Taxi Drivers vs. Uber

[CarltonTheBear]

http://globalnews.ca/news/2389591/traffic-slowdown-expected-as-toronto-taxi-drivers-stage-protest-against-uber/

Taxi drivers in Toronto are having an anti-Uber protest on the roads today. It's causing tons of traffic in the area, particularly for those heading to or from the Pearson airport. The article I posted there also explains how it's becoming a problem for ambulances and hospitals. Man, these geniuses really know how to win public support.

A CBC reporter posted a video of a taxi driver "confronting" a suspected Uber driver. He holds him up in traffic, attempts to open the driver's door, bangs on his windows, and clings to the car as it's trying to drive away:

[tweet]674625357593509888[/tweet]

Anyone have any experiences with Uber now that it's made it's way to Canada? A few of my friends have and had nothing but positive things to say about it.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I used it last time in Toronto and if you consider an easy to book, easy to pay, informative app, cheaper-than-taxi fee and nicer vehicles to be a positive experience then yes I would consider my experience to be positive.

I literally pulled up the app, put in the destination from my location, the Uber vehicle was ordered and the app told me how far away the vehicle was, who the driver was (I could see their ratings) and told me when the vehicle arrived.  It also shows you the route on a map that they will be taking.

 

[Kin]

I've used it. I'm not personally a fan but that's really more due to my own idiosyncracies. It's got its merits as a service but I feel like a lot of the things that Potvin talks about vis a vis it and traditional taxi service is just a result of them not being regulated.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

I used it last time in Toronto and if you consider an easy to book, easy to pay, informative app, cheaper-than-taxi fee and nicer vehicles to be a positive experience then yes I would consider my experience to be positive.

I literally pulled up the app, put in the destination from my location, the Uber vehicle was ordered and the app told me how far away the vehicle was, who the driver was (I could see their ratings) and told me when the vehicle arrived.  It also shows you the route on a map that they will be taking.

I've used it a lot in Southern California, Northern California and in Texas and my experience has been pretty much the same as Potvin.

I've had good service every time and some really went above and beyond.

 

[Guru Tugginmypuddah]

Issue with Uber drivers is most of them are not insured properly. 

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

It's got its merits as a service but I feel like a lot of the things that Potvin talks about vis a vis it and traditional taxi service is just a result of them not being regulated.

Well yeah of course, but the question was asking how my experiences were, not why my experiences or their services were that way.

 

[Kin]

It's got its merits as a service but I feel like a lot of the things that Potvin talks about vis a vis it and traditional taxi service is just a result of them not being regulated.

Well yeah of course, but the question was asking how my experiences were, not why my experiences or their services were that way.

That's true. I was just using your answer to pivot towards the larger issue.

 

[L K]

I certainly sympathize with the high cost of owning a chit/licence for a taxi.  I don't really sympathize when the taxi industry pushed for that stuff to make the market more exclusive in the first place.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I certainly sympathize with the high cost of owning a chit/licence for a taxi.  I don't really sympathize when the taxi industry pushed for that stuff to make the market more exclusive in the first place.

And maybe it made sense at one point, but stuff like Uber should be a sign that times are changing.

 

[bustaheims]

Yup, nothing is going to sway public sympathy more than causing a massive inconvenience, endangering lives by having a negative impact on ambulances, and attempting to physically assault others.

The taxi system in Toronto is all kinds of messed up. Uber may not be the best solution, but the taxi drivers are focusing on the wrong problem.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Yup, nothing is going to sway public sympathy more than causing a massive inconvenience, endangering lives by having a negative impact on ambulances, and attempting to physically assault others.

I think that protests or shutdowns like these in general are stupid. Like you said, they often sway public opinion in the opposite direction that the protesters want it to go. But, when something like the buses went on strike (or threatened to strike, I don't remember how far that got), it showed or would have showed how awful daily life would be when the public doesn't have access to buses.

Taxi's aren't accepting fares for 12 hours today. That isn't going to cause a person who relies on public transportation to think "man now I'm screwed without a taxi I should do more to help their cause", it's just forcing people who wouldn't have used Uber to try Uber.

 

[dappleganger]

This is my problem with Uber and similar services:

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/09/25/uber-driver-sought-in-alleged-sex-assault.html

And:
http://www.whosdrivingyou.org/rideshare-incidents

Uber washes it's hands of these situations even though it provides that platform that creates these incidents. There needs to be some form of regulation for Car-for-hire services. It's in the interest of public safety.

This isn't to say the taxi service is perfect but there is a platform that can be improved upon. Really, taxi services need to get into the present and improve their service and Uber would be a non-issue.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

This is my problem with Uber and similar services:

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/09/25/uber-driver-sought-in-alleged-sex-assault.html

And:
http://www.whosdrivingyou.org/rideshare-incidents

Uber washes it's hands of these situations even though it provides that platform that creates these incidents. There needs to be some form of regulation for Car-for-hire services. It's in the interest of public safety.

This isn't to say the taxi service is perfect but there is a platform that can be improved upon. Really, taxi services need to get into the present and improve their service and Uber would be a non-issue.

That website is run by the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, a trade association representing taxi and limo companies.  It is in their interest to make Uber look bad.

The implication is that there are far more incidents of assault or other criminal actions by Uber drivers compared to Taxi drivers, but there are no stats to back that up.  There are anecdotal examples, but police do not track offenses as committed in taxis vs elsewhere and there have been many incidents of assaults against taxi passengers reported in the news.

