Aren't the levels of Uber that allow a Prius to be used much, much cheaper than a black cab?

If you want a larger car, you can get it. You'll just pay a bit more.

On paper, sure. In practice, I find that Uber is nearly constantly in surge pricing in London. I've had it several times now where I Was riding in a group, same start point same destination - some people in ubers, some in black cabs. Again, with normal pricing Uber should be cheaper, but since it's very often at 1.5x-2x multiplier, it works out the same or actually more expensive than a black cab. And sure, there is the higher tier of ubers too, but it's usually showing me 20-30 minute wait for a cab for a nicer car.

> . . . cabs are vastly better than most offerings from Uber, since the car is designed for transporting paying passengers . . .

> Aren't the levels of Uber that allow a Prius to be used much, much cheaper than a black cab? If you want a larger car, you can get it. You'll just pay a bit more.

> On paper, sure. In practice, I find that Uber is nearly constantly in surge pricing in London. I've had it several times now where I Was riding in a group, same start point same destination - some people in ubers, some in black cabs. Again, with normal pricing Uber should be cheaper, but since it's very often at 1.5x-2x multiplier, it works out the same or actually more expensive than a black cab. And sure, there is the higher tier of ubers too, but it's usually showing me 20-30 minute wait for a cab for a nicer car.

Seems like the fact that there is constantly surge pricing and long waiting time means that there are too few Uber drivers, even in "low quality" cars, to meet demand. Your complaints sound like the old joke about prison food: it tastes terrible and the portions are too small.

> Seems like the fact that there is constantly surge pricing and long waiting time means that there are too few Uber drivers, even in "low quality" cars, to meet demand. Your complaints sound like the old joke about prison food: it tastes terrible and the portions are too small.

What an odd thought leap! It seems like your comparison to the prisoner would apply to anyone who thought the price of something was too high for what you were getting, so doesn't actually seem like a compelling point.

it's the combo of high price and low availability that makes the comparison relevant. from a naive market perspective, "too expensive" and "unavailable" is a contradiction. put another way, if it really were too expensive, everyone else would not have bought up all the supply already.

You’re both right. It’s totally subjective which is better, in which circumstances and at what price. That’s the real benefit Uber et al brought to the market, and why they should obviously stay there: more choice.

Everyone wins. Even if you prefer black cabs in all circumstances, as there’s now less competition in flagging one ;-)

The losers are the black cab drivers, and arguably the Uber drivers who might have been black cab drivers. They have been com-modified - bye bye a half shot at a middle class life style for those folk.

> the Uber drivers who might have been black cab drivers

The barrier to entry for becoming a black cab driver far exceeds that required to be an Uber driver.

Drive for Uber: get a PCO license (about £400-600); own an appropriate car; have appropriate insurance.

Drive a black cab: do the knowledge (2-4 years); get a black cab license (in excess of £1k); get a black cab (likely at least twice the price of a Prius); have appropriate insurance.

Pretty sure the number of Uber drivers who might have been black cab drivers is very, very small.

I think we have to accept now that 'The Knowledge' is now completely pointless. The uber driver has Waze, and that is probably at least as good 99% of the time and occasionally better since they'll know in advance about traffic accidents that close roads. Black cabs/drivers do not need to exist anymore in their current form.

A hackney cab already is a commodity, just a more expensive one.

We will probably end up arguing about definitions here, but I think that the hackney cab isn't a commodity because it's highly regulated and managed for both supply and quality. Yes - it's an interchangeable item (so you win on the semantics) but it can't be glutted out or somehow produced more cheaply.

> And yeah, black cabs have been accepting contactless payments for ages now.

In my experience this is only true since the rise of Uber. Prior to that it was rare to find a cab which took card in London and even if you were in one, often the card machine was conveniently out of order

Out of order until you said you have no cash, then it magically started working again.

Interesting perspective, though personally I find the black cabs more uncomfortable than a Prius, often getting bounced up and down, luggage rolling around in the middle, much more jarring stops/starts I've found too (though a lot depends on the driver themselves, and I've not been in one of the new electric cabs).

Not to mention the door latch constantly locking/unlocking at every stop and making a terrible sound. I don't understand how whoever designed this with the intent that it'll actuate on every stop didn't at least try to make it quiet.

Comparing a Prius to one of those black cabs ("Hackney carriages" as they're called) is like comparing a car to a cattle truck. The former at least attempts to be comfortable, the latter is just designed to move cattle as efficiently as possible (for the operator) without any concerns for the cattle itself.

Uhh... as it happens I went through the numbers when a friend chose his car. Toyota Prius is very roomy. One of the very few that allows two child seats and an adult in the back.

I can't sit upright in the back of a Prius. And I'm not that tall.