Uber are getting shirty
Discussion
tight fart said:
Not all black cabs are legitimate, many hire them out to friends who borrow the badge, last time we got a cab from Covent Garden to Tottenham Court Road the black cab driver spoke little English and went off in the wrong direction.
When we were getting out I questioned him about doing the knowledge, he laughed and raced off.
And all too many use their expertise to drive you straight into the back of a traffic jam that they know is there.When we were getting out I questioned him about doing the knowledge, he laughed and raced off.
It used to happen to me often, hop in, give the destination, and have them sail past the big road with the bus lane straight onto the parallel one that is always stationary.
Incompetence would be acceptable, dishonesty is not.
p1stonhead said:
Last time I took a black cab I said I needed to pay by card which was all I had on me.
I only mentioned it as I was getting out for him to say ‘not working mate’.
So I asked if the ride was free then because I had no way of getting cash out on the card. It was about an £18 ride so not horrendous but not tiny either.
He got his machine working in about 15 seconds “somehow”.
In that situation, I'm simply saying "Here's my business card, with the due amount written on the back, contact me on email and by the way I will let the PCO know right now so you're not diddled." I wonder how long it will take for the machine to work again. I only mentioned it as I was getting out for him to say ‘not working mate’.
So I asked if the ride was free then because I had no way of getting cash out on the card. It was about an £18 ride so not horrendous but not tiny either.
He got his machine working in about 15 seconds “somehow”.
James_B said:
And all too many use their expertise to drive you straight into the back of a traffic jam that they know is there.
It used to happen to me often, hop in, give the destination, and have them sail past the big road with the bus lane straight onto the parallel one that is always stationary.
Incompetence would be acceptable, dishonesty is not.
Genuine question - do they make more per hour in stationary or moving traffic?It used to happen to me often, hop in, give the destination, and have them sail past the big road with the bus lane straight onto the parallel one that is always stationary.
Incompetence would be acceptable, dishonesty is not.
Vaud said:
James_B said:
And all too many use their expertise to drive you straight into the back of a traffic jam that they know is there.
It used to happen to me often, hop in, give the destination, and have them sail past the big road with the bus lane straight onto the parallel one that is always stationary.
Incompetence would be acceptable, dishonesty is not.
Genuine question - do they make more per hour in stationary or moving traffic?It used to happen to me often, hop in, give the destination, and have them sail past the big road with the bus lane straight onto the parallel one that is always stationary.
Incompetence would be acceptable, dishonesty is not.
Before anybody says they were driving correctly... we all know how a taxi drives when they don't have a fare!
Vaud said:
Genuine question - do they make more per hour in stationary or moving traffic?
Yes. I don’t know the exact scale, but it was always far more expensive when I was too slow noticing than when we went the right way.I assume they tended to do it more when the next fare was likely to be a bit of a wait for them, as although they get more per mile when taking the slow route it’ll be less per hour.
Legacywr said:
I don't live in London, but I use Uber for this very reason. With my prebooked firm I used to use on my nights out, I could feel them actively lift off while approaching traffic lights, hoping they will turn red! I watched the meter, it would cost @20p per set!
Before anybody says they were driving correctly... we all know how a taxi drives when they don't have a fare!
I’ve had that happen a lot too. Approach at twenty five, slow down a bit, slow down a bit more, coast a bid, and then have to accelerate away again when the lights stubbornly stayed green.Before anybody says they were driving correctly... we all know how a taxi drives when they don't have a fare!
carl_w said:
I did the maths once (probably about 10 years ago so things may have changed) and I reckoned any time they were going less than 9mph they were losing money.
How so? Stationary on tarif 1 they get 48 pounds an hour.You did remember to factor in the time-based charge too, didn’t you?
James_B said:
carl_w said:
I did the maths once (probably about 10 years ago so things may have changed) and I reckoned any time they were going less than 9mph they were losing money.
How so? Stationary on tarif 1 they get 48 pounds an hour.You did remember to factor in the time-based charge too, didn’t you?
Going nowhere: £2.60 (first 50.4 seconds) + £28.17 (140.86 units of 25.2 seconds at 20p each) = £30.77 ph.
10 miles at 10mph: £18.65 for the first 6 miles + £14.82 for the next 4 miles = £33.47 for 1 hour.
