What's your Uber experience?

Yes it's snowing but if the girl that just picked me up in Boston didn't want to get out and help me with my 2 bags then I suppose it's not going to be a great tip.
The car was also like her own personal mobile disco. If you are offering a passenger service I think you need to be a bit more mindful.
 
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Do you report these? If so, does anything happen?

That's criminal behaviour and by the appearance and language capability of some of the cabbies, I'd assume visa cancellation and deportation would be on the cards. IMHO, that is the correct course. We neither want, nor need, petty criminals driving cabs.


Thoroughly agree with you...however be prepared to walk as without the above driver demographic there will be hardly any drivers left on the roads for Taxi or rideshare. Most Australians are too lazy to do it.
 
Thoroughly agree with you...however be prepared to walk as without the above driver demographic there will be hardly any drivers left on the roads for Taxi or rideshare. Most Australians are too lazy to do it.

The only "driver demographic" I want ousted is the criminal demographic. If you mean nationality demographic, I'd disagree that the majority are engaged in this kind of criminal activity, in fact, I'd suggest most drivers (regardless of nationality), do not!
 
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Taxify started in Sydney today and is offerring 50% off fares for the 1st month. Always good to have competition....
 
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The only "driver demographic" I want ousted is the criminal demographic. If you mean nationality demographic, I'd disagree that the majority are engaged in this kind of criminal activity, in fact, I'd suggest most drivers (regardless of nationality), do not!

Again we are in agreement...but you did mention language skills, since Uber most governments have had to drop the standards for Taxis on this (as well as many other things) so hopefully somebody will do the jobs Australians do not want.
 
Again we are in agreement...but you did mention language skills, since Uber most governments have had to drop the standards for Taxis on this (as well as many other things) so hopefully somebody will do the jobs Australians do not want.

There were standards?
 
but you did mention language skills

Yes, that's true, but that is my experience. Most taxi drivers I get (especially in Sydney) appear to struggle somewhat with English indicating to me (perhaps incorrectly) many are here on some kind of working visa. I did not intend to suggest every person with limited English and driving a cab has criminal tendencies, which I firmly believe is not the case (again based on my experience, with no false CC charges to the best of my recollection, ever being made against me). I think we definitely have a small crooked element there and those are the ones I'd like to see ousted from the industry and deported if applicable.

Speaking of English ability, I remember years ago taking a cab from MEL city to Docklands and the cabbie (who had Italian ethnic origins and still a very heavy accent) and I got chatting. He complained bitterly about all the new "Middle Eastern" drivers who couldn't speak English (my wife later told me she struggled to understand him ;)). In the end, we sat outside Docklands for a bit having a great chat and reminiscing as it turned out we both used to work in the old docks there, well before Docklands! I'd hate to think what his English ability would have been like back then! :D
 
Yes, that's true, but that is my experience. Most taxi drivers I get (especially in Sydney) appear to struggle somewhat with English indicating to me (perhaps incorrectly) many are here on some kind of working visa. I did not intend to suggest every person with limited English and driving a cab has criminal tendencies, which I firmly believe is not the case (again based on my experience, with no false CC charges to the best of my recollection, ever being made against me). I think we definitely have a small crooked element there and those are the ones I'd like to see ousted from the industry and deported if applicable.

Speaking of English ability, I remember years ago taking a cab from MEL city to Docklands and the cabbie (who had Italian ethnic origins and still a very heavy accent) and I got chatting. He complained bitterly about all the new "Middle Eastern" drivers who couldn't speak English (my wife later told me she struggled to understand him ;)). In the end, we sat outside Docklands for a bit having a great chat and reminiscing as it turned out we both used to work in the old docks there, well before Docklands! I'd hate to think what his English ability would have been like back then! :D


As you have probably guessed my family is in the Taxi industry...I know you are not being discriminatory but the majority of customer complaints are about the same group of people we are talking about...but these are the only people we have wanting to do the job...so it is kind of expected.

