[EU_Flyer]

My issue with Uber was that, despite there being a bad apple who deliberately scammed by cancelling to collect the fee and then immediately accepting the same ride from me, the customer service approach is “not our fault”. No ownership at all. Not even a refund of the canx fee, merely a credit.

[LuganoPirate]

Agree Alex, and that’s the problem we had. No responsibility taken. We just put you in touch with a driver, but that driver may have no insurance, be unlicensed, have a criminal record, and could kill you! Despite their advertising, take a Uber etc, despite all the branding, taking your money etc etc, they deny all liability for anything that may happen, and that’s my issue with them.

[EU_Flyer]

maybe I’m biased and maybe that’s because Mrs. LP and my 13 year old were robbed at gunpoint involving a Uber driver!

I’m sorry to hear this. Perhaps an example of how little control Uber has of its drivers and their identity. There is nothing to stop an Uber registered driver from subcontracting to someone else.

I now use a taxi app in Greece that shows the driver’s name, vehicle registration and type and a photo of their face. Far more secure I would assume.

[capetonianm]

There have been cases reported in ZA and UK of Uber drivers allegedly raping and molesting female passengers. I can only go on my own experiences with Uber, that with possibly two exceptions, the drivers I have had have been polite, helpful and often downright interesting and pleasant to talk to.

The Uber app that I use shows the name and a small photo of the driver and the type and registration number of the vehicle.

[Swissdiver]

With no doubt, issues with Uber drivers are much more broadcasted then similar problems with taxi drivers. Who on this forum never had or witnessed a problem with a taxi. I’ve seen drunk drivers, agressive one refusing a fare as it was not to their taste, drivers making huge detours, some refusing to put their meter on, one using a pepper spray against an old lady and the hotel doorman coming to try to help her, … The list is endless. And if you google “taxi raping”, you’ll see many cases as well. Black sheep exist everywhere in any industry. So let’s consider the mean rather than the extremes.

On average, the odds to have a great transportation experience are far higher on Uber than with a taxi driver. This explains the exponential growth worldwide!

[EU_Flyer]

Totally agree that Uber is odds on safer than a hailed taxi. It’s a tracked journey for one.

Most Uber drivers are no doubt excellent. I know a few.

Sadly, when things go wrong Uber customer service doesn’t work at all though. When that wrong involves fraud or misleading and deceptive conduct, they really should take it more seriously and they don’t. Surprisingly.

[capetonianm]

I used the Uber app last night to request a ride from SW London back to Surrey. It quoted £8-11, which seemed remarkably low to me for the journey which was about 15 miles.

While I was waiting, the app notified me that the journey was cancelled by the driver, so I placed another request which came up quoted £23-31. That journey charged out at £27, which seems reasonable, but I wondered how they can raise a quoted price so much in such a short space of time.

[LuganoPirate]

They try to lure you with a low offer, then cancel and give the higher price hoping you’ll be so fed up waiting and will just want to get back so will accept it.
This has happened to several of my friends and when the complained, via the app, some got a credit.

Far better to use Addison Lee (in London)). They have an app, stick to the price, are reliable with clean well maintained cars. They are also not faceless like UBER. You have real people you can complain to if something goes wrong and they take responsibility, something UBER do not do.

[MartynSinclair]

The whole cost issue with taxis/minicabs/limos/uber is interesting. I don’t want to pay too much but neither do I want to pay too little. Living in north London, I accept an acceptable fare range is between £35 – £60 depending on type of car. So when a friend of mine recently asked an opinion about paying £25 to Heathrow, I suggested he stays well clear. No driver can make a profit on that sort of fare and a driver should not have to rely on a tip to make money. I do not use uber to Heathrow, but a regular driver, who I am more than happy to pay a fare which is agreeable to both of us.

A regular uber ride for me, is Portman Square to north London (home). Generally past midnight. A black cab, if you can find one would charge ca. £55. Without the Uber surge pricing, the Uber fare is around £22 – with a surge fare it can go up to around £30. I don’t like to be ripped off, but even with surge pricing, Uber is still economical, efficient, safe and clean.

You know when the car will arrive, you can speak to the driver and the drivers know you are going to rate them by stars – and Uber only allows drivers to go to executive level driving, where they can earn even more serious money, when a certain number of trips have been done and they have a certain star rating..

Yes there will always be exceptions, but I remain a fan of Uber.. despite surge pricing..

[Swissdiver]

[quote quote=841165]I used the Uber app last night to request a ride from SW London back to Surrey. It quoted £8-11, which seemed remarkably low to me for the journey which was about 15 miles.
While I was waiting, the app notified me that the journey was cancelled by the driver, so I placed another request which came up quoted £23-31. That journey charged out at £27, which seems reasonable, but I wondered how they can raise a quoted price so much in such a short space of time.
[/quote]

This is a driver’s wrong pattern that Uber tries to prevent. A driver cancelling too often loses his access to the plate-form. This is what probably happen: a driver accepted the ride, at normal price. Then a price surge started (because the demand was high – it can go as high as 2.7x). So he cancelled to be able to take a ride with a surge. While we can understand a freelancer would prefer to get more money for the same service, this is a T&C breach. But it unfortunately happen once a while and is very frustrating.

[penfold69]

Martyn, Can I ask why you would stay clear of a £25 fare to Heathrow and opt for a fare between £35-£60 but are happy to take the lower fare home of £22-£30 instead of the £55 fare? To me they seem to be very similar circumstances, yet you have a different opinion on each one?

I would argue that the higher fare in each instance is a more realistic price, giving the driver a decent profit. The UBER price is subsidised, skewing the market and undercutting traditional drivers. If they manage their objective to wipe out all completion, I would imagine that you would soon see their fares rise to more realistic prices.

[capetonianm]

I agree that from time to time we may all have negative experiences with Uber, but overall they provide an excellent service at a fair price and from a safety perspective they are probably as good as most other operators.

By the way I thought that Addison Lee was a website for people who want to cheat on their spouses and then I remembered that that’s actually Ashley Madison!

[K1ngston]

To the point Martyn makes, I was recently in London and I took a black cab from Victoria Stn to Berner St just off of Oxford St and the fare was £22 which for the distance is a lot of money, on the same evening which was a Friday I took a Uber from Berner St to my Fathers house in North West London and the fare was £26 inc surge.. Now the car was decent the driver spoke good English was ecstatic about Uber and I was also happy with the service…

I use UBER all over Asia and I have very few problems with them …. great disruptor

[TominScotland]

Uber can be great but it can also be more expensive than hailing a cab. Case in point tonight. I am in Hong Kong and some first timers In the city that I am with wanted to check out the Peak at night. We got to the Peak Tram and the queue looked a good hour or more’s wait. Plenty of taxis around so we joined a short line for them. I idly checked Uber – surge price of $99. Taxi was only $56. The view was probably priceless!!

[SimonS1]

Seems Uber have had their license suspended in Sheffield too.

Together with the London saga and the loss of almost the entire senior management team it doesn’t look too clever.

[Author]

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