Uber to Resume in Calgary December 6 2016

[shermanator]

There's some talk over on Reddit that cabbies are posing as Uber riders, who then berate Uber drivers, take their picture, and threaten to go to the cops.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/com...rivers_posing/

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by peter12

Haha, Uber is going to start offering handicap accessible services in NYC? The more bespoke their service becomes, the more they will end up being like a taxi service. What a ridiculous company.

I don't think the general public understands the service that taxis give. I remember going to an address to pick up a handy-capped person. They have a time call so you wait ten minutes until going to the door. They come out and you escort them and their guide dog to the car. Lets say the fare was $4.80 with 10% off making it $4.32. They pay $1.25 cash so you write up the fare as $3.07 charge. Time is money and this takes time to write it up and escort them to door they are going to. So now you've spent 1/2 an hour and made $4.32 net. After dropping them off you drive to the car wash and spend a dollar or two vacuuming the dog hair out of the back seat so all told you've taken up an hour of your time and have made $2. At that rate you're losing money when considering your car lease and fuel. I'm not saying that this happens for a lot of fares but similar fares maybe happened once a day as it's part of the service.

Right now Uber is taking the cream of the trips.

[Jbo]

Decided to try Uber in Calgary to meet a friend before the game. Pulled out the app, and within 2 minutes, got the notification the driver was outside. Guy was friendly, drove me through rush hour, and as soon as I got out, had the invoice arrive in my inbox. Gave the guy 5 stars and went and had dinner.

After the game, decided to hop in a cab outside the dome from Duttons. I was honest and told the guy I just need to head over to Mission where I live, and asked if he minded the short fair. He waved me in, and then decided to bitch to me about all the "short" fares he had to take that night. He actually was pretty rude, and didn't even say anything when I said thanks and gave him a few bucks extra tip. Uber trip 8 bucks, + tip, Cab 10 + tip

Sorry cabs, but you get no sympathy from me anymore. Will be using Uber over cabs any chance I get.

[FNL]

One thing that doesn't seem to have been mentioned is that while Uber gets all the press, and has been doing the heavy lifting as far as building the industry, LYFT is a formidable competitor, and in my experience a generally superior service. I haven't heard anything about LYFT coming to Calgary yet, but when they go head to head against Uber, they do pretty well. Drivers (who often drive both when they can) seem to prefer LYFT, too.

The real question we have to ask, as a city, and a society is this; Should the passenger driving profession be a full time occupation, or is it OK to have few if any people driving for a living, and a lot driving part-time, paper route/hobby style? Should we, as consumers, subsidize the driving-as-profession industry through higher fares due to market control?

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by FNL

One thing that doesn't seem to have been mentioned is that while Uber gets all the press, and has been doing the heavy lifting as far as building the industry, LYFT is a formidable competitor, and in my experience a generally superior service. I haven't heard anything about LYFT coming to Calgary yet, but when they go head to head against Uber, they do pretty well. Drivers (who often drive both when they can) seem to prefer LYFT, too.

The real question we have to ask, as a city, and a society is this; Should the passenger driving profession be a full time occupation, or is it OK to have few if any people driving for a living, and a lot driving part-time, paper route/hobby style? Should we, as consumers, subsidize the driving-as-profession industry through higher fares due to market control?

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

Given that we are living through the dying days of the professional driver, I wonder what the long-term play for Uber is? Once we don't need other people to drive us, what then? Is Uber planning to be what Amazon is to cloud computing? I think Google already has their eye on that prize - that's the play here, right - the car "cloud"? I am not much of a techie, so you guys tell me...

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Given that we are living through the dying days of the professional driver, I wonder what the long-term play for Uber is? Once we don't need other people to drive us, what then? Is Uber planning to be what Amazon is to cloud computing? I think Google already has their eye on that prize - that's the play here, right - the car "cloud"? I am not much of a techie, so you guys tell me...

Uber is already putting a lot of R&D into self driving cars. I'm sure at some point in the future, they'll launch their self driving car fleets.

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Given that we are living through the dying days of the professional driver, I wonder what the long-term play for Uber is? Once we don't need other people to drive us, what then? Is Uber planning to be what Amazon is to cloud computing? I think Google already has their eye on that prize - that's the play here, right - the car "cloud"? I am not much of a techie, so you guys tell me...

The supposed end-game is that Uber replaces all existing transportation activities with a fleet of self-driving cars that are cheaper that driving yourself. That's probably the only justification for all the money it's raised.

But self-driving cars are still some undetermined period of time away, and Uber would face competition from the likes of Google, the current automakers (many of whom are among the greatest engineering companies in the world and national champions that would get massive support from their countries), rental companies and public mass transit. And while governments may not fully regulate Uber because of its relationship with its drivers, they definitely will regulate if Uber has its own fleet of vehicles.

And finally, Uber already has self-driving cars where the driver cost is 0; it's markets that pay only 75c/mile. It's still more expensive than driving yourself.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by peter12

Haha, Uber is going to start offering handicap accessible services in NYC? The more bespoke their service becomes, the more they will end up being like a taxi service. What a ridiculous company.

Wow sounds like Nenshi and his boys in the taxi industry have brain washed you pretty good.

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by heep223

Wow sounds like Nenshi and his boys in the taxi industry have brain washed you pretty good.

Except Uber in NYC follows essentially all taxi regulations in terms of insurance, vehicle licensing, background checks. The only difference is Uber doesn't need medallions but can't do street hails. All that because NYC didn't rollover and surrender like some people want Calgary to do.