There are many hard working immigrants (long term residents not new arrivals) driving and owning Taxis, they worked hard and built up an asset to support their families. Now since uber and the like that asset is basically worthless, the people who had the knowledge and work ethic are getting too old to drive anymore so they have to hire anyone they can get. You cant sell a Taxi like you could 5 years ago so the only option is to keep operating it to keep food on the table and now the only people they can get are as you rightly said are students from the sub continent on a working visa...or even NOT on a working visa...these types are only here for a short period and just want to make as much money as possible and go back home again.

The same consumers who want lower prices then seem to act surprised when the standards and service declines or the business closes.
Tell the teachers union or the bureaucrats to take a 30% pay cut and see how far you get.
 
The same consumers who want lower prices then seem to act surprised when the standards and service declines or the business closes..

Were the standards ever very high? Maybe in the 1980's? Well before uber, the standards in at least the Melbourne taxi industry were woeful, it wasn't about wanting lower prices, it was more about wanting a decent standard.

One day, I had to flag five taxi's down for one to accept me. It seems my fare was too short, a mere 10km (the drivers only wanted the 3km fare into Flinders St in the hope of a longer fare from there). One driver even started driving off whilst others were getting into the back seat, nearly causing injury, because I didn't say the destination until I sat down in front seat. I've been verbally abused for taking a short - 17 km - ride from the airport, more than once. This was all before uber.

I know there are good taxi drivers out there, particularly in regional areas, but in the cities, lower prices is not the only thing driving people to uber.
 
Were the standards ever very high? Maybe in the 1980's? Well before uber, the standards in at least the Melbourne taxi industry were woeful, it wasn't about wanting lower prices, it was more about wanting a decent standard.

One day, I had to flag five taxi's down for one to accept me. It seems my fare was too short, a mere 10km (the drivers only wanted the 3km fare into Flinders St in the hope of a longer fare from there). One driver even started driving off whilst others were getting into the back seat, nearly causing injury, because I didn't say the destination until I sat down in front seat. I've been verbally abused for taking a short - 17 km - ride from the airport, more than once. This was all before uber.

I know there are good taxi drivers out there, particularly in regional areas, but in the cities, lower prices is not the only thing driving people to uber.

While not condoning any of this behaviour there may be reasons other than money why the driver didnt take you.
I have had this happen to me as well and it is annoying, but it happens at all companies, that promised ring back that doesn't occur, waiting for Telstra to show up and they dont, planes not having enough flights on that ONE day you want to fly.

He may already have another job lined up, and if you were going that way he would take you.
He could be running late for changeover or an appointment at a certain time, drivers have kids to pick up and appointments just like customers.
He really should not stop unless he wants to take you but he may have been trying to help you (and himself) if you were going that way.

On the other side of the coin I have had customers try to get in while I have stopped at lights despite me saying No and refuse my explanation that I have a job to go pick up...people see an empty taxi and just think I will get that one. It is entirely up to the driver who they pick up, just like it is entirely up to the passenger which taxi they get.

If you want guaranteed pick up and high standards you really should get a limo - taxis, ride share, buses, trains etc are much more of a lottery.
 
While not condoning any of this behaviour there may be reasons other than money why the driver didnt take you.
I have had this happen to me as well and it is annoying, but it happens at all companies, that promised ring back that doesn't occur, waiting for Telstra to show up and they dont, planes not having enough flights on that ONE day you want to fly.

He may already have another job lined up, and if you were going that way he would take you.
He could be running late for changeover or an appointment at a certain time, drivers have kids to pick up and appointments just like customers.
He really should not stop unless he wants to take you but he may have been trying to help you (and himself) if you were going that way.

On the other side of the coin I have had customers try to get in while I have stopped at lights despite me saying No and refuse my explanation that I have a job to go pick up...people see an empty taxi and just think I will get that one. It is entirely up to the driver who they pick up, just like it is entirely up to the passenger which taxi they get.

If you want guaranteed pick up and high standards you really should get a limo - taxis, ride share, buses, trains etc are much more of a lottery.

You're not wrong. The problem is when you flag down a driver who stops, or at a taxi rank, and they refuse the fare or drive off on you. Which is incredibly common (and illegal) in Melbourne and has resulted in injury to people.
 
