Crap/Not-Crap?

[camouflage]

We keep hearing about taxi-strikes and angry-cabbies protesting about Uber across the globe, like this one in France: http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/25/8844649/french-taxi-driver-protest-uber-pop-paris

French taxi drivers today blocked roads to airports and train stations in Paris, as part of a nationwide protest against Uber. Thousands of drivers are expected to participate in today's strike in the French capital and other major cities, where tensions between taxi unions and private car services are running high. Protestors burned tires and turned over cars along major thoroughfares, and there have been reported scuffles between taxi drivers and other chauffeurs. Police in riot gear intervened at one point with tear gas, Reuters reports.

What's your position on this? Personally I like Uber, service and cost, security and customer-power is great. But I'm no libertarian free-market fundamentalist, the taxi drivers might have a point but I don't know enough about their industry to say either way... are they cartelists passing round a captive market to accept their crappy over-priced services... or are they being attacked by a ruthless profit-maximising app-wielding corporation run by some cock called Joe Galt looking to plunder and gut the livelihoods of simple hard working men and women across the world just trying to get by?

Does anyone know why these taxi-drivers don't just sign up with Uber or a similar rival themselves, are they all dragging round massive amounts of sunk-costs from years of having to pay taxi-unions or summik? I asked an Uber driver once who used to be a cabbie, he said the pay isn't as good but he got more work and works when he wants to, that was just one guy though.

Uber Taxis may obviously be the first step in a new assault on labour across more industries- or new liberation from entrenched self-entitled market dominators in those industries?

 

[marty21]

I saw a mention of 'uber-piss' recently, can't remember where, but apparently uber drivers don't like to be away from their cars for long as they might miss a job, so piss in a bottle and dispose of them when they get the chance

 

[camouflage]

I saw a mention of 'uber-piss' recently, can't remember where, but apparently uber drivers don't like to be away from their cars for long as they might miss a job, so piss in a bottle and dispose of them when they get the chance

Yellow Taxi Revolution. Ewww...

 

[Idris2002]

Uber have explicitly said they want to be 'disruptive' and they define this as diluting and eroding regulations and protections.

So, fuck 'em.

 

[J Ed]

Uber have explicitly said they want to be 'disruptive'

Unless they are in China

So much for their techno-libertarian bullshit, just another set of hyper-exploitative authoritarians

 

[kebabking]

if i get an Uber cab, will they take me where i want to go by the quickest route, or will they undertake a Tolkien-esque journey to find a horde of treasure at the end in the way that every black cab i take in London does?

'Oh, that Euston Station, you should have said Guv...' robbing cunts.

 

[butchersapron]

Uber have explicitly said they want to be 'disruptive' and they define this as diluting and eroding regulations and protections.

So, fuck 'em.

See the use of the same term in the housing market. Take 'em down.

 

[Teaboy]

if i get an Uber cab, will they take me where i want to go by the quickest route, or will they undertake a Tolkien-esque journey to find a horde of treasure at the end in the way that every black cab i take in London does?

'Oh, that Euston Station, you should have said Guv...' robbing cunts.

Yeah but arguing about the route with a black cab driver is about as London as pie and mash or pearly queens or getting groped on the tube.

 

[Idris2002]

if i get an Uber cab, will they take me where i want to go by the quickest route, or will they undertake a Tolkien-esque journey to find a horde of treasure at the end in the way that every black cab i take in London does?

'Oh, that Euston Station, you should have said Guv...' robbing cunts.

You have the tube for pennies, yet you prefer to take taxis? You filthy petit-bourgeois.

 

[Idris2002]

Yeah but arguing about the route with a black cab driver is about as London as pie and mash or pearly queens or getting groped on the tube.

I read that as 'getting groped by the queen' first.

 

[camouflage]

if i get an Uber cab, will they take me where i want to go by the quickest route, or will they undertake a Tolkien-esque journey to find a horde of treasure at the end in the way that every black cab i take in London does?

'Oh, that Euston Station, you should have said Guv...' robbing cunts.

You can track your journey on the app in the cab, see exactly the route being taken and the eta. It uses google maps I think, satnav basically.

 

[kebabking]

You have the tube for pennies, yet you prefer to take taxis? You filthy petit-bourgeois.

expences old chap, expences. wouldn't go into London on my own money even if the rest of the world was on fire.

 

[Idris2002]

expences old chap, expences. wouldn't go into London on my own money even if the rest of the world was on fire.

Well quite. "When a man goes to London, he is tired of life".

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I must have had around 60 quids worth of free rides from them now via the friend signup thing. Plus it's easy to use, cheaper than other cabs, more reliable than other cabs, cashless and every driver I've spoken to says they prefer working for them than traditional minicab firms.

So a thumbs up from me.

 

[kebabking]

You can track your journey on the app in the cab, see exactly the route being taken and the eta. It uses google maps I think, satnav basically.

is that not a tax of those who don't have smartphones?

 

[J Ed]

I must have had around 60 quids worth of free rides from them now via the friend signup thing. Plus it's easy to use, cheaper than other cabs, more reliable than other cabs, cashless and every driver I've spoken to says they prefer working for them than traditional minicab firms.

