Uber Driver

[BC38]

Not for me - either as a driver or a passenger. As Erich posted, their TOS prohibits carrying a firearm. I'm not getting into a stranger's car OR letting one into my car without some self protection.

Being an Uber driver is advertising your car as a mobile "GUN FREE ZONE" - and we all know the only person who is truly safe in one of those is the nutjob with a gun who is intent on killing as many people as possible with no viable opposition.

Being an Uber passenger is like hanging a sign around your neck that says "I'M UNARMED - Mug ME!".

No thanks.

 

[GaryS]

Search "Uber driver crime" and read the results. That and their anti 2A stance make them a no go for me.

 

[Arik]

"how dangerous is Uber compared with a taxi or limousine?

"There's no way to search for that," said Neva Coakley, a spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department. "We wouldn't be able to speak to that because we don't have data to support it. We don't distinguish between what type of suspects they are."

In other words, Boston doesn't track assaults by where they happen—in a taxi, in an Uber, or in someone's home—so there's no data to compare reports against Uber drivers versus taxi drivers or limo drivers. That's true in other cities, too. We asked police departments in five cities—Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.—for information about assaults against passengers of taxis or Uber cars. None of them tracked violent crimes at that level. This is meaningful because it underscores how the narrative about ridesharing and public safety is largely anecdotal. It raises another question, too: If Uber is potentially unsafe for passengers, what about taxis?"

Are Taxis Safer Than Uber? - The Atlantic

Denver Taxi driver arrested for kidnapping, sexual assault of woman - The Denver Post

Cab Driver Sexually Assaults Sacred Heart University Student: Police | NBC Connecticut

After Taxi Driver Allegedly Assaults Pregnant Woman, She Gives Birth Prematurely | Village Voice

Taxi driver charged with sexually assaulting two passengers | KHON2

http://januscam.com/index.php/news/...hiladelphia-taxi-driver-assaults-in-one-night

http://m.wmbfnews.com/wmbfnews/pm_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=od:jpdKMYSm

Somehow cabs are different? You get into a cab cause its something we are used to but these are people too, who are capable of anything and everything. For the 99% of the drivers and passengers who get in and out of cabs and Uber every day it's perfectly safe.

 

[hangnoose]

YOU DO KNOW WHO YOU ARE GETTING,

Both the driver & passenger are registered with Uber, name, address, reviews, picture, car description etc. Both the driver or passenger have the right to turn down each other if it's a different person/car etc. Tips can be put on the card so the driver has no cash to steal. I wouldn't care to do the bar crawl crowd, but then the driver has the right to turn away drunks.

 

[Maddog 521]

It looks like Uber is a "data collection" agency also. Maybe I'm just old.

 

[BC38]

...If Uber is potentially unsafe for passengers, what about taxis?...

...Somehow cabs are different? You get into a cab cause its something we are used to but these are people too, who are capable of anything and everything. For the 99% of the drivers and passengers who get in and out of cabs and Uber every day it's perfectly safe.

I guess I missed where I have to agree to a TOS that says I am prohibited from carrying my firearm for self protection to use a regular taxi cab.

If I were driving a cab, I wouldn't drive for a company that prohibited me from having the ability to protect myself either.

Uber places a NO FIREARMS requirement on both parties. Like I said, it makes your car a rolling "GUN FREE ZONE" and as a passenger you might as well hang an "UNARMED - MUG ME" sign around your neck.

So you don't have to pick up someone or get into someone's car if they "look" suspicious. Here's an oldie, but a goodie for you - LOOKS can be deceiving. Did Ted Bundy look suspicious? How about Wayne Gacy? Jeffrey Dahmer?

It's true, 99% (or more) of the people who use Uber are going to be perfectly safe. For the others, well, they are SOL - because if they are adhering to Uber's anti-gun policies, they aren't going to be in a position to be able to defend themselves.

Here's an acid test for you. Would you feel comfortable with your 21 year old daughter - or even your wife - getting rides from or giving rides to total strangers that they "hook up with" through a phone app? If not then how safe do you really feel it is?

Like I said, not for me or mine thanks.

 

[Arik]

I guess I missed where I have to agree to a TOS that says I am prohibited from carrying my firearm for self protection to use a regular taxi cab.

If I were driving a cab, I wouldn't drive for a company that prohibited me from having the ability to protect myself either.

Uber places a NO FIREARMS requirement on both parties. Like I said, it makes your car a rolling "GUN FREE ZONE" and as a passenger you might as well hang an "UNARMED - MUG ME" sign around your neck.

So you don't have to pick up someone or get into someone's car if they "look" suspicious. Here's an oldie, but a goodie for you - LOOKS can be deceiving. Did Ted Bundy look suspicious? How about Wayne Gacy? Jeffrey Dahmer?

It's true, 99% (or more) of the people who use Uber are going to be perfectly safe. For the others, well, they are SOL - because if they are adhering to Uber's anti-gun policies, they aren't going to be in a position to be able to defend themselves.