It’s hard for me to feel sorry for an industry that has refused to innovate for so long and simply assumed that their gravy train monopoly would continue forever despite pathetic customer service and rampant gouging/rorts.
 
It’s hard for me to feel sorry for an industry that has refused to innovate for so long and simply assumed that their gravy train monopoly would continue forever despite pathetic customer service and rampant gouging/rorts.

The government WANTED and enforced the monopoly so it had control...that is why plate values were high...you were paying for the right to be the only (or one of a set number) Transport Provider in that area...it also got hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on schools and hospitals from plate sales and stamp duty. Yes there were problems and bad eggs as ALL industries have but there were rules and procedures in place for fixing them.

There were Laws in place preventing any major changes to the systems, the government had a rule for everything and didnt want to change. Taxi companies often tried new things only to be told by Transport it's not allowed. Being law abiding citizens we stopped. Australian taxi companies were among the first in the world to have computerised dispatch, GPS tracking, Safety Cameras etc.

Uber came in an operated illegally for years actively blocking and ignoring Transport Law, they issued fines, none were paid and they kept going...eventually the government folded and threw several thousand small businesses onto the scrapheap. These businesses spent money in your local area. The plate value was the owners superannuation in most cases...imagine what would happen if they took your super by failing to enforce an existing Law...how would you feel. These owners will now go on the pension unless they have other assets. Most people only own one or two licenses and worked hard to pay them off...many are STILL paying them off, despite them being worth nothing.

Uber is the big winner here, it owns NO cars, has NO drivers, has paid NO fees to operate and then takes 30% of every fare to the Netherlands so it pays NO tax. Uber then onsells your data...if it is not hacked first. Ubers Lawyers are also winners due to them being sued on average once per day.

The losers are taxi drivers who have their income reduced, the plate owners whose asset is all but gone, the uber drivers who destroy their car to give consumers subsidised rides, and the government (and therefore the public) who have lost a revenue stream and control of the system. There are minimal training and safety requirements now compared to what there used to be.
If everybody ubers,Public transport use declines, therefore no reason to fund it anymore, congestion increases, need more roads and parking, government pays again. Environmental and pollution problems as the government has no control over the type and age of the car anymore.

There will come a time when drivers (on both systems) refuse to work as there is no adequate pay for the effort...too many cars on the road...this is about where we are now...uber get them to work by surge pricing...increasing fares...taxis will soon follow suit...lets see how long the delays are at Xmas and how high the surge goes...
The old saying is "You pay peanuts - you get Monkeys"

Air BnB is doing the same to Hotels...and annoying thousands of residential ratepayers as well.

Amazon etc is doing the same to retailers...lets see what the shopping centres look like in 10 years time.
Every week there is another retailer closing it seems.
Where are the kids going to get a job? The only jobs left will be cleaning up the drones that deliver us or our stuff.

The public may get cheap stuff now, for a while, but society will pay for it in many other ways....
 
There will come a time when drivers (on both systems) refuse to work as there is no adequate pay for the effort...too many cars on the road...this is about where we are now...uber get them to work by surge pricing...increasing fares...taxis will soon follow suit..

There will come a time when there will be no need for drivers to refuse to work, as there will be no need for drivers. That is uber's end game.

I am not a huge fan of uber, but I'm also not a huge fan of metro-taxis due to bad experiences (by contrast the taxi's I've caught in country towns have been excellent). In contrast in SE Asia at least, there's a company Grab, that seems to be working more closely with the taxi industry, and seems also to have a more dominant position in the market place, and tends to be more well respected. So maybe there is a third way.
 
The government WANTED and enforced the monopoly so it had control...that is why plate values were high...you were paying for the right to be the only (or one of a set number) Transport Provider in that area...it also got hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on schools and hospitals from plate sales and stamp duty. Yes there were problems and bad eggs as ALL industries have but there were rules and procedures in place for fixing them.

There were Laws in place preventing any major changes to the systems, the government had a rule for everything and didnt want to change. Taxi companies often tried new things only to be told by Transport it's not allowed. Being law abiding citizens we stopped. Australian taxi companies were among the first in the world to have computerised dispatch, GPS tracking, Safety Cameras etc.

