
Introducing UberTAXI - JackWebbHeller
http://blog.uber.com/UberTAXI
======
QuadDamaged
Good timing, because in about 1 hour from now, at 14:00 BST / 13:00 UTC (as if
there were such a thing as British Summer), the London Black Cabs will stage a
protest that will gridlock London. Not that anyone stuck in London traffic
will be able to tell the difference.

Article from the Beeb:
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27783218](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27783218)

edit: DST is hard

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corin_
Off-topic, but...

> _as if there were such a thing as British Summer_

Have you not looked outside lately? We're having it right now!

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tomp
It's 23 C outside. Maybe warm for London, but not "summer".

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JackWebbHeller
> "We recognise the unique heritage and value of traditional black cabs when
> it comes to getting around. UberTAXI is another way of using technology to
> offer more choice, making life simpler and keeping London moving"

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

~~~
itstriz
In Chicago some licensed cab drivers use Uber to process their payments with
the Uber Taxi service. You can call a cab with the app, pay the normal fare
plus 20% gratuity and a small service fee. I don't use cabs often, but it's
working out way better for me than when I used to call dispatch and maybe the
cab would show up and maybe it wouldn't. It's also really nice to be able to
just get in and get out without wasting time dealing with payments. The
drivers that I've spoken to seem to like it as well as it gets them more
fares.

~~~
joelrunyon
It's also nice that they can't charge "surge" pricing on cabs, so if they're
doing a 2x or 4x you can call a taxi through it for a normal-ish fare. That
said, the cab option always seems to be very sparsely populated whenever
there's an ongoing pricing "surge".

I haven't seen taxis done on uber anywhere other than Chicago though.

~~~
chc
Well, surge pricing indicates increased demand and is a way to compensate on
the market level. So the cars that don't have surge pricing will logically be
hard to get then.

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alexanderri
Uber started with boat services in Stockholm today. I thought that was bigger
news :)

You might want to translate this somehow but here:
[http://blog.uber.com/UberBAT](http://blog.uber.com/UberBAT)

~~~
ptr
I wonder if this is part of some larger campaign -- maybe there are more Uber*
stuff going on in other cities? UberRICKSHAW!

~~~
ceejayoz
They've got a long history of quirky short-term things like having a food
truck come and give you a burrito.
[http://blog.uber.com/uBURRITO](http://blog.uber.com/uBURRITO)

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Irishsteve
Taxis in a lot of big euro cities are on strike at the moment because of what
they deem unlicensed taxi services. Uber is being mentioned specifically. So
while it's good for uber that they are announcing new services id much rather
they sort my problem of spending a few extra hours getting to airport and a
few more extra hours getting out of the airport today

~~~
Irishsteve
And in the end, driven by uber's surge pricing, their drivers broke the picket
line while stranded travelers (I included) welcomed them with open arms

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izolate
As a non Uber customer, why would I use this over Hailo? And why would Uber
customers opt for a more expensive taxi when the same application has a
cheaper option?

When I use black cabs here in London, I'd much rather use an established and
local product from a company with less questionable ethics. That's Hailo.

~~~
driverdan
> ...from a company with less questionable ethics

Ok, I'll bite. What is questionable about Uber's ethics?

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gnopgnip
They are shifting all of the liability to the people who can least afford it.
So far they have done everything in their power to not protect drivers like in
the case last month. [http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Uber-denies-fault-
in-S...](http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Uber-denies-fault-in-S-F-crash-
that-killed-girl-5458290.php) An uber driver killed a girl, but Uber is
claiming they are not liable because he did not have an active fare at the
time. It is unlikely this driver can ever make the family whole.

Additionally many car sharing services are operating without regard to the
law. In some states the cars are getting seized. So far Uber has been covering
the legal case, but they have no obligation to continue to do so.

~~~
blocktuw
Not to say that Uber does not have questionable ethics, but I think your two
examples are wrong. Uber is now insuring their drivers as long as they are
logged into the app. [http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/14/5508568/uber-expands-
drive...](http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/14/5508568/uber-expands-driver-
insurance-coverage-after-girls-death)

The car seizure you reference was in Belgium for a service that technically
complies with local laws according to Uber and they are providing legal
assistance to the two owners of the seized cars. [http://tech.eu/news/screw-
innovation-uber-already-deemed-ill...](http://tech.eu/news/screw-innovation-
uber-already-deemed-illegal-brussels-two-private-vehicles-seized-far/)

You mention that so far Uber is covering the legal costs without an obligation
to do so. So that makes them bad?

