I think the taxi driver has a lot more to lose than someone doing it on the side. In that sense I don't think it's the same and not as safe.
I'm pretty sure drivers keep 80% of the cost of the drive. There are different types of Uber and SUV's usually cost a little bit more than sedans. In New York they have an Uber Helicopter
Nice. I need to look into this. Worried about getting a confrontational drunk ******* or having someone damage my car though. Might be worth the risk though if I'm raking in good money on Fri Sat and Sundays
For me, I usually only drive Friday and Saturday nights, between about 930pm and 1am. In San Diego, these are busy hours which allows me to make about 100-120 bucks a night, after Uber takes their 20% cut. This does not factor in the cost of gas though. I probably drive about 80-100 miles during that time. The ability to take UberXL fares is pretty nice since you have the SUV. Also, during high demand periods, Uber enacts surge pricing, which can sometimes double the amount you make on a fare. The money, coupled with the ability to work whenever you want and the sheer entertainment of the whole thing, makes it a pretty nice gig on the side. Hope this helps.
I recently used it to get around the city of San Francisco. I think out of 4 or 5 rides, we paid for 1. Super cheap and reliable.
Permissionless selling of unused resources is the wave of the future. People are sharing their homes with complete strangers, turning an extra room into a hotel. You can even rent out your car while you are on vacation! People are turning their homes into a place to board your dog. In the past, regulation and licensing created barriers to entry that prevented people from doing this (remember people having to surreptitiously set up hair cutting services in their homes?). A taxi medallion in a large American city can cost as much as a million dollars. But the internet and mobile phones have changed that. Any politician that tries to ban Uber is going to face the wrath of voters. In the future, you will have the means to sell your unused computer storage, processing power, and wifi bandwidth. I imagine a world where driverless vehicles that never crash are all over, never more than a few minutes away. Just hit a button on your cell phone and it shows up and takes you where you want to go. I also think Uber's service will become decentralized. Once the ap exists, they don't provide any added value other than skimming off the top.
I am still kind of stuck over the legality of it all Like I said .. . . If i am a taxi driver . . .. Bump playing my insurance a fees just turn in my car and grab a rental. Can rent a nice car for like 200~300 a week . . . and Uber it up. [As opposed to --He had paid about $110 to the garage upfront, just to rent his cab. Drivers pay out-of-pocket for gasoline, and it cost $38 to fill up his tank. Another $15.50 went to the state, for a transit tax. -http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/nyregion/new-york-taxi-drivers-unsure-they-will-see-benefits-of-a-fare-hike.html] I can see the Cabbie's beef checking the site - PICK UP SAFE, RELIABLE RIDERS.[A lot can happen out there. Don’t worry about who’s in the backseat. All you have to do is keep your eyes on the road. Let us handle everything else.] <--- what does this mean? How do they do this? Rocket River
You're right. A professional who is driving on the side to earn a few extra dollars is way more likely to fly off the handle and murder somebody than a disgruntled cab driver who has to drive a cab because there are no other options for him or her.
I've used it in Paris and checked prices in other places. It's not always cheaper than cabs - really depends on the location. But great (yet controversial) service overall. The good: * The technology is great - being able to book by app, pay by app, and see where your car is at any given time is all awesome * they use GPS to get you places (at least in my experience) so you know they aren't routing you the long way and such. * Generally cheaper than cabs The bad: * It does screw over cabs - people have little sympathy for them, but the background checks are stronger, and cabs service more fairly - certain percentages of cabs have to be handicap accessible, kid friendly (booster seats, etc), and service all areas of town. Uber underprices cabs but screws over a lot of consumers that aren't profitable - similar situation to the USPS vs Fedex. Better service and prices, but Fedex doesn't have to serve the guy in the boonies in middle of nowhere. If USPS/cabs shut down, all those less profitable customers are SOL. * There is conflicting info out there about how insurance works if your Uber driver gets in a wreck and you're hurt. Not all personal policies would cover anything and these drivers don't tend to have any sort of commercial insurance, so as a passenger, you might not be covered or at least have to have a big fight with insurance companies. I think what people really like about Uber is not the private industry aspect, but the technology of the app. Instead of fighting it, cabs should try to partner with Uber and bring their technology to cabs - if done right, cabs could provide a much higher quality service and Uber suddenly has access to every market in the country with a ton of professional, licensed drivers.