So a thumbs up from me.

Well they sack drivers who criticise them so it's good that they like working for them (for now)

 

[camouflage]

is that not a tax of those who don't have smartphones?

If you don't have a smart-phone you proably won't use Uber... unless someone else orders for you. Actually I once summoned an Uber for my girlfreind who didn't have the app yet (off to the air-port at half-past-fuck o'clock in the morning). I could track her journey to the airport on my phone, told her so as well, could even tell her eta. Felt ok safety wise with the drivers name and picture etc to hand as well.

 

[butchersapron]

If you don't have a smart-phone you proably won't use Uber... unless someone else orders for you. Actually I once summoned an Uber for my girlfreind who didn't have the app yet (off to the air-port at half-past-fuck o'clock in the morning). I could track her journey to the airport on my phone, told her so as well, could even tell her eta. Felt ok safety wise with the drivers name and picture etc to hand as well.

You mean it's good for stalking?

 

[Teaboy]

I must have had around 60 quids worth of free rides from them now via the friend signup thing. Plus it's easy to use, cheaper than other cabs, more reliable than other cabs, cashless and every driver I've spoken to says they prefer working for them than traditional minicab firms.

So a thumbs up from me.

Yeah I can see all that, but one of the major downsides is the substantial increase in traffic we're seeing on already choked London roads. Making minicabs easier and cheaper is not a solution at all to London's transport / pollution problems.

 

[camouflage]

You mean it's good for stalking?

No, the way the app works means when you summon an Uber you see the guys name and face, his location on and the route he'll take to your house (satnav style). during the journey you see your progress on the app, and when you arrive- "thanks then, bye!" no money changes hands... you are emailed a receipt, and on the app it says how much the journey cost, and then you can rate the driver. Once done that's it, the app doesn't continue to track that cab for you. Not sure if I've explained it well but I'm not trying to advertise for them... suffice to say I find the service very sound indeed. But are we/the drivers being screwed over in the larger context? Not sure.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Yeah I can see all that, but one of the major downsides is the substantial increase in traffic we're seeing on already choked London roads. Making minicabs easier and cheaper is not a solution at all to London's transport / pollution problems.

You might want to have a quick look at a map sometime, there are other places than London in existence. Crazy, but true.

 

[joustmaster]

I don't know why black cabs are so expensive in london. And they offer a worse, and more expensive service.
I see no reason to care for them.

Unless my battery is flat.

 

[J Ed]

I can't wait for them to profiteer from terrorist attacks in the UK

All hail our techno-libertarian overlords, well libertarian in the socialism for the rich capitalism and surveillance for the poor sense...

 

[butchersapron]

No, the way the app works means when you summon an Uber you see the guys name and face, his location on and the route he'll take to your house (satnav style). during the journey you see your progress on the app, and when you arrive- "thanks then, bye!" no money changes hands... you are emailed a receipt, and on the app it says how much the journey cost, and then you can rate the driver. Once done that's it, the app doesn't continue to track that cab for you. Not sure if I've explained it well but I'm not trying to advertise for them... suffice to say I find the service very sound indeed. But are we/the drivers being screwed over in the larger context? Not sure.

Screwed over isn't the way i'd look at it really. That's a sort of ian macgregor perspective, consumer individual style. Is there a monopoly it challenges? If so, is this the best way that monopoly should be challenged for both workers and users? Given the way that uber tax evades, fires critics, hounds people legally etc i really don't think so.

 

[J Ed]

Hmmm...

An Uber driver was briefly fired by the company on Thursday for tweeting a semi-critical comment about the company before a social media firestorm that may have helped convince the company to bring him back.

As reported by Gawker, Christopher Ortiz received an email from a company operations manager informing him that his account was “permanently deactivated due to hateful statements regarding Uber through Social Media.”

But the tweet in question does not seem to be anything “hateful.” Ortiz merely tweeted out a link to an article that raised concerns about the ride-sharing service’s safety and added: “Driving for Uber, not much safer than driving a taxi.”

How do they treat women and women media critics?

These people really are the lowest of the low. Fuck them.

 

[kebabking]

You might want to have a quick look at a map sometime, there are other places than London in existence. Crazy, but true.

don't tell them, they might leave!

 

[Teaboy]

You might want to have a quick look at a map sometime, there are other places than London in existence. Crazy, but true.

Yeah I noticed and those places are busily banning Uber. A friend of mine got stopped by the Police in Geneva because they thought she may be in an Uber cab.

 

[Teaboy]

I don't know why black cabs are so expensive in london. And they offer a worse, and more expensive service.
I see no reason to care for them.

Unless my battery is flat.

Rates are set by TFL, as per it's Johnson's fault. It's probably also to do with getting as many people onto public transport etc.

 

[frogwoman]

Cant be very safe for women i wouldnt have thought. Taxi drivers often see it as their duty to look after girls coming back from nights out ime. Good for the French taxi drivers

 

[joustmaster]

Cant be very safe for women i wouldnt have thought. Taxi drivers often see it as their duty to look after girls coming back from nights out ime.

Why not?