[Poster]

Originally Posted by shermanator

There's some talk over on Reddit that cabbies are posing as Uber riders, who then berate Uber drivers, take their picture, and threaten to go to the cops.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/com...rivers_posing/

So I get why the taxi owners are trying to limit competition and hold onto an archaic system but the drivers should be so happy about Uber, I don't get why they are upset.

they should follow the money. Anything to make their Taxi masters treat them better should be welcome.

Frankly, if taxi companies had innovated and developed an uber type app, they would have had a head start. Instead they stuck to the 1950's model of paying off civic officials to create a closed market and now they can't compete due to innovation.

Oops, tough beans though. Taxi drivers should drive for whoever pays them the most and treats them the best. Competition for labour is good if you are the labour!

[Pontine]

I was with a buddy and we were trying to grab a cab to go to china town and a cab said no, to driving us from 12th ave. I don't think I'll be supporting any cabs as long as Uber is around. I even told the cabbie to f off when he denied us. We weren't stumbling drunk and were coherent.

[DirtyMike]

Originally Posted by Pontine

I was with a buddy and we were trying to grab a cab to go to china town and a cab said no, to driving us from 12th ave. I don't think I'll be supporting any cabs as long as Uber is around. I even told the cabbie to f off when he denied us. We weren't stumbling drunk and were coherent.

Congrats on that move.

I don't really get the hate for taxi drivers, I've taken quite a few taxis in Calgary and found the experience to be quite good. I'm curious to see what Uber service is like in a few years after the shine wears off. I think if/when we see a few issues arise (bad drivers, accidents, insurance problems, etc.) people might not be so keen to anoint Uber as the solution to Calgary's transportation problems.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by DirtyMike

Congrats on that move.

I don't really get the hate for taxi drivers, I've taken quite a few taxis in Calgary and found the experience to be quite good. I'm curious to see what Uber service is like in a few years after the shine wears off. I think if/when we see a few issues arise (bad drivers, accidents, insurance problems, etc.) people might not be so keen to anoint Uber as the solution to Calgary's transportation problems.

You don't get the hate for taxis when you've quoted a post with one of the biggest reasons?

[Pontine]

As long as Uber is available, I'll be supporting them, even with surge pricing during peak periods.

I have had way too many negative experiences with cabs, that the only time I'll take them is for work functions when we get taxi chits. But with O&G the way it is with no work functions, I'm glad the only time I'll have to take a cab, is if there isn't an uber driver available.

[DirtyMike]

Originally Posted by 4X4

You don't get the hate for taxis when you've quoted a post with one of the biggest reasons?

If having to wait to flag another taxi to take you the same distance you could walk in 15 minutes is the biggest reason for hating taxis I think we've got bigger problems on our hands. Perhaps cab drivers would be a little friendlier if they weren't getting told to f off over a 1km trip.

I doubt that an Uber driver is going to be too stoked for a 1km fare either, even with the controls in place to prevent them from saying no to those.

[Iceman90]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Given that we are living through the dying days of the professional driver, I wonder what the long-term play for Uber is? Once we don't need other people to drive us, what then? Is Uber planning to be what Amazon is to cloud computing? I think Google already has their eye on that prize - that's the play here, right - the car "cloud"? I am not much of a techie, so you guys tell me...

I can see Uber leading the self driving car revolution. Same service they have now, but cutting the person out of it. The biggest downside to Uber in this model becomes the cost of purchasing and maintaining the fleet of cars.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by DirtyMike

If having to wait to flag another taxi to take you the same distance you could walk in 15 minutes is the biggest reason for hating taxis I think we've got bigger problems on our hands. Perhaps cab drivers would be a little friendlier if they weren't getting told to f off over a 1km trip.

I doubt that an Uber driver is going to be too stoked for a 1km fare either, even with the controls in place to prevent them from saying no to those.

There are many reasons (spelled out right in this thread!) people don't like the cab service in this city. Being turned down because the ride isn't long enough for the driver's liking is just one of them.

I personally don't really care if an Uber driver (or cabbie) is stoked about the fare or not. I also don't care if the waiter isn't pumped that I'm not drinking shooters, if the tailor doesn't want me to buy off the rack, or the salesman is pissed if I don't buy the undercoating.

I'm there to buy something and if they don't want to sell it to me, I'll get it somewhere else. And I really don't care if they bitch when I do just that.

[Zarley]

It is illegal for a taxi to refuse a fare under the current Livery Transport Bylaw.

Yet this is a routine occurrence. This is just another sign that the current system is broken and needs to be torn down and rebuilt. According to City Council and administration, the current system is designed to protect consumers and ensure a higher level of service. However, given that the current rules are largely ignored by drivers, the only tangible product of this over-regulated system is higher rates for customers.

[monkeyman]

Originally Posted by DirtyMike

If having to wait to flag another taxi to take you the same distance you could walk in 15 minutes is the biggest reason for hating taxis I think we've got bigger problems on our hands. Perhaps cab drivers would be a little friendlier if they weren't getting told to f off over a 1km trip.

I doubt that an Uber driver is going to be too stoked for a 1km fare either, even with the controls in place to prevent them from saying no to those.

You can't complain about opening up an industry to competition when you refuse to service all of the customers in the market.

[DirtyMike]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

You can't complain about opening up an industry to competition when you refuse to service all of the customers in the market.

I'm all in favour of Uber. Part of my original point was that I'm curious to see what the public perception of the company will be like in a few years. I doubt people are going to view Uber as far superior to cabs after stories of poor customer service, accidents, and insurance issues start to pop up. A few nice experiences with Uber the last couple weeks is probably not indicative of how service will be long-term.

And I don't think Uber drivers are going to be too happy to deal with drunks, etc. on a nightly basis, similar to the issue we see with cabs today. I think part of the issue with taxis in Calgary is related to customers as well.

Anyways, I'm happy to see that Uber is finally in Calgary, I think it's overdue.