[vineyardmike]

Yea - And those darn kids play music too loud too!

I grew up in the suburb where there were no taxis. I live in SF, and we can’t call a taxi without an app. I visit NYC once a year. Plenty of people (esp immigrants from other cultures) don’t have “street smarts” that match what some urbanite 30 years ago would have. I tried taking a taxi from JFK last time I was in NYC. The driver claimed he didn’t know where my hotel was, or even the neighborhood (“Chelsea”). They stopped in the left side of the highway to spit out the door. They pretended not to take cards, they added on fees not in the original agreement, etc. If I’m gunna be scammed either way, at least let me use google maps to put in an exact address and pay by card.

Wanting frictionless commerce is not a character flaw geez. An app is way more convenient. I can talk to people “IRL” but some things are easier with an app. Getting a taxi to pick me up is easier with an app that knows my current location - that’s a good product development not an indictment on the next generation.

[gerbilly]

> Yea - And those darn kids play music too loud too!

I sure hope so.

> I visit NYC once a year. Plenty of people (esp immigrants from other cultures) don’t have “street smarts” that match what some urbanite 30 years ago would have.

Ironically, the immigrants probably have more street smarts.

> The driver claimed he didn’t know where my hotel was, or even the neighborhood (“Chelsea”).

And you rode with him anyway? Why would you do that?

Reliance on Apps to intermediate everything is bullshit in my opinion. Plus I personally specifically don't want to share my location with some app written by people I've never met who are 100% likely to either misuse it themselves or to sell it to someone who will.

When they want to take your freedom away, they won't come jackbooting in with rifles, they will do it by offering you convenience.

[vineyardmike]

I can navigate around my city effortlessly, but I’m not someone-else’s-street smart. Don’t expect me to know the rules in Tokyo, NYC or Rio. I don’t expect a Japanese person to know the NYC, Rio, or SF rules and I don’t expect a Brazilian to know them either.

I rode with him anyways because all this people on hacker news told me using an app instead of a Taxi would mean I would lose my freedom. I have him an address… which he put in an app that surely is the exception and doesn’t misuse it. Realistically, this taxi driver just didn’t want to drive to Manhattan during rush hour, and knew damn well where Chelsea is. We all knew this was the reality. But at the airport there’s a queue for taxis and he was next in line and had to take me.

I actually took a taxi instead of Uber because in NY they use regulatory capture to ensure they have better airport placement than Uber and I chose that “convenience”. I think Uber is way more freeing than a taxi because I can go to almost any metro in the US and get a ride without having to learn the local system. It’s a tap away. It’s way more freeing and has emboldened me to explore more than I might otherwise. That is freedom.

[scarface_74]

> Reliance on Apps to intermediate everything is bullshit in my opinion. Plus I personally specifically don't want to share my location with some app written by people I've never met who are 100% likely to either misuse it themselves or to sell it to someone who will.

Have you tried taking a taxi in a country where you didn’t know the language?

[gerbilly]

> Have you tried taking a taxi in a country where you didn’t know the language?

Yes, lots of times.

It helps to know the rudiments of the language, but mostly we communicated in a kind of pidgin.

Travel books used to have lists of phrases at the very back for this kind of thing. People figured it out.

[scarface_74]

How many different countries and phrase books only takes you so far. I know barely enough Spanish to almost get by. But I wouldn’t have wanted to depend on it when I was in Los Cabos for three weeks staying in a hotel and I definitely wouldn’t have been as comfortable going around Mexico hailing a cab and giving directions as I was with Uber - and also needing cash.

[ipaddr]

Giving them an address for pickup works as well as a location based tracking and allows you to tell them to meet you 5 blocks away if you are on the move when you call.

The driver didn't know the neighbourhood nickname you gave..did you give them an address? You have to searching the map on Uber anyways, did you search your google map for the address?

Taxis will go down the streets you tell them while you drive. Turn left or right next lights work. It's more flexible than ubers pre determined route.

Immigrants have more street smarts than you give them credit for. They literally uprooted their lives from places who generally scam more than the places they move to. They have taken a scammier cab ride before they even left their home country.

[vineyardmike]

> The driver didn't know the neighbourhood nickname you gave..did you give them an address?

They asked for the neighborhood not the address because that’s how pricing is determined. When you’re a taxi driver… you learn the neighborhoods. Especially one of the most well known neighborhoods on manhattan.

> Immigrants have more street smarts than you give them credit for.

I mean no ill towards immigrants. Immigration is scary and hard. But being “street smart” in a different city doesn’t always translate directly. They’re not expected to know that they’re about to be scammed! They shouldn’t be getting scammed!

[scarface_74]

> Giving them an address for pickup works as well as a location based tracking and allows you to tell them to meet you 5 blocks away if you are on the move when you call.

Or you can just put a note in the app when you order and send messages. They can also call you.

If you don’t speak their language, the Uber app does translations.

> Immigrants have more street smarts than you give them credit for

When I spent 3 weeks in Los Cabos, Mexico. I had no street smarts, I didn’t know the language and when we were stuck in traffic, Uber automatically sent calls because it noticed we weren’t moving.

[evanelias]

> The driver didn't know the neighbourhood nickname you gave

Chelsea is a large, well-known neighborhood in Manhattan. It's had the same name since the 1700s. It is not an obscure nickname.