London Uber

Laurie Beth, there's already another thread going on this subject:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/good-bye-uber

Yes, I saw that after I posted, but since my link was to a different news source I decided to leave it up.

Unfortunately, they can still operate whilst they appeal.

Uber and Lyft are both malign forces in the urban transportation environment. I'm pleased to see them out of London.

I don't really understand the negative feelings I see and hear about Lyft and Uber. In San Diego, it is the best way to get back and forth from the airport. The cars are so much cleaner and the drivers mostly so much nicer than taxis. I have noticed the rates inching up toward taxi rates, but for now I will continue to use them. BTW, I feel much safer in Uber because of all the safety tools they have instituted. My sister always gets notified of my trip (driver, car type and license) and verifies with me when I should have arrived.

This isn't San Diego.

Melvyn, San Diego isn't my only experience with Lyft and Uber. I have tried them all over the US and Canada.

Laurie

Quite possibly I'm talking out of my arse, but I get the impression that taxis are different in America. At least in America generally (to generalise) and Europe generally (to generalise even more). In most parts of Europe I've visited, taxis are heavily licensed (both the vehicle and driver needing a licence), and are clean, trustworthy & safe. There are a few bad apples, of course, but broadly one gets in a taxi with confidence. The main complaint is that they can be dear in some cities. It seems that things are different in much of the US where taxis seem to be non-existent or, worse, horror-traps.

Nick, my experience with taxis in the US, (especially large cities) is they are dirty, sometimes smelly, and English language skills can be practically non existent.

I used to fly for work a lot, and used cabs to get from the airport to the office. The cab drivers of this country did nothing to earn my loyalty. If Uber or Lyft are available, I'm taking them.

The UK has had a licenced system of pre-bookable drivers and vehicles for decades, distinct from taxis hailed on the street. In the pre internet days you went to their cab office or rung them up to make the arrangements (including straight away) and many people still do it that way. Uber is based around an app, but many other companies are too now just not exclusively. The advantage they have is more for people away from where they live where they don't know a good local firm.

I'm not surprised to hear that Uber is once again facing license suspension, as they've been criticized over the years for a variety of scams. This is one example - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/13/uber-lawsuits-619-million-ride-hailing-app . Whether they're able to wiggle out of this latest problem in London remains to be seen.

"In most parts of Europe I've visited, taxis are heavily licensed (both the vehicle and driver needing a licence), and are clean, trustworthy & safe."

Taxis here are heavily licensed too, and in some cases those licenses cost many thousands of dollars. Especially in smaller towns here, I've always found the Taxi services are reasonably priced and "clean, trustworthy & safe". Some of the Taxi firms in the Vancouver area have faced a lot of criticism as they can be hard to get at peak times such as New Year's Eve, and in some cases Taxi drivers have refused to drive to some locations (presumably as it would take them out of the area of coverage for too long and impact their profit).

We don't yet have Uber or Lyft here in B.C., but they'll be starting operation soon. They'll be heavily regulated here by the Provincial government, in much the same way as the Taxi industry. That includes all drivers having a commercial Class 4 license as Taxi drivers do, and the ride hailing companies aren't happy about that. To begin with, I believe the ride hailing companies will only be operating in the Vancouver area and not in smaller cities in the province.

The gouge pricing has kept me a limited user of Uber; I prefer Lyft.

Nick, my experience with taxis in the US, (especially large cities) is they are dirty, sometimes smelly, and English language skills can be practically non existent.

I've been in some awful Yellow Cabs in NYC, they were dirty and smelly and so were the drivers. I also experienced the worst Uber ride in Orlando. Booked a 4 person standard Uber, what turned up was a car clearly on its last legs, a pile of junk on the front passenger seat which I asked the driver to move so that I could sit down, she (dressed as if she'd just stepped out of the shower) initially refused claiming that we could all fit in the back (two adults and two children in a back seat that barely seated two people). After arguing that the terms and conditions of the booking clearly stated the vehicle could carry four passengers she relented and moved her junk.

However, those were the exception to the rule, the vast majority of taxis we've ridden in the US (either Uber or others) have been clean, tidy and well maintained.

Have seen other articles about how heavily subsidized by venture capital that companies like Uber and Lyft are - unprofitable businesses offering great deals to urbanites. Maybe that explains why some Uber vehicles smell like leftover food - also being used for Uber Eats or DoorDash or Skip the Dishes deliveries - to supplement those lower than taxi fares.

London is the only place in the world where I've had multiple Uber drivers who have no idea how to get me where I need to go. Four different drivers who I had to give directions to... Not to mention that tens of thousands additional drivers in an already tight city make for terrible traffic.
I've gone back to using black cabs - not worth the small bit of savings to use ridesharing. I'll take the professionals, thanks!

"multiple Uber drivers who have no idea how to get me where I need to go. Four different drivers who I had to give directions to."

That's not surprising. Uber drivers don't have "the knowledge" that the London black cab drivers are famous for. I too will continue to use the Cabs when in London.

"But most Uber and mini cab drivers do use GPS. "

That doesn't always work as well as intended. I encountered a Taxi in Rome on one occasion where the driver was unable to find the destination, despite having a GPS. In addition, GPS units don't always provide the most direct route, depending on how they're set up.