Re:Why I don't believe in Uber's Success
by ctpide on Thursday January 19, 2017 @08:47PM
(#13441148)
Yes, but it's also not uncommon that cab drivers use their knowledge of the local streets in their advantage, which is a lot less likely when your average Uber driver relies on GPS navigation.
I particularly remember taking a cab in Las Vegas many years ago trying to get from one end of the strip to the other. I was an obvious tourist - so he took the "faster router" around the city - just to "realise" that the exit he was going to take was blocked due to construction work and he now had to do a huge detour.
That's fair. The GPS nav does tend to eliminate obviously scammy behavior which historically has been a significant issue with cabs. (Never personally had an issue in Vegas but have elsewhere.) But it also eliminates local knowledge optimization as well.
Sometimes. I like not handling credit cards and cash. They're faster and more available in areas where taxi services are not great.
On the other hand, I had an Uber-X driver just today drive right past a clearly marked airport terminal entrance because his GPS didn't direct him there and "he hadn't been out to the airport in a while." It's unlikely that would happen with a cab.