Great news for Calgary
I'm a regular user of Uber in Toronto and it's great
Not only is it usually cheaper, but it's the way it's connected to the app. You can see the available cars out there, track their ETA, and pay for everything directly from credit card. Also, their service model is based on driver reviews, so it's in the best interest of the drivers to treat their passengers with respect to get better ratings. Taxi drivers like to argue that they are safer, and Uber is dangerous, but my opinion is the other way around. Because your entire trip is tracked, and the driver information is displayed, there is always an electronic record of the entire transaction including route. Uber even refunded us once when it realized the driver took an inefficient route to our destination. Uber drivers also do not see the destination request until the passenger has got into the vehicle, so they can't turn down short hauls for longer distances.
There is a downside though, as the price analytics are based on supply and demand, and the prices due go up when there is an exceptional demand in a particular area. However, the price increase is plainly communicated before you commit to a ride.
There is a legitimate concern about insurance though, as I'm pretty sure most Uber driver's are using their own insurance rather than a commercial one. I'm not sure what would happen if there was an accident riding Uber. However, I'm not sure how it would be different in general if it was an accident while a friend was driving you either.
Lastly, I do feel for taxi drivers as they will find themselves forced to suddenly compete and innovate. However the main vocal oppositions to uber are the secondary drivers and those that rent out taxi licenses on the secondary market. They are the ones that shell out hundred of thousands to operate a cab, or the ones that make a large amount of money that way. For Uber drivers, this is soemthing that they can use to supplement their income, but it's not a full time job. Unfortunately, these part time drivers are the ones that are cutting out the taxi drivers that do drive for a living
Tl;DR - Recommend Uber, will hurt taxi industry, but everyone should work together for the betterment of the people
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