How Is An Uber Different From A Regular Taxi?
Uber and other ride-sharing services are widely used in several cities. In some, it's actually against the law. You, as a common citizen who wants transportation to or from the airport in a foreign city, merely want to know the details while Uber's owners and taxi drivers argue over legality and culpability. Uber is essentially just a smartphone app that you can download and use to request a pickup from a local Uber driver. While some taxi services are adopting these cutting-edge apps, the majority of for-rent automobiles continue to wait at the taxi stand or demand that you call the service dispatch center in advance. That is not what Uber does. It's also important to note that if you use the hip whistle that New Yorkers use in movies to call for cabs, Uber drivers won't reply.
Compared to a taxi, Uber is more expensive.
Uber will really tell you that up front. But why pay more when it's not covering medallions or other regulatory fees? Uber claims that customers receive "reliability, customer support, style, and comfort" from its services. In most circumstances, Uber cars arrive more promptly than taxis, saving customers time and annoyance, if not actual money. The car you drive and the sophistication of your sensibilities both influence style and comfort. Uber is able to predict when you will need a car the most and how much you are likely to be prepared to pay for one thanks to huge data and the non-magic of algorithms.
Uber charges more at rush hour, on holidays, and when it's terrible outside. The goal is to encourage more Uber drivers to provide rides, which will speed up the process of picking up passengers. On the plus side, Uber has your credit card on file thanks to the app. When the ride is complete, you just exit without having to engage in that awful credit card wrangling with the driver. Similar to a taxi, but slightly more expensive, the Uber app for the driver will instruct the system how much to charge you based on the time and distance.
Taxis are regulated within an inch of their bright yellow lives, with a big red-tape bow on top.
There can only be a certain number of taxis on the roads, and there can only be a certain number of drivers. Thus the priceless medallions that advertise to the world that this automobile has been approved by a real governmental entity to pick people up and drive them around for a fee, which can sell for as much as $1 million in NYC.
There are no restrictions or obligations placed on Uber by such laws. Even though background checks are now required, there is no training. In that it only links buyers and sellers, Uber considers itself to be a digital firm similar to eBay. However, unlike cabs, Uber cars pick up passengers and transport them around in the actual world, not a virtual one. Because there is no medallion to serve as a shield in the event of an accident, there is some unsettling wriggle room in the responsibility department.
Right On Time
Let's imagine you are aware that you must arrive at the airport by 9:00 a.m. While the coffee was boiling, those of us who were planners would call the airport and request that a cab be sent over at, say, 8:15 a.m. The genuinely anal would call the previous evening. Grasshoppers who believe in the universe's ability to provide for them would merely wait at the curb at 8:30 in the morning. and whistling loudly.
None of that is really permitted by Uber. Uber's app is the only way to hail a ride; you cannot make a call in advance. A little while before you want to depart, you check the app and select the next available Uber driver. No asking for directions and no whistling at the curb.
Accurate Locations
Every ride that Uber driver provides includes GPS monitoring, ensuring that the system is always aware of your location. As soon as you get in, the driver enters the address into his phone to get tracking and turn-by-turn directions. Don't panic if your driver starts playing his "Dueling Banjos" Pandora station as he drives you down a rural road. Uber is aware of your location.
Uber also knows where you are if your passenger offers you directions that take you down a dim, dead-end alley similar to those in noir movies. If you want anyone to know where you are when you're in a cab, you best have your own phone's GPS switched on. Avoid Uber at all costs if you're Julian Assange and trying to elude capture by international law enforcement.
Always Friendly Drivers
Some cabbies are talkative, while others are quiet. In the same way, cyclists. However, you can never mistake the cab driver for a friend. Front-facing driver, rear-facing passenger, and occasionally a scratched window separating the two. In contrast, Uber. Being scooped up by a friend you didn't know you had is how it feels. You can take a seat in the front.
If you have luggage, it may go in the trunk next to the driver's children's toys. As a passenger, you'll probably be asked to strike up a little conversation. The Uber app will ask both the driver and the passenger to rate one another after the ride is over. Try to present your least psychopathic public persona when driving in order to crowd-source the crazy people.
