Are Taxi's History?

[SW MP15]

Now with the Lyft and Uber thing and even more of these type transportation companies taking over. Have they taken over the Taxi bussiness? I sure don't see the amount of taxi's around town as I did 10 years ago? And I have seen some of the modern taxi's that have TV type screens playing city promos and commercials. And wrapped in fancy colors and logos. And look very clean and well kept. I now only see taxi's mainly at the airport and major hotels and that's all. I used to see them everywhere, even in front of places of employment, like the phone company, for the employees? I Just don't see taxi's.

I'm not sure with Uber or Lyft that I would feel comfortable getting into a strangers personal vehicle or rather use a modern clean late model taxi cab with a GPS tracking system and communication system?

They say Uber is very popular around Nashville with the younger crowd, going bar hopping (as we used to call it)? And I feel that's GREAT idea. Safer for less DUI's. And avoiding driving while drinking issues. And I would imagine much cheaper than a taxi?

I've only ridden in a Taxi maybe 3 times in my life and that was a long time ago. And NEVER with Lyft or Uber.

So just wondering have any of y'all used Uber or Lyft? Or do you or would you still rather use a taxi?

 

[Jessie]

I won't ever use Über because of their no guns policy.
I know nothing of Lyft.
I'll use a cab when I have to.

 

[CS45Fan]

Never used uber etc... used a taxi twice in my life and it was a scary ride. They drive aggressively, are reckless, arrogant and if the taxi cab drivers went out of business tomorrow I would not shed a tear!

 

[tnhawk]

When I'm in Nashville I use the hotel shuttle or a taxi. Either is better than paying the parking prices there. I loaded Uber on my phone but haven't used it yet.

 

[walkinghorse]

Nearest town of any size to me, Iowa City, IA., still has plenty of taxis. The main thing I have noticed is that there must be only one taxi in each of the many taxi companies and it looks like the drivers are the UN moving about. The taxis seen do not appear to be recently made or well maintained. Occasionally you will read in the newspaper or see on the TV news about a physical dispute between taxi drivers over who was called to a location, or that a taxi did not have proper credentials?

 

[Skeet 028]

What's a taxi? Do they have 'em here in (rural) Wyoming?? Is there an Urban Wyoming? I rode a hotel shuttle in Vegas once

 

[arjay]

My daughter in laws mother was an uber driver for awhile.The pay is lousy!

 

[Arik]

It must depend on your city cause here they don't use GPS tracking. They do have GPS for navigation but so does everyone else.

Taxis ate no less safe or unsafe then Uber or Lyft.

Indirectly working in this business since 2002 I can tell you that taxis arnt going anywhere. They will be forced to adapt and their monopoly will be challenged but there is far too much money in the cab business for them to just go away. Of course every city has their own rules and regulations so it will vary but they won't be going anywhere anytime soon. NYC cab medalions cost $1 mil. (That price has recently come down) Thats per medalion for one car. How many cabs are in NYC? Medallion owners take mortgages out on the medalions which they rent out to drivers/small owner operators....obviously for profit.

Same in Philadelphia. They are slightly cheaper but still in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I'm sure other big cities are the same.

I

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[old bear]

I only use taxi's for a return ride home from the airport. I'd like to think I'm smart enough to realize I don't need or want a smart phone, so I don't use URBER.

 

[Onomea]

I have used taxis for all of my adult life, but I have spent my adult life pretty much in cities.

I have started using Uber since last April. I love Uber! It is much cheaper than taxis, and much more convenient because you can summon a taxi to wherever you are by using the app on your phone. (The app is truly simple to operate.) There is also a no-tipping policy, which I follow unless the driver goes out of his way to help with luggage or similar.

I am currently setting up a new residence in a new-to-me city. Since the neighborhood I am living in, while here, has all of our daily needs within easy walking distance, I have decided I don't need a car. I have used Uber to pick up furniture I have found on Craig's List, including a dining table and six chairs. Since that driver spent 45 minutes with me, and helped with loading and unloading, I tipped him $20. (You can summon an SUV/van with the Uber app by agreeing to pay slightly more.)