Uber came in an operated illegally for years actively blocking and ignoring Transport Law, they issued fines, none were paid and they kept going...eventually the government folded and threw several thousand small businesses onto the scrapheap. These businesses spent money in your local area. The plate value was the owners superannuation in most cases...imagine what would happen if they took your super by failing to enforce an existing Law...how would you feel. These owners will now go on the pension unless they have other assets. Most people only own one or two licenses and worked hard to pay them off...many are STILL paying them off, despite them being worth nothing.

Uber is the big winner here, it owns NO cars, has NO drivers, has paid NO fees to operate and then takes 30% of every fare to the Netherlands so it pays NO tax. Uber then onsells your data...if it is not hacked first. Ubers Lawyers are also winners due to them being sued on average once per day.

The losers are taxi drivers who have their income reduced, the plate owners whose asset is all but gone, the uber drivers who destroy their car to give consumers subsidised rides, and the government (and therefore the public) who have lost a revenue stream and control of the system. There are minimal training and safety requirements now compared to what there used to be.
If everybody ubers,Public transport use declines, therefore no reason to fund it anymore, congestion increases, need more roads and parking, government pays again. Environmental and pollution problems as the government has no control over the type and age of the car anymore.

There will come a time when drivers (on both systems) refuse to work as there is no adequate pay for the effort...too many cars on the road...this is about where we are now...uber get them to work by surge pricing...increasing fares...taxis will soon follow suit...lets see how long the delays are at Xmas and how high the surge goes...
The old saying is "You pay peanuts - you get Monkeys"

Air BnB is doing the same to Hotels...and annoying thousands of residential ratepayers as well.

Amazon etc is doing the same to retailers...lets see what the shopping centres look like in 10 years time.
Every week there is another retailer closing it seems.
Where are the kids going to get a job? The only jobs left will be cleaning up the drones that deliver us or our stuff.

The public may get cheap stuff now, for a while, but society will pay for it in many other ways....



The bottom line is taxis have been woeful and taking the public for a ride (pardon the pun) for years. Yes they have been restricted in what they could change but there are many things they could have done to improve the service which would have made the customers less likely to dessert them in droves like they have. They could have modernised their system, they could have ensured the vehicles were in better/cleaner condition, they could have taken a harder line on unsafe/dishonest drivers, they could have never implimented the rort that was the 10% fee to pay with credit card etc etc. They didn’t and they are now reaping what they sowed. You keep making the same mistake in thinking price is the only factor in people choosing Uber over Taxis. It’s not.

As for people losing their superannuation well that is the nature of investments. There is risk. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose. The same thing happened to those near retirement age when the 2008 financial crisis hit and stock markets plunged. Again, I don’t feel sorry for anyone putting all their eggs in one basket thinking a particular investment can only go up in value.

Taxi drivers are more than welcome to come and drive for Uber and many do because they realise they can make more money doing it while having more flexibility to work when and where they want. Of course the rating system weeds a few out when they bring their bad taxi habits over as a poor fellow found out when I was at one of their offices last week. He was devastated that he had been permanently deactivated from the Uber platform for low ratings/complaints. Pleaded with the girl to give him another chance but eventually slumped away defeated. I’m sure he was back on the road with YellowCabs the next day.
 
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Agree with NoName above. I have not caught a taxi in Sydney for over a year now and never will again. The last straw was when I asked for a station wagon at Syd airport for myself and + 1 as we had a bit of luggage; the airport attendant summoned a maxi cab, and without thinking, we got in with luggage, and I was shocked when he wanted to charge me the maxi cab rate of $130 when we got to my house. I told him where to go, and said $80 was the average fare and we had not requested a maxi cab. I gave him $85 and told him to piss off and he could report me to his company +/- police etc for further discussion if he wished....he took the money and left....I won't mention the dirty taxis, the unkempt drivers, the "long route" etc etc PS the last uber fare from Syd airport to my house was $59!! :)
 
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