The difference is £2.70, which is probably not a bad approximation of the difference in cost between a cab idling and a cab travelling through traffic over 10 miles + a reasonable markup (based on about 1 litres / hr idling, 2 litres / mile driving slowly).
10mph is the cut-off - above that it is primarily a distance-based calc, below that it is primarily a time-based calc.
So, no, they don't per se cost more when idle. But of course you do have to pay for idle time and the journey.
But I do not think that they earn more per hour worked for idling, so they might as well get you there and then pick up another fare, surely?
James_B said:
And all too many use their expertise to drive you straight into the back of a traffic jam that they know is there.
As someone who has used Uber at least 3-4 times a week for the past couple of years, I can't agree with that at all. At peak hours (weekend evenings) particularly, they are looking to get as many jobs as possible, rather than eking out £1.50 extra for sitting in traffic for 10min. Waze (what the majority of drivers seem to use) is very adept at avoiding traffic in London, but obviously not infallible.Personally, Uber has been an amazing service. If I'm out in the evening with MrsC or a couple of friends (who live in roughly the same direction), it's my go-to. I've found almost all drivers to be professional and friendly, and the vast majority of cars to be clean and comfortable.
Sure, there are exceptions to this - but when was the last time you took a black cab and got a clean, friendly, professional experience (I probably take 1-2 a month for work)? It's a shame that Uber hasn't had the desired (by me) impact on black cabs - if they priced more reasonably and treated their passengers like paying customers, there would be a lot more love for them. They are an iconic part of London, but I struggle to find many people who have much positive to say about them - this shouldn't be the case, and they shouldn't be the only option.
I'd be very disappointed if Uber left London, particularly as it would probably push me onto the night tube/nightbus.
I drove a Black Cab for 29 years, and after reading p35 on here, and some of p34, I'd say that a lot of you guys are wasting your time working for a living.
With vivid imaginations like you have, you could be putting John Grisham out of business.
What a load of utter b****cks, slowing down when approaching traffic lights, what, to nick 20p, gimme a break.
Another cloud cuckoo classic, Black Cabs would sit in traffic when there was an open bus lane, all I ever wanted was to get the job there, get him/her out, then get another one in the back.
I took CCs from the day I could get a machine installed in my cab, never turned one down, never ran out of receipts, I didn't care if they went from Waterloo station to St. Thomas's Hospital, or Bishopsgate to Olympia.
Naturally, all those CC rides were open to the Tax Man's scrutiny, so what, if I wanted to "get at it", I'd just declare less cash, (were I that way inclined).
With vivid imaginations like you have, you could be putting John Grisham out of business.
What a load of utter b****cks, slowing down when approaching traffic lights, what, to nick 20p, gimme a break.
Another cloud cuckoo classic, Black Cabs would sit in traffic when there was an open bus lane, all I ever wanted was to get the job there, get him/her out, then get another one in the back.
I took CCs from the day I could get a machine installed in my cab, never turned one down, never ran out of receipts, I didn't care if they went from Waterloo station to St. Thomas's Hospital, or Bishopsgate to Olympia.
Naturally, all those CC rides were open to the Tax Man's scrutiny, so what, if I wanted to "get at it", I'd just declare less cash, (were I that way inclined).
I've never successfully been able to use a CC machine in a black cab - one cheeky f
ker even offered to drive me to a cashpoint on the meter. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the machines were never working; the cab drivers simply didnt want to take cards.
If uber goes, I'll end up getting more tubes and trains home and certainly won't be replacing the uber trips with black cab rides. I won't be alone, so the cabbies might have a shock when their revenues don't leap back up. Who wants to be driven around in the back of a smelly diesel van for 50% more than the competition? No thanks.
ker even offered to drive me to a cashpoint on the meter. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the machines were never working; the cab drivers simply didnt want to take cards.If uber goes, I'll end up getting more tubes and trains home and certainly won't be replacing the uber trips with black cab rides. I won't be alone, so the cabbies might have a shock when their revenues don't leap back up. Who wants to be driven around in the back of a smelly diesel van for 50% more than the competition? No thanks.
Maxf said:
I've never successfully been able to use a CC machine in a black cab - one cheeky fker even offered to drive me to a cashpoint on the meter. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the machines were never working; the cab drivers simply didnt want to take cards.
Why would you pay by card for a cab anyway?ker even offered to drive me to a cashpoint on the meter. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the machines were never working; the cab drivers simply didnt want to take cards.Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff