Fed up with Uber
Jul 11, 2016 | 2:36 pm
#31
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Bay Area, peninsula! (SFO)
Programs: AA PtPro (2 MM); Hilton Diamond; Hertz President Cr; DL SkyMiles; UA MileagePlus
Posts: 3,652
I was walking around Ginza on a weekend night and noticed several nicer model sedans with drivers inside waiting at the curb without the taxi lights. Some had a little antenna with a blue light on front bumper, another had the white seat covers. They didn't have the uber signs I'm used to seeing in front windshield, either. Are these some sort of town car service waiting for their patrons inside Ginza hostess clubs or other upscale venues? Or do the really upscale (venues or households) also keep in-house drivers?
I also saw more women in kimono walking down the street than usual around 8 pm. Some were probably below mid-thirties but others were not. A few were probably women returning from a day of shopping or dressed up for a nice dinner but I did see one nodding at a club tout on the street before going into a combini. Were a majority of these traditionally attired women on their way to work?
Jul 11, 2016 | 6:14 pm
#33
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,538
ハイヤー price quotes?
http://www.nihon-kotsu.co.jp/hire/purpose/airport.html
18,000 pickup from Haneda
35,000 pickup from Narita
MK looks like 1 hr min is 11,270
http://www.tokyomk.com/hire.html#contents2_3
18,000 pickup from Haneda
35,000 pickup from Narita
MK looks like 1 hr min is 11,270
http://www.tokyomk.com/hire.html#contents2_3
Jul 11, 2016 | 6:22 pm
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: UA GS>1K>Nothing; DL DM 2MM; AS 75K>Nothing>MVP
Posts: 9,417
ハイヤー (Hired car service) is very similar to a limo/town car service in major US cities. Many people in Japan using uber black used hire before uber became available. You can just just call a hired service like Kokusai or MK. Most of the Uber black service is provided by these hired car companies who contract directly with Uber. Uber is just easier to use because it's quicker (no wait times on the phone), don't need to explain your pickup location, easier to handle payment, and you don't need to communicate as much with the driver about destination/route.
Some of these hired companies now have their own apps, which make them easier to use. Because of the issue with surge pricing, I've largely switched back to Kokusai for airport runs.