Uber to Resume in Calgary December 6 2016

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Okay I misread that. I thought you maybe jumped out at the light. Something that happens. Dumb move by the cabbie at that point.

Ah man.. Thought you were crazy for a minute there. Seriously, the cabbies here are on another level. If it's because they're getting screwed by their employers, then I guess I have to have a bit of sympathy, but honestly, it's just f-d how bad it is to get a ride around here. I dare say there's a lot more drinking and driving going on because of it.

[Fuzz]

Just hop in and tell them you are going to "Highwood" then give them directions. 9 years here and I have yet to take a taxi that knew where Highwood was. I know, it's tough, it's a 60 year old neighbourhood...tough to keep up with all the new ones...

[Zarley]

The most annoying incident that happened to me was last year before a Flames game. I had ordered a cab in advance to pick my friends and I up at my place in the Beltline a half hour before puck drop. Guy shows up promptly at 6:30, but as soon as he sees us in our Flames gear he peels off straight away without even asking where we were going. We ended up walking to the Saddledome and missing the start of the game.

I really fail to understand the logic of these guys. Why would he refuse a short, 5 minute trip up 15th Ave to make $10? Especially after taking the time to show up and wait outside my building.

[woob]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the people on here criticizing Uber have never actually tried to get a cab in Calgary late at night.

Got two at 2:30am a couple weekends back, both for short trips after a night at a pub. The only time I've had trouble is calling during a huge snow storm or trying to hail one on 17th during prime time. And I've lived here all my life.

I'm criticizing Uber because I'm not sure as a rider, if something happens, I'll have a guaranteed insured individual to seek damages from if I need to. I won't be using Uber until such a time as it is 100% clear that I'm covered as a rider. That is my comfort level and I respect those that do not need that level themselves.

[Igottago]

Not saying the system doesn't have warts, but its incredible to me that you guys have had this many bad experiences with cabs. I've certainly had them on occasion, but I've also successfully taken cabs within downtown dozens upon dozens if not hundreds of times over the years (I live in the beltline too). There have been a few terrible experiences but they are vastly outnumbered by just getting a normal ride wherever I need to go.

Uber needs to be here but everyone makes it sound like cabs were either an impossibility or an experience from hell. Sounds like hyperbole.

[polak]

My experiences in cabs has always been fine and in my early 20's I took at least 2 a weekend, every weekend. Some better than others, but overall once I've actually caught the cab and am on the way, all is usually well.

It's getting one after a night out that is the reason I am all aboard the Uber train. Finding one, being told no if I didn't have cash, being told to pay up front. All annoying as hell and very common.

[peter12]

The anti-taxi hyperbole here is beyond belief. I have had 100s of taxi rides, at all hours, over the last 3 or 4 years, and really have not had a single bad experience in Calgary. Limited supply at peak hours may be an issue, but how bad can it be? I caught a cab from Bridgeland to 17th Ave last weekend at 1 in the morning. For a $12 fare, the driver was extremely courteous and professional

It reiterates my original point is that people who like Uber have an irrationally negative preconception of the taxi industry based on long-standing (and fair) complaints that are now magnified intensely because the arrival of a subsidized and illegal service designed to precisely match people's magnified irrational dislike of the taxi industry. Uber is a short-run tautology and a long-run disaster.

[polak]

The undersupply issue is not overstated. At all.

There are waaaaay too few cabs in this city during peak times and they are waaaaay too picky in choosing who they do and do not serve.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by polak

The undersupply issue is not overstated. At all.

There are waaaaay too few cabs in this city during peak times and they are waaaaay too picky in choosing who they do and do not serve.

And with Uber, you get surge pricing.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Actually, I routinely dropped a $20 on cabbies that said "no problem!" before I "changed my mind" and made them drive me home just around the corner.

Just the fact that I had to play a cabbie like I was trying to get laid was so frustrating. Especially when I was trying to take a girl home to get laid.

Your move to get laid is to give them $20 and hope they say "no problem"!

I've been doing this all wrong.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by peter12

And with Uber, you get surge pricing.

