Also, I don't know how things have changed but I remember using taxi-hailing apps or calling to the taxi call-center in rush-hour and it was always a fruitless effort. It's impossible to get a taxi in rush hour.
They also do whatever they want to do. When you hail them on the street, they ask you "where are you going?" and if that destination is not convenient to them they deny the service to you.
Airports, hotels ... get kickback from taxis but not from Uber. My experience is limited mainly to Bogota, Medellin and Cartegena. Maybe the taxis in much smaller city are fair and safe. But that is definitely not the case in bigger cities.
Totally true some years ago. Last week they asked me: "which route do you prefer?"
Uber could give you an extra layer of safeness as you're basically recording your ride, but that does not mean the cabs are unsafe there. Having said that, if I had to take a taxi to take me to my Uber, I will really feel unsafe.
Even the police and politicians here use Uber.
There are plenty people worried about hailing a taxi from the street especially at night. Instead they use one of the multiple available apps that track driver, registration number and route to order one.
Almost all the people I know that exclusively use Uber are upper class and or expats.
Being a taxi driver is also dangerous and driving the taxi to certain neighborhoods can be a very bad idea.
That said, I'm going to Bogotá at the end of the month and it is annoying to see there won't be Uber available. It is pretty convenient, just for ordering with the app, the cashless aspect etc, and was a great extra option.
In the US at least, if they didn't want to go where you were going they wouldn't pick you up or would make you get out. That's not a problem with Uber. I've done 1hr long uber drives without complaint to out of the way places. Very impressive that Columbia is so far ahead here.
2) Will the credit card machine in the taxi always be working?
In the US at least, they always say the credit card machine is "broken". I would explain I didn't have cash or access to cash and since the machine was broken I wouldn't be paying the fare. They would then "fix" the machine. What a joke. Very impressive that Columbia is so far ahead here!
3) The taxi commission did not enforce behavior for drivers
Talking on the phone, driving unsafely, smoking etc were all common. Does Columbia have great enforcement in all these areas based on rider complaints? Very impressive that Columbia is so far ahead here!
4) If paying in cash the driver doesn't have change (which makes no sense since he gets lots of cash).
I have never seen a taxi with a credit card machine in Bogotá.
This is a fundamental competitive advantage of Uber and co: I see the price upfront.
And I don't need cash. Taxistas acting like they have no change to guilt you, the tourist, into just handing over the whole bill is all too common. Gets pretty old always ensuring you have small enough bills to pay for a taxi when you're just trying to stay out late and have a good time.
I can't really take anyone seriously saying they prefer taxistas here in latam just because it somehow went off without a hitch on their one week visit.
This is only because of Uber. They were terrible before Uber appeared.
This is the problem I see. Now taxis have no reason to be fair and safe anymore.
A common trick is a button behind the wheel, that can be activated without the passenger noticing, and it just makes the meter jump up. Well timed use can make the rate double of what it should be, without suspicion.
Very interesting anecdote about Uber drivers in Medellin. I guess it is the right strategy to avoid another Uber car burned by angry taxi owners.
Someone told me Bogotá (population 7.5 million) sees 8 motorcycle deaths per day.
When I took an Uber at the Medellin airport, a guy saw me waiting at the curb and called my name, explaining that he would drive me to my actual Uber. I hopped in, and he drove me a mile or two outside the airport to a lot where all the real Ubers were waiting. We switched cars, and presumably he got some small kickback, then returned to the airport to smuggle people to their Uber. It was a pretty interesting experience; the police at the airport readily fine Ubers that pick up passengers and know the cars by license plate.