[jasonbarone]

But don't think you're safe there. If you have the slightest hesitation at all in your tonality, the driver will all of the sudden get a case of "I don't know that location, can you give me directions". I experienced that when I first moved here back to back one night because I didn't understand the "process" of getting a cab in New York.

Point is, cabs are completely shady, and nearly all have horrible service.

Since I've been here in NY, I've been using Uber regularly and every single experience has been nothing short of great. 99% have been spotless vehicles that smell good, with A/C in summer, and drivers with an awesome attitude. I've had a few rides where the driver took a non-optimal route and Uber refunded credits each time.

It's unbelievable to me that people dislike Uber and think they're just some "scam" backed by venture capital.

[balls187]

> It's unbelievable to me that people dislike Uber and think they're just some "scam" backed by venture capital.

There is a flip side to that, as well. Uber has engaged in questionable tactics, and their drivers are from the same pool as Taxi drivers.

I've had uber drivers accept the fare, then immediately cancel when they figured surge pricing will kick in. I've also had drivers not pick me up from my location, one who would not turn down their christian music when asked 3x.

Uber's support staff is good, and any hint of poor performance results in a 1-star review.

When I first used Uber, the drivers were great. Now with more uber drivers on the road, there is more variance in the service you get.

[wanderer2323]

"Uber's support staff is good, and any hint of poor performance results in a 1-star review"

This is roughly how the market "responded" (0) to Uber in Moscow - Yandex ("Russian Google") rolled out its Yandex Taxi service/app which provided Uber-like experience to user and integrated with taxi companies at the backend. Same experience same driver ratings etc - but on a legal platform. The prices are compatible with Uber too.

(0) I put "responded" in quotes here because Uber launched in Moscow a few years after Yandex Taxi.

[Hominem]

Agreed. I'm native, born and raised, and learned about "gypsy cabs", "car service" and how to hail a yellow cab back when yellow cabs still had "jump seats". Uber has democratized what affluent people have always known, money can buy anything, including someone to drive you somewhere.

[collyw]

I would say monopolized rather then democratized.

[VexXtreme]

I think you need to reexamine the meaning of the word "monopolized".

Having a single state-sanctioned business (and therefore backed by the threat of violence) is somehow less monopolistic than having a free market where the best service provider is rewarded by becoming the most popular and profitable one?

[task_queue]

This is a false equivalence. There isn't one and only one State Taxi Company. There are hundreds if not thousands of successful private taxi companies in each state.

There's one Uber and maybe Lyft if you're lucky. In the grey-area taxi market, they might fit the definition of a monopoly. I wouldn't argue that though because I know nothing about that market and reading that sentence back makes me laugh.

Microsoft operated in a relatively free market and was the arguably the best software provider as they were the most popular and profitable one for quite some time. They were also deemed a monopoly.

[soyiuz]

In strong agreement with task_queue here. The taxi industry is legislated on the city level. Uber is poised to become an international actor, with larger gross revenues than the GDP of many small countries (projected $10bil in 2015).

[jrockway]

> "I don't know that location, can you give me directions"

On the other hand, sometimes I've been pleasantly surprised at how knowledgeable some cabbies are. I've gotten in a cab at LGA, told them my home address in Brooklyn, and they went there with no directions. I never tip less than 20%, but this efficiency earns a much larger than usual tip.

[soyiuz]

I take cabs daily and my experience does not match yours. Most NYC cabbies are quite friendly. Most are also immigrants with interesting stories.

In Harlem, where I live, cabs will actively honk for any potential fare, especially to the airport. You'll have multiple cabs trying to get you if you have a suitcase. From my conversations with drivers, they prefer airport fares.

[jasonbarone]

I don't doubt that they are friendly but honestly that's irrelevant to most people. The problem is, while they may be friendly, nearly all of them will want to pickup and drop off in the same location because they know it's harder to pickup outside of Manhattan.

This doesn't happen with Uber's model.

Also, I'm paying for a ride somewhere. The top priority for me is not sitting in hot, smelly, filth. I'll stick with Uber.

[soyiuz]

1. NYC taxi cabs are actually pretty clean. Most have AC. Most are only a few years old. You can pass on the hail if you don't like the vehicle.

2. Today Uber has clean, nice smelling cars because it is new. Let's talk after Uber matures a bit like the cabs. We'll be back to where we started, only under the influence of an international monopoly. That does not bode well for the consumer.

3. Uber cannot really solve the imbalance of demand between Manhattan and the peripheries. Uber forces drivers to have a certain acceptance rate threshold. NYC forces drivers not do discriminate based on destination. In either case, drivers will try to game the system to avoid the less profitable journeys.

4. Look to places like Russia and India for the future of Uber. Drivers have 4+ cell phones, subscribing to different services in parallel with holding a cab license.