über safety ?
Dec 10, 2014, 9:34 am
#16
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Dec 10, 2014, 11:12 am
#18
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I happily use both black cabs and mini-cabs in London. I just don't see that advantage of Uber. If I want cheap, I get a mini-cab; if I want reliable I get a black cab. Uber isn't any cheaper (and in some cases is rather more expensive) than a mini-cab so what's the point?
Dec 10, 2014, 12:12 pm
#20
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Delhi taxi drivers raping or otherwise sexually assaulting female passengers has happened repeatedly over many years. Many of them don't get reported to the police, but some of them do get reported to medical staff.
I see no evidence that Uber is less safe than the alternatives there, and I say that as someone with lots of experience in Delhi.
Radio taxi companies and Uber had been seen as an improvement in safety/security for solo women travelers in Delhi -- an improvement over what used to be before -- but some of that may have been based on wishful thinking. The difference now is that at least the radio and uber drivers are now in a better position for being caught and punished than used to be the case. Thank technology and increased competition for that.
I see no evidence that Uber is less safe than the alternatives there, and I say that as someone with lots of experience in Delhi.
Radio taxi companies and Uber had been seen as an improvement in safety/security for solo women travelers in Delhi -- an improvement over what used to be before -- but some of that may have been based on wishful thinking. The difference now is that at least the radio and uber drivers are now in a better position for being caught and punished than used to be the case. Thank technology and increased competition for that.
Do read posts upstream.
BTW Delhi is reporting only one incident.
Dec 10, 2014, 1:14 pm
#21
Join Date: Oct 2008
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No need to pretend that the likelihood of a cab driver raping a single woman passenger is equal everywhere on earth. Seems extremely likely that the odds are much much higher in India.
Overall Uber is very safe and is a god send in most places in the US.
They should be required to run the same background checks as other taxi companies wherever they operate and should require additional insurance. Uber will eventually give in on these points for sure.
Dec 10, 2014, 2:53 pm
#22
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I use Uber roughly 5 or 6 times per week, and have had exactly zero issues. I stick with Uber Black, as the drivers are actually professionals, and the cars much nicer. My biggest issue with UberX is the inexperienced drivers who have no clue how to get anywhere (e.g., The guy who had no idea how to get to DCA from Georgetown in DC).
Dec 10, 2014, 3:58 pm
#23
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No need to pretend that the likelihood of a cab driver raping a single woman passenger is equal everywhere on earth. Seems extremely likely that the odds are much much higher in India.
Overall Uber is very safe and is a god send in most places in the US.
They should be required to run the same background checks as other taxi companies wherever they operate and should require additional insurance. Uber will eventually give in on these points for sure.
Overall Uber is very safe and is a god send in most places in the US.
They should be required to run the same background checks as other taxi companies wherever they operate and should require additional insurance. Uber will eventually give in on these points for sure.
Dec 10, 2014, 4:13 pm
#24
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Dec 10, 2014, 4:38 pm
#25
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Yeah necessarily. The competition is completely welcome, and there are sketchball cabbies all over the entire world, the USA included. Any time you get into a cab you're taking a chance, especially in less-than-perfect cities in developing countries. Even then, some of my sketchiest cab rides were in places like Miami, NYC, etc, where this "regulation" is supposed to make it as safe as possible.
Any time you step into a cab you are trusting that person to get you somewhere in one piece. The only regulation that makes you safe is what's in the cabbie's head. I have never had an Uber or Lyft experience that even comes close to being as crappy as my best "yellow" cab experience.
Any time you step into a cab you are trusting that person to get you somewhere in one piece. The only regulation that makes you safe is what's in the cabbie's head. I have never had an Uber or Lyft experience that even comes close to being as crappy as my best "yellow" cab experience.
Dec 11, 2014, 12:33 pm
#27
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My UberX driver in London this afternoon told me that Uber drivers here have to undergo the same background and Immigration checks as Black Cab and minicab drivers.
Dec 11, 2014, 1:20 pm
#28
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That's not correct, at least in most US jurisdictions where taxi drivers undergo fingerprint based criminal background checks.
Any one can get a cab license here as long as your driving history is free of any blemishes.
Dec 11, 2014, 2:04 pm
#29
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I use UberX at least once a month. I have never feared for my safety-- either from the driver him/herself or from his/her driving habits.
I'm not too impressed by the lawsuit here in San Francisco. City government has already shown that it's only interested in enforcing nonsense laws to protect political favorites. I'll actually add that to the reasons why I prefer Uber: It's faster, it's less expensive, it's safer, and it's an act of civil disobedience to protest bad law.
I'm not too impressed by the lawsuit here in San Francisco. City government has already shown that it's only interested in enforcing nonsense laws to protect political favorites. I'll actually add that to the reasons why I prefer Uber: It's faster, it's less expensive, it's safer, and it's an act of civil disobedience to protest bad law.
Dec 11, 2014, 2:26 pm
#30
Join Date: Feb 2008
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I think for me the biggest issue is really the insurance issue. I'm not convinced that the people providing these services are actually being covered by anything more than their personal auto insurance. And most personal auto insurance policy's have exclusions for using your auto in this type of manner, so if someone gets in an accident and has a serious injury, I sure wouldn't count on the auto insurance paying out for that. Tied in with that, I'm guessing most of the drivers for these services don't have a commercial drivers license, so they're largely operating illegally when providing this type of service (which cycles back into hence they're not going to be adequately covered on insurance).
There's nothing that's stopping uber and lyft from requiring these from their drivers, other than the drivers are obviously going to want more money to cover those costs. And cities are starting to pay attention to that and require that for these services to operate in their cities, which is probably a good thing. Whether they can still stay competitive if they have to meet some of those same rules? Time will tell.
There's nothing that's stopping uber and lyft from requiring these from their drivers, other than the drivers are obviously going to want more money to cover those costs. And cities are starting to pay attention to that and require that for these services to operate in their cities, which is probably a good thing. Whether they can still stay competitive if they have to meet some of those same rules? Time will tell.