With Uber, with every drive, drivers rate passengers and passengers rate drivers, so people tend to behave themselves or passengers won't get picked up and drivers won't get rides.

Uber also has periodic discount campaigns. For example, the typical Uber $25 ride into downtown from the airport was only $15 last week. (A taxi runs close to $60.)

My understanding is that everything I said above also applies to Lyft although I have yet to try that service.

I don't know if taxis are doomed, but I do believe they are, and increasingly will be, adversely affected. I don't see how it can be otherwise.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Have not ridden cabs that much.
Once in Vegas, decided I would ride one from my house to the airport.
He ran out of gas about half way there, almost missed my plane.
Once in Fort Worth, my buddy hit a taxi which the driver left sitting in a dark street.
Ok! My buddy had been drinking. A lot.
That only accelerated his departure from the AF.
Once at Travis, AFB the wife, baby and I share a cab with an Army E7 for a ride to SF airport.
Oops! Blowout! Almost missed that plane.
Took the last two seats.
So for me, cabs have provided some unexpected events.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Thirty-something's use uber a lot around here, often to go bar-hopping, as has been suggested. My only two encounters have been 1) when out on the town with our adult kids; and 2) on a 50th high-school reunion with some old classmates. My last cab ride came about 20 years ago when my car broke down late one night. Nobody in our group had the app, though, so one guy called his daughter in New York, who ordered us a ride (two, actually) in Saint Paul.

Uber is a lot easier, cheaper, and usually quicker. One of these days, I'll download the app.

 

[DWalt]

Never used any of the ride share services. I find taxi service (at least for pickup at my house) to be extremely unreliable, and I will do anything possible to avoid calling a taxi. Fortunately, I seldom need to call a taxi. My son, who travels a lot and needs to get from home to the airport frequently has found the same high unreliability for taxi service, and uses rideshare which he thinks is much better.

 

[Arik]

I've never used taxi or uber. It doesn't make sense for me based on how the city and suburbs are layed out. I'm in the burbs and we don't even have much of a bus schedule let alone taxis. If you need to go somewhere you drive. At the same time most taxis and ride share operate in the cities where there is a large pool of customers. Hardly ever they come into the burbs unless it's one that boarders the city. If I'm in the city I drove in myself so I may as well drive to my destination

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[HOUSTON RICK]

My niece and her husband do not own a car in San Francisco. They have an app for people who drive into town and leave their cars parked all day while they work. When she wants to drive, my niece selects from the models parked nearby and rents it for as long as needed and then parks it within 500 yards of where she took it. I know a number of young people in Houston who happily use Uber instead of owning their own car. Cabs are alive, but have more competition now. I took one a few weeks ago.

 

[mtgianni]

I use Taxi's when flying into a city and not renting a car if it is too late for a shuttle. Taxi's are the only way to go in South America and Europe, I would imagine they would be as well in some of the US's unsafe cities.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

They say Uber is very popular around Nashville with the younger crowd, going bar hopping (as we used to call it)? And I feel that's GREAT idea. Safer for less DUI's. And avoiding driving while drinking issues. And I would imagine much cheaper than a taxi?

My son lives in Houston and he always uses Uber to go out to Bars and Restaurants. He said he can pay for a lot of Uber rides for the cost of a DUI.

 

[twodog max]

I have only used a taxi a few times. I thought they were ridiculously expensive. Last one was in Vancouver BC. Cost 50 bucks for a 5 minute ride from the airport to a hotel.

 

[Valmet]

I use Uber fairly often and have always found it convenient and cheap. I don't ever see myself using a taxi again. No experience with Lyft.

 

[rwsmith]

Where I live.......

You never see taxis around here. If you call one they keep saying they're on their way, but they never come.

Uber may be a good answer.