Here's an acid test for you. Would you feel comfortable with your 21 year old daughter - or even your wife - getting rides from or giving rides to total strangers that they "hook up with" through a phone app? If not then how safe do you really feel it is?

Like I said, not for me or mine thanks.

Most cab companies do not allow drivers to carry especially in major cities with international airports. So I land in Philadelphia International and you pick me up. You are armed and I don't know this. I need to go to NJ, which is only a 10 - 20 drive. You driving into NJ have now become a felon. Or maybe I want to go to DE, even closer. How many people fly and take cabs or Uber at their destination? How many airlines allow guns?

Buy that's besides the point. I didn't need you to agree with anything because i wasn't talking about your post. The one above yours which talks about Uber drivers committing crimes. Meerly pointing out that cab drivers do too but we don't think about it cause we are used to a cab being an acceptable mode of transportation.

As a passenger Uber's policy is irrelevant to me! It's not law and I don't have to announce anything. Don't even have to tell the driver where to go cause its already in his app

 

[hangnoose]

LOOKS

Let me try and explain again. You do not refuse to get in, or pick someone up because they look suspicious or not. You decline them because they do not match the picture Uber provides both the driver & rider to ensure they are matched up with the correct people, (for both of their safety) both of which Uber has all relevant info/pedigree on. Granted not all bad guys are criminal geniuses, but to commit a crime where your picture, identity, address etc are known, wouldn't be too bright. Does a yellow cab driver know who he's letting into his cab? Does a checkered cab passenger know who he is getting in with? Not until he is already inside. Get the idea now? As for your gun, they do not have metal detectors & concealed means concealed.

 

[Jessie]

When I found out I'm not allowed to carry my CCW, not for me, no thanks.

 

[Kanewpadle]

San Antonio, TX is like some other cities which have banned these "ride sharing" businesses. Not exactly banned, but will not exempt them from taxi cab regulations.

They think everyone should follow the same rules they force on the regulated cab companies (insurance, FBI fingerprint check, fees and taxes) .

I agree completely. Want to do business here? Pay LOCAL taxes, fees, and permits.

I'm willing to bet that eventually Uber and companies like it will take a big hit when these laws are imposed upon them by more cities.

 

[BC38]

Let me try and explain again. You do not refuse to get in, or pick someone up because they look suspicious or not. You decline them because they do not match the picture Uber provides both the driver & rider to ensure they are matched up with the correct people, (for both of their safety) both of which Uber has all relevant info/pedigree on. Granted not all bad guys are criminal geniuses, but to commit a crime where your picture, identity, address etc are known, wouldn't be too bright. Does a yellow cab driver know who he's letting into his cab? Does a checkered cab passenger know who he is getting in with? Not until he is already inside. Get the idea now? As for your gun, they do not have metal detectors & concealed means concealed.

As for matching the picture they sent, relatively simple things like glasses, a change in hairstyle, and a fake mustache can quickly alter a person's appearance enough to make them virtually unidentifiable. And those changes can be applied or removed in a matter of a few minutes. Ever heard of a trackphone? Totally anonymous - virtually impossible to trace to the buyer if paid for with cash. So much for the idea of Uber having the person's phone number.

So, bottom line, are you confident enough in Uber's ability to validate people's identities that you would be OK with your wife or mother or daughter being an Uber driver or passenger? If so then you put a lot more trust in their ability to check and verify the identity of everyone using their service than I am. If not, then of course the question is why not - since it is so perfectly safe?

For my money, I don't patronize anti-gun establishments - Uber included.

 

[Texas Star]

I want to pay cash and not have a taxi or Uber firm have ANY access to my bank account or credit records.

There was a case here where a Uber or similar driver sexually assaulted a woman, and the media made quite a deal of it. Can't comment on other issues with that case, but it bears on whether certain elements should be immigrating here.

Taxi drivers here now are usually not what I'd prefer and many can't even speak English well. I hate taking cabs. And a correspondent in New Zealand says they have the same crop of drivers there now, too. This doesn't bode well for Western civilization.

Taxis cost a lot, considering, and drivers often avoid taking a passenger on a short trip, where they won't make much money. This can be a real problem for a handicapped person who can no longer drive his own car, but who needs to get groceries, etc.

Used to be we had friendlier drivers, who really knew the city. Now, they're often hostile and grumpy and can't find anything without using a GPS. Language skills are often lacking. It can be very hard to give them directions they can understand and follow.

But I've never had a taxi driver ask if I was armed. Uber would probably never know if a passenger had a gun unless it had to be used. If the penalty for that is just being banned from future Uber rides, I think I'd take that risk.

 

[Arik]

As for matching the picture they sent, relatively simple things like glasses, a change in hairstyle, and a fake mustache can quickly alter a person's appearance enough to make them virtually unidentifiable. And those changes can be applied or removed in a matter of a few minutes. Ever heard of a trackphone? Totally anonymous - virtually impossible to trace to the buyer if paid for with cash. So much for the idea of Uber having the person's phone number.

