[mikeash]

Indeed, this sort of gimmick "fee" seems antithetical to Uber. The whole point of Uber is to avoid the BS associated with taxis, of which unclear pricing is one example. If they continue in this direction, why use Uber over a regular taxi?

[astrange]

Uber actually picks you up. Yellow Taxi in CA regularly fails to come (once left me stranded in East Palo Alto) or the taxi dispatcher will yell at you for calling the Burlingame number instead of the San Mateo number.

There is Taxi Magic, but that app is just not as good.

[rhizome]

Because in SF, taxis never come.