 

[bustaheims]

Taxi's aren't accepting fares for 12 hours today. That isn't going to cause a person who relies on public transportation to think "man now I'm screwed without a taxi I should do more to help their cause", it's just forcing people who wouldn't have used Uber to try Uber.

Exactly. With a transit strike, there aren't any low/similar cost alternatives for people to adjust to, so, as much as they annoy people, they at least send an easily understood message. With taxis, there are alternatives. There's Uber, which provides the exact same service for less; there's public transportation, which is not as convenient, but is significantly less expensive; and there's services like ZipCar and Car2Go, which are a little more expensive, but offer a lot more control. Cabbies are fighting a losing battle, because, for whatever reason, they're not taking on the City and the bylaws that have made it so hard for them to adjust to the competition and offer competitive rates.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Cabbies are fighting a losing battle, because, for whatever reason, they're not taking on the City and the bylaws that have made it so hard for them to adjust to the competition and offer competitive rates.

Or attempting to fix their own internal issues. I mean, Uber is going to get regulated at some point and maybe their prices will go up, but when that happens it's probably not going to change the fact that people find Uber to be a more pleasant and convenient option.

 

[Frank E]

Taxi's aren't accepting fares for 12 hours today. That isn't going to cause a person who relies on public transportation to think "man now I'm screwed without a taxi I should do more to help their cause", it's just forcing people who wouldn't have used Uber to try Uber.

Exactly. With a transit strike, there aren't any low/similar cost alternatives for people to adjust to, so, as much as they annoy people, they at least send an easily understood message. With taxis, there are alternatives. There's Uber, which provides the exact same service for less; there's public transportation, which is not as convenient, but is significantly less expensive; and there's services like ZipCar and Car2Go, which are a little more expensive, but offer a lot more control. Cabbies are fighting a losing battle, because, for whatever reason, they're not taking on the City and the bylaws that have made it so hard for them to adjust to the competition and offer competitive rates.

Isn't that what they're trying to do today?  They're not doing this to punish cab users, they're trying to get the cities to either relax the rates for the licenses or hit Uber drivers the same way. 

My understanding is that there is definitely some pretty gaping holes in terms of liability when riding with a Uber driver vs. the kind of liability insurance taxi cabs must carry.

I get that the cab drivers are pretty pissed, and I've never used Uber, but is it that much cheaper to Uber vs. cab?

 

[Deebo]

Cabbies are fighting a losing battle, because, for whatever reason, they're not taking on the City and the bylaws that have made it so hard for them to adjust to the competition and offer competitive rates.

If so many taxi drivers weren't rejecting me because of short distances or wanting to pay with a credit card the cost being higher wouldn't bother that much. Those things are well within their control to change. I've been refused too many times for those reasons and that has driven me to go with Uber in the rare occasions that I need this type of service.

 

[bustaheims]

Isn't that what they're trying to do today?  They're not doing this to punish cab users, they're trying to get the cities to either relax the rates for the licenses or hit Uber drivers the same way. 

My understanding is that there is definitely some pretty gaping holes in terms of liability when riding with a Uber driver vs. the kind of liability insurance taxi cabs must carry.

I get that the cab drivers are pretty pissed, and I've never used Uber, but is it that much cheaper to Uber vs. cab?

Uber's not a perfect service, and, yeah, there are some potential liability issues, but the cabbies seem much more focused on shutting them down than finding ways to improve their ability to offer a similar service. Uber will be forced to address the issues on their side. It remains to be seen whether the cabbies and cab companies will do the same.

As for prices, that depends on time of day. Uber's rates aren't constant. In peak hours, they're more expensive, but in lower demand periods, they are cheaper. It's also just so much easier with Uber, and there are so many people offering free Uber credits if you sign up for their services, buy their products, etc. that, if you only need to use them occasionally, you can do so much cheaper.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I get that the cab drivers are pretty pissed, and I've never used Uber, but is it that much cheaper to Uber vs. cab?

Was curious of that myself, found this study done just last month: http://www.the10and3.com/how-much-do-you-save-by-using-uber/

In most Canadian cities with UberX, our study shows that the company charges between 30% and 50% less than what a taxi would charge for the identical route. Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal see the largest gain in picking Uber over a taxi, where customers save 50%, 44% and 41% of what their average taxi fare would be, respectively. On the other end, Quebec City (24%) and Hamilton (29%) see the smallest savings compared to the equivalent cab fare.

Like busta said though, they also utilize surge pricing so that would throw things off a little at different times. That article also brings up that Toronto's (and Ottawa's and Montreal's) taxi rates are among the highest in the world.

 

[Frank E]

I get that the cab drivers are pretty pissed, and I've never used Uber, but is it that much cheaper to Uber vs. cab?

Was curious of that myself, found this study done just last month: http://www.the10and3.com/how-much-do-you-save-by-using-uber/

In most Canadian cities with UberX, our study shows that the company charges between 30% and 50% less than what a taxi would charge for the identical route. Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal see the largest gain in picking Uber over a taxi, where customers save 50%, 44% and 41% of what their average taxi fare would be, respectively. On the other end, Quebec City (24%) and Hamilton (29%) see the smallest savings compared to the equivalent cab fare.

Like busta said though, they also utilize surge pricing so that would throw things off a little at different times. That article also brings up that Toronto's (and Ottawa's and Montreal's) taxi rates are among the highest in the world.

I thought Hamilton's were higher than Toronto's.