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gnopgnip
So Uber is saying their insurance will cover 125k? This is not an adequate
amount of coverage, and they are still shifting any liability away from the
company, onto people who cannot afford the consequences. Who pays in a tragedy
like this?

There have been many car seizures in the US and abroad. Many of these
independent contractors do not have the resources to fight a legal battle
without the help of Uber.

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eli
They've been doing this in DC for several years. It seems to work, more or
less. I think there are more cabs on Hailo if that's what you want. Some cab
drivers are extremely anti-Uber.

~~~
mayneack
I haven't tried Hailo, but in Boston the uber cabs have never felt scarce to
me.

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theklub
I find the rise of Uber fanboys very interesting. Is it real or are they bots?

~~~
wyager
I'm real. Uber is 100x better than normal taxi services. The cars don't suck
or smell bad, the drivers aren't assholes, and the fares are reasonable. That
is completely orthogonal to my experiences in any taxi.

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jankeromnes
I don't really know what to make of:

> There will be no booking fees or additional charges to clients

versus

> We’ll charge a flat commission of just 5%

Looks fishy.

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BrianEatWorld
If this service matches the quality of other Uber services, I could see it
helping them get into holdout cities.

TBH, my least favorite part about scheduling cabs is dealing with the
dispatchers. I've had them frequently hang up on me just because I am
scheduling a pick-up for somewhere on Sixth Street in Austin, despite my not
being intoxicated in the least. Not to mention, the times when my reservation
seems to just get lost or left with a massive window for wait times. If it can
give better service and feedback than the current Hail a Cab app thats pretty
big in Austin, the extra commission would be completely worth it. Hopefully,
it expands beyond London.

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timparker
Pay twice as much to be in a black cab? Defeating whole reason of using Uber..
luckily we have choices, thanks UberX.

~~~
JackWebbHeller
Actually it follows the same fare rate as the taxis themselves, plus 5% extra
to Uber for the convenience of the service.

Fare info: [http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxi-
fares?ci...](http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxi-
fares?cid=fs159)

~~~
pisarzp
which is much more expensive than UberX. Black cabs in London are just ripoff.
I love Uber and I hope it will continue to disrupt it with UberX and low
prices, not support Black Cabs.

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untog
The training given to London cab drivers makes this especially ironic -
UberTAXI should appear above UberX in their service list. It's a more premium
service.

~~~
goatforce5
It takes an average London cabbie 34 months of preparation and 12 attempts to
pass the test to get their license:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_of_the_United_Kingdom#The_Knowledge)

There was a shortcut on a route that I used to regularly take in London, so
i'd tell them "Don't go to the lights, just turn down here". I think I had
fare meters stopped out of appreciation on 3 occasions after sharing that tip.
Showing a London cabbie a new shortcut totally blows their minds.

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dsplatonov
not clear if existing taxi drives can subscribe to uber and take clients from
it

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conatus
If you try and sign up: UberTAXI You Are...Currently a taxi driver certified
and licensed by the city. Your Vehicle Is...A commercial taxi vehicle.

So, yes. Existing taxi drivers can.

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ramongarcia
European techies should favor Hailo over Uber if they ever have hopes of a
real startup ecosystem ever blooming in this side of the world. The startup
scene can't afford to see it fail.

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Tarang
This must be a response to the protests today. I guess adding this is a way of
saying Uber is not exactly like a Black Taxi and distinguish the two as
different

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lugg
So is uber a taxi company or not? This can't help their stance in other
countries where they are fighting off regulation?

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jarin
I was just in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago, and Uber uses the local Yellow Cab
there instead of black car or local drivers.

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ChrisArchitect
seems crazy that they are announcing this today with the protest happening but
whatever.... I am happy to see the taxi hailing feature coming as it is my
most used feature in Toronto ( I mean, you only needthe fancy cars for fancy
events/group things)

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veidr
So... it's like a taxi?

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kjjw
Getting a taxi in London is not a broken concept. It is easy to flag down a
taxi and there are a lot of them all over the place. They have a great
charging structure, charging for distance, not time. They are safe and the
taxi drivers are reliable and certified to be knowledgeable on the geography
of London.