So, bottom line, are you confident enough in Uber's ability to validate people's identities that you would be OK with your wife or mother or daughter being an Uber driver or passenger? If so then you put a lot more trust in their ability to check and verify the identity of everyone using their service than I am. If not, then of course the question is why not - since it is so perfectly safe?

For my money, I don't patronize anti-gun establishments - Uber included.

You can't use Uber with a Tracphone.

Ever ride in a cab? Felt any safer? Any different? Any credentials checked?

 

[Arik]

I want to pay cash and not have a taxi or Uber firm have ANY access to my bank account or credit records.

There was a case here where a Uber or similar driver sexually assaulted a woman, and the media made quite a deal of it. Can't comment on other issues with that case, but it bears on whether certain elements should be immigrating here.

Taxi drivers here now are usually not what I'd prefer and many can't even speak English well. I hate taking cabs. And a correspondent in New Zealand says they have the same crop of drivers there now, too. This doesn't bode well for Western civilization.

Taxis cost a lot, considering, and drivers often avoid taking a passenger on a short trip, where they won't make much money. This can be a real problem for a handicapped person who can no longer drive his own car, but who needs to get groceries, etc.

Used to be we had friendlier drivers, who really knew the city. Now, they're often hostile and grumpy and can't find anything without using a GPS. Language skills are often lacking. It can be very hard to give them directions they can understand and follow.

But I've never had a taxi driver ask if I was armed. Uber would probably never know if a passenger had a gun unless it had to be used. If the penalty for that is just being banned from future Uber rides, I think I'd take that risk.

Our city now is mandating that each cab company MUST have several new handicap vans. Of course with this there are new medallions to be sold at about the price it cost to buy a house

 

[BC38]

You can't use Uber with a Tracphone.

Ever ride in a cab? Felt any safer? Any different? Any credentials checked?

It's been a few years, but yeah, the last time I took a cab the driver had his hack license displayed right there by the meter. Had his picture and the city stamp on it and everything.

And no, I wouldn't take a cab that I didn't call for and have dispatched to my location by a reputable company either. No hailing a gypsy cab from the street corner for me.

What is to keep you from signing up for Uber with a tracphone or one of the other pay as you go phones? How can they tell what kind of cell phone account you have when you sign up?

 

[Arik]

If it allows downloads for apps, along with a bank account

 

[hangnoose]

disquises seriously?

Maybe some Groucho glasses lol. Altering your appearance would only further prevent someone getting in a car or being let in. And Taxi drivers have NEVER committed crimes, gimme a break. Gypsy cabs, forget about it. Yes I would feel safer having a loved one with an uber driver with a good review rating, a known identity BEFORE you enter, a description & picture of the car etc, then some Manhattan barely English speaking driver that you know absolutely nothing about & need to change your depends at the end of the ride, & then have to tip them for the privilege. Tell ANY cabbie "I'm packing, mind if I get in?"
Think it's hard for blacks to get a cab?
See how many don't burn rubber getting out of there.

 

[BC38]

Maybe some Groucho glasses lol. Altering your appearance would only further prevent someone getting in a car or being let in. And Taxi drivers have NEVER committed crimes, gimme a break. Gypsy cabs, forget about it. Yes I would feel safer having a loved one with an uber driver with a good review rating, a known identity BEFORE you enter, a description & picture of the car etc, then some Manhattan barely English speaking driver that you know absolutely nothing about & need to change your depends at the end of the ride, & then have to tip them for the privilege. Tell ANY cabbie "I'm packing, mind if I get in?"
Think it's hard for blacks to get a cab?
See how many don't burn rubber getting out of there.

Yeah, no cabbie is going to ask if I have a gun, and their dispatcher isn't going to ASK me if I have a gun on me or TELL me I can't take ride in their cab if I'm carrying.

Uber presumes the right to do just that - and even to tell me I can't carry a gun IN MY OWN VEHICLE if I'm participating in their service.

It's cool. You go right ahead patronizing all the anti-gun businesses you like.

I won't. We're both free to make our own choices.

 

[BC38]

If it allows downloads for apps, along with a bank account

Yeah, TracPhone offers Android phones that allow downloading and installing apps just like any other android phone.

And starting a bank account or a credit card with a phony name - or even in someone else's name - isn't that hard. People do it every day - they call it Identity Theft and it is one of the fastest growing forms of crime in the world.

Someone having a "good" rating on Uber would also be easy to fake. Look at some of the scammers on eBay. A few fake transactions giving them good feedback and VOILA' you have a good rating.

 

[the ringo kid]

That's Lyft.

Lyft vs Uber: Rideshare Service Comparison Guide

Aaaaa, never heard their name before. Looks like my budget will not allow me to try them. About 10 days ago, I did have to take a cab sinse I was running late for an appointment. The car was filthy, smelly, but at least the driver was a cute blonde.