Yes. Pricing. As in you are receiving the service that you are looking for, you just have to pay a little bit more for it.

A little bit.

You see people in tii thread who cant get a ride at all. This is whats infuriating, the cab service in this City is so unbelievably reprehensible as to be incomprehensible!

You've got people willing to pay, even for the craptastic service that was available. You've got people even willing to pay more! But the service providers just couldnt be bothered.

[YYC in LAX]

I needed to take a cab to the airport this morning and scheduled a pickup the night before for 4 AM. I didn't want to risk the chance that there wouldn't be any Uber drivers available at that time. Has anyone used Uber for an early morning airport trip?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Locke

Yes. Pricing. As in you are receiving the service that you are looking for, you just have to pay a little bit more for it.

A little bit.

You see people in tii thread who cant get a ride at all. This is whats infuriating, the cab service in this City is so unbelievably reprehensible as to be incomprehensible!

You've got people willing to pay, even for the craptastic service that was available. You've got people even willing to pay more! But the service providers just couldnt be bothered.

I love how Uber has made everyone who wants to pay less for livery service into an Ayn Rand fanboy.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by peter12

I love how Uber has made everyone who wants to pay less for livery service into an Ayn Rand fanboy.

I'm actually offended by that. Rand was a simplistic and feeble-minded moron.

But at the same time no one can care about everything and everyone all the time no matter what.

If the taxis in this city worked like they should then we wouldnt even be having this discussion. If you provide a valuable service you will receive fair compensation. If you dont, someone else will. Its not up to consumers to artificially prop up a poor service that seems to be reluctantly provided at the best of times.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Locke

I'm actually offended by that. Rand was a simplistic and feeble-minded moron.

But at the same time no one can care about everything and everyone all the time no matter what.

If the taxis in this city worked like they should then we wouldnt even be having this discussion. If you provide a valuable service you will receive fair compensation. If you dont, someone else will. Its not up to consumers to artificially prop up a poor service that seems to be reluctantly provided at the best of times.

Maybe. People are able to simplify any discussion based upon the merest gesture towards free-market economics. Utility drives success.

I made a post a few pages back about taxis being a semi-public good.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by peter12

Maybe. People are able to simplify any discussion based with the merest gesture towards free-market economics. Utility drives success.

I made a post a few pages back about taxis being a semi-public good.

Great, then acquire all of the Taxi companies and have them run by Calgary Transit.

[getbak]

I saw a story the other day that some derpy kid in Toronto has started a crowdfunding campaign to pay for his Halloween-night Uber ride home after he got charged over $600 with surge pricing.

It mentioned another young woman who was charged over $400 to get from downtown Toronto to her suburban home the same night.

[Looch City]

The thing about Uber surge pricing is you physically agree to it by typing in the multiplier and hitting submit.

^ that multiplier must've been like 50x, why would anyone agree to that?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

So here's the thing: my ride home costs $10 including tip basically no matter where from in terms of going out at night - either downtown, or beltline, 17th, or wherever, it's about $10 to Kensington all in. Maybe a bit more from the Saddledome, but I'm mainly coming from work or 17th ave. These are pretty short fares, yet I have never had a cabbie tell me no, and I can't even recall any of them asking me where I'm going before getting in the cab, much less kicking me out after I tell them. My response to which would be, "Sure, but that's illegal, and I'll absolutely be reporting you and doing what I can to see your license is suspended as your taxi number is clearly printed on the outside of the cab". But that said, it's literally never happened.

I have had bad experiences with drivers, including the "no credit" thing. Certainly share the pain of the impossibility of getting one in many circumstances. But nothing like the frequency of problems exhibited here, and I probably take about a hundred taxis a year. Is the fact that 75% of those fares are paid with a taxi chit the reason, maybe?

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

The thing about Uber surge pricing is you physically agree to it by typing in the multiplier and hitting submit.

^ that multiplier must've been like 50x, why would anyone agree to that?

I suspect that misunderstanding was a large part of it.

I don't use Uber (or taxis), does the app say "This trip will cost $600" or do you agree to a multiplier and it gives you the price separately?