[enraged_camel]

>>> Taxi drivers aren't from here. So I get this is racist, but at least with Uber / Lyft we knew it was our neighbors. They spoke like we did. There were no communication issues around where you wanted to go.

Thank you for pointing out the REAL reason why Uber/Lyft are popular. It has nothing to do with convenience (a lot of taxi companies also have similar apps) and everything to do with the fact that people want to interact with those in the same socioeconomic class as them.

[aianus]

No, it's not, the real reason is that Uber is half the price of a cab and will actually show up when called.

[enraged_camel]

Have there actually been studies that prove Uber is significantly cheaper than cab?

Anecdotally speaking, I've taken Uber quite often in Austin, as well as various cabs, and they always seemed comparable to me. In fact, if you take into account Uber's surge pricing (which cabs don't have, afaik), Uber came out more expensive on average.

[aianus]

> Have there actually been studies that prove Uber is significantly cheaper than cab?

Where I'm from (Toronto) the taxi rates are fixed by law and the Uber rates are publicly available on their website.

Taxi rates: $3.25 + $1.74 per km + $0.50 per minute

UberX rates: $2.50 + $0.80 per km + $0.18 per minute

It's not even close.

[dbg31415]

My house in Circle C to the Airport via Uber... $20-25. Consistently. 20-25 minutes.

My house to the airport via taxi... $45-65. 30-40 minutes.

I fly 2-3x per week, thinking about putting together some expense reports to back this up... but for now you'll have to take my word. (=

[newacct23]

In Atlanta a taxi to the airport can be 40 dollars. An uber is less than 30.

[icebraining]

In Lisbon, it's mixed, since the price per minute is lower (0.10€ vs 0.25€) but the price per km is higher (0.65€ vs 0.47€). Taxis have an higher base fare (3.25€ vs 1€) but on the other hand the first 2 km are free.

[aioprisan]

Downtown Boston to Logan airport taxi: $30-40. Uber: $20.

[EdHominem]

You're comparing Uber's surge price to a Taxi's regular price when what really happens is that the taxi just doesn't come.

That comparison is only helpful if you note how long it took for both to show up.

[jacalata]

It varies by city.

[newacct23]

>a lot of taxi companies also have similar apps

First of all that's not the reason Uber and lyft are popular. Secondly, most taxi company apps suck.

[icebraining]

Maybe in the US. Around here, it's very rare to get someone other than a white male driving a taxi, while I've encountered much more diverse drivers in Uber. The reason I've exclusively switched to it is because they actually treat me like a person - like replying when I greet them.

[dbg31415]

>> Thank you for pointing out the REAL reason why Uber/Lyft are popular. It has nothing to do with convenience (a lot of taxi companies also have similar apps) and everything to do with the fact that people want to interact with those in the same socioeconomic class as them.

Yeah... thinking it through, you're right. That's spot on. I don't think that's bad, the Taxi drivers don't treat me like a human or like their neighbor, and that's more the issue. There's just a polite way that Americans are to one another, especially Texans. Taxi Drivers are extremely transparent that they are just out to make as much money from me as they can. I don't mean it as racist, but it's very jarring to be treated rudely in Texas; people are on the whole very friendly and sociable here. It's very apparent when someone isn't from here, or hasn't lived here long enough to adapt to the local customs.