Use Uber in Houston to get to downtown/midtown bars. I just park at a restaurants and after dinner give em a tap. I love it. Saves me parking money.
Here is my code for $30 off of first ride. https://www.uber.com/invite/vt57bv Here is information recently updated about insurance and riders...btw, I drive for Uber in DFW part time and I love it. Spoiler Hi Felix, Uber is committed to connecting riders and drivers to one of the safest rides on the road. We have always carried protection that exceeds rideshare, limo and taxi standards while rideshare drivers are on Uber trips. We’re excited to announce a few updates to provide you with more peace of mind and improve your claims experience (in the unfortunate event of an accident). The policy updates for all ridesharing drivers in Dallas-Fort Worth include: Coverage while on an Uber trip is now expressly primary - Updated Claims process is streamlined - Updated Coverages and limits remain the same HOW HAS THE COVERAGE BEEN UPDATED? From the moment you accept a trip to its conclusion, the coverage provided to rideshare partners is primary to your personal auto policy. (However it will not take precedence over any commercial auto insurance you may have for the vehicle). If you have comprehensive and collision coverage for your vehicle on your personal auto policy, you are covered for comprehensive and collision by simply providing evidence that this coverage was in place at the time of the accident. Our insurer will no longer require you to make a claim on your personal auto insurance in order to get this coverage. This helps you get back on the road faster. DO I STILL NEED TO CARRY MY OWN PERSONAL INSURANCE? Yes. Valid personal auto insurance is required by state law to be on the road and we require it too. If you want coverage for damage to your vehicle, consider purchasing collision and comprehensive coverage to protect you in the event of an incident; our contingent coverage only applies if you have purchased this on your personal policy. If there’s an incident that your personal insurance refuses to cover while you are not on a trip, our contingent coverage for when you are logged on and available in the Uber Driver App will provide drivers with liability protection for bodily injury up to $50,000/individual/accident with a total of $100,000/accident and liability protection for property damage up to $25,000. WHAT DO I DO IF I AM IN AN ACCIDENT? As soon as it is safe to do so, contact your local Uber office. Complete the incident report form that we provide. You will be provided with a claim number and an adjuster will contact you on behalf of our insurer to resolve the claim. If an accident occurs while on a trip, we will not require you to contact your personal auto insurer to make a claim. However we recommend that you still report the accident if your personal insurer requires that. REMIND ME, WHAT COVERAGES ARE AVAILABLE WHILE ON A TRIP? $1MM of third party liability insurance covering property damage and bodily injury to others $1MM of uninsured / underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage $50,000 of contingent comprehensive and collision with a $1,000 deductible for damage to your vehicle (you must carry collision insurance on your personal auto policy to get this coverage) HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? Read our blog post that describes each piece of our coverage in more detail or feel free to reach out to us directly via email. Uber on, Uber Operations Team
I trust an Uber user rating more than any government cab license. Faith in titles is for an older generation. And the cab companies already let you book them online. That isn't what makes Uber distinct. An Uber (or like service) driver will gladly come to the boonies if you pay them a commensurate fare.
There is a taxi app and it still sucks. Uber ftw. Taxi drivers can become Uber drivers. Nothing stopping them.
I have mainly used Uber limousine services (luxury cars) which is considerably more expensive than taxis, but once tried out their "taxi replacement service" in Berlin. The car smelled terrible and was in a bad condition, the driver didn't have a clue where anything was in Berlin (I had to explain to him where the Hyatt hotel was and then guide him from the airport to the city), barely spoke any German, and generally, if I had been a woman, I wouldn't have felt particularly safe with this driver. I won't use that "cheaper" Uber service again.
for an insane variant of this phenomenon, check out Parking Monkey People drive around looking for the best parking spots, then stay parked there until someone pays them to leave. The app shows you where all the Parking Monkeys are located and what it costs to take their spot. All you do is pay with the app, then show up to the spot and change places with whomever was parked there.
