[crbnw00ts]

> All of Uber's old school power users have gotten used to Uber and simply expect our service as a baseline at this point. What I mean is that as you have gotten used to Uber, your expectations of basic fundamental service have risen.

Yeah ... no. I got fed up with taxi service in SF about 2 years ago and started using Uber. At first I was astounded: very clean cars, very nice drivers who were accommodating and pleasant (all I want is a quiet ride without the radio blaring or the driver shouting into his phone the whole way). Best of all, the drivers were knowledgable about the city and didn't need me to tell them turn-by-turn how to do something basic like get across town. It was what I always wanted, and totally worth the extra cost vs. a regular taxi.

It's hard to put my finger on exactly when it started, but in the last few months the "black car" service has degraded to the point where it feels like the old taxi days. Usually the car is dirty, smells bad, the driver has the radio blasting loud (and doesn't exactly react all that well if I ask to turn it down or off), and the driver's attitude is frequently incredibly grouchy (I've had to listen to them complain about their jobs quite a bit lately), and worst of all, they don't know their way around the city at all.

Just to make sure I wasn't experiencing what Mr. Kalanick is suggesting in terms my expectations being calibrated differently, I have made it a point to take regular taxis a few times lately. Instead of a categorically different experience (which is how I would have described the difference between Uber and a taxi in the past), the only differences now between the taxi and the Uber "black car" service seem to be the price and the color of the outside of the car. Oh, and in some cases the regular taxi drivers actually know the city better than the Uber drivers.

I don't really blame Uber for all this, as I'm sure it's really hard to maintain that level of quality while growing at double-digit rates. But I do think they need to take a good hard look at the "black car" service and make sure the drivers know what kind of experience they are supposed to provide. It really should not feel like a taxi with a different coat of paint on the outside.

[gphil]

This is a great analysis, I've observed some of the same trends. When there was less demand for the black cars, they could still operate like limos. Now it seems like they've just turned into glorified taxis.

A theory of mine is that disruptive startups always evolve to look more like the incumbents as they scale, and I think this might be another case in support of that.

[auctiontheory]

A theory of mine is that disruptive startups always evolve to look more like the incumbents as they scale

Good insight. And that's another reason (not just thinking of Uber here) why startups shouldn't be exempt from the rules and regulations that incumbents need to follow. They're in the same business. Alternatively, if the rules are bad, scrap them for everyone.

[tolmasky]

> and worst of all, they don't know their way around the city at all.

This is my main concern. I am notoriously bad at directions and hate having a driver that I basically need to direct. Especially because that just means I'll be pulling out my Maps app instead of him using the navigation that I can clearly see sitting on his dashboard (I am SO confused by this behavior). Sometimes they'll just get frustrated with me (because I don't know how to get there!) and then finally type it in themselves as if its some huge inconvenience.

[andrewf]

UberX drivers seem increasingly inclined to expect me to pull out the maps app and navigate for them. It is annoying. Aren't you the one being paid to drive?

I have not necessarily been to a particular destination before. Even if I have, I might want to have my attention on something (my phone, my laptop, how much I want to go to bed..) other than the road.

[xgarland]

I've experienced this far too often in the past few months, it's starting to become a bit unbearable. Just not sure why Uber continues to onboard drivers who seem incompetent and have no sense of direction.

It'd be nice if I can get in the car and get to my destination without feeling like a got damn TOM TOM by the time I arrive.

[wandermatt]

This happened to me twice with Uber black and that was enough to abandon the service. Weird that I've not observed this behavior among Lyft drivers (who I'd expect to be part timing it).

[rhizome]

That could be a huge edge for Lyft, "rides from locals."

[joncooper]

My recent experiences have been identical. A few janky cars (especially on UberX), drivers that don't seem to use the GPS, one guy who took a cash tip from guests that I sent with him, etc. It's actually a totally fine level of service for me but it's quite a ways from the awesome experience of 2 years ago. Perhaps it is time for them to implement a distributed force of "mystery shoppers" to provide detailed feedback.

[samstave]

I was a very early user of Uber, and the initial experience started the same as yours; living in Presidio, then upper Noe Valley - I could never get a cab. I was actually banned from several cab companies as I would call two or three to get a cab to my house, as most would never show up.

Recently, a few weeks ago, I used Uber to go from Mtn View to SF, then later from SF to Alameda. While I spent nearly $300 in cab fees that night, the experience was just as fantastic as always (It was my first date night out with my wife after our latest child was born - so her first night out in nearly a year).

The driver from Mtn View to SF was fantastic and accomdated us wanting loud music playing the whole way.

I Love Uber - what I have a tough time with is cost -- but really because I think everything is overpriced.

[Nicholas_C]

I can imagine, like you said, that the growth is forcing them to hire less qualified drivers as the pool of great drivers has already been tapped. Here in Dallas Uber is still a great experience, for now.

[crbnw00ts]

An obvious-in-hindsight bit of speculation is that growth has caused them to resort to hiring those former taxi drivers which customers like me were trying to get away from in the first place.

[DrewRWx]

Same here in Santa Barbara. They hard launched a couple weeks ago and it still has a nice, earnest startup feel to it.