http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/04/24/3807819/uber-taxi-service-app-launches.html

Quote :

"RALEIGH — Uber, the taxi-service smart phone app that connects passengers with private drivers, is launching in Raleigh on Thursday. The company promises to offer passengers fares that are 30 percent cheaper than a taxi, and for the next three weeks Uber will offer free rides for fares of up to $40. "

4/24/2014 4:43:00 PM

Shit is the tits.

4/24/2014 4:45:58 PM

Yup, Lyft apparently is starting up as well. Awesome news for everyone that isn't currently a taxi driver.

4/24/2014 4:47:56 PM

I have a friend who drives for them on the weekends/nights. Says he makes a pretty decent supplemental income doing it.

Might check it out just for the free ride.

4/24/2014 4:48:06 PM

yeah i use lyft here in Charlotte and love it. My only gripe with Uber is I never got my free credit the first week it opened. Got buggy....

4/24/2014 4:58:27 PM

I wouldn't immediately rely on this to get your drunk ass home on Friday night... everyone else will have the same idea.

4/24/2014 5:11:29 PM

ever been to DC or NYC?

if you do, you will learn to hate taxis with a passion

when I cut one off and they beep or flash, I feel warm and fuzzy inside

4/24/2014 5:47:43 PM

NYC cabbies are super aggressive -- awesome if you're in the cab, not so awesome if you're a pedestrian.

DC cabbies are just terrible drivers in general.

4/24/2014 7:57:14 PM

Über rules. Use it all the time.

4/24/2014 11:47:11 PM

I just don't see the value in uber. Well, not more so than taxi magic, for example. I've lived in both DC and Raleigh and have never really had an issue finding a taxi. Plus, when I use uber there is a 1.5x+ multiplier on it because I only use it during peak times.

Could someone explain why paying more for a taxi is a good idea?

4/25/2014 9:08:12 AM

So that you can get home.

4/25/2014 10:52:14 AM

but there are plenty of taxis available. taximagic helps you get a taxi without any additional cost. just not seeing all the special excitement for uber.

4/25/2014 11:29:37 AM

Because at least in DC, up until several months ago, taxis didn't even take credit cards, and generally as a group, they are slow to adapt, offer anything but the bare minimum in service, and are terrible drivers.

I go out of my way to NOT use taxis because they do not care. There is almost zero accountability, which Uber's double-blind rating system begins to remedy.

4/25/2014 11:34:33 AM

There are only 2 companies in Raleigh that take cards that I'm aware of (Green, Taxi Taxi). I can attest to how much of a pain in the ass it is to have to wait for one of those two companies to come by before I throw my hand up, or the alternative having to ride in one of the others and stop by an ATM on the way to my location which is a pain in the ass and just adds to the fare.

4/25/2014 11:37:24 AM

^it's things like that that make me glad i've befriended a taxi driver with a clean van, good manners, and who will come pick me up at the drop of a hat even at 4 am.

4/25/2014 11:48:08 AM

^this. I don't go out often anymore, but when I do I'm usually with one of two people (if not both) that have made friends with a cab driver they use regularly. He will always come pick us up. Clean van. Reliable (will send one of his buddies if he absolutely can't pick us up). Very friendly.

He's starting to get to know us now. Last time he dropped me off said "oh yeah! I've dropped you off & picked up your friends from here before"

4/25/2014 12:18:45 PM

I'd like to echo ^ and ^^. I operated this way for many years.

when i don't i use taximagic which allows me to schedule my cab ride and pay by credit card at any point. taximagic has been around for a long while, so i'm confused why people see such a need for uber when there has been a service that addresses your concerns for a while.

4/25/2014 12:33:15 PM

they claim uber fares are 30% lower

4/25/2014 12:44:34 PM

Unless things have changed, Taximagic sucks giant nuts compared to Uber. I've never had a problem with Uber, where as I've been left numerous times in sketchy areas with Taximagic. You also couldn't see the driver on the way where you always know where they are with Uber.

4/25/2014 12:57:12 PM

I've never had anything but positive experiences with Taxi Magic. They're awesome IMO.

Quote :

"ever been to DC or NYC? if you do, you will learn to hate taxis with a passion when I cut one off and they beep or flash, I feel warm and fuzzy inside"

Are you familiar with the majority of taxis in Raleigh? They're complete shit boxes and there's apparently no regulation about what type of vehicle you must use as a taxi. Jackasses throwing up Taxi signs on 12+ year old Honda Civics...awesome I tell you.

4/25/2014 1:07:03 PM

ever since i started using taximagic (2013) you could track the person and you get a message when they get to your house.

but people have pretty much answered my question. basically people are just continuing to hype up something that other people have said is cool, much like The Pit, without even knowing.

4/25/2014 1:07:17 PM

dude, I just gave you another reason. Uber is saying they are 30% cheaper than cab fares.

[Edited on April 25, 2014 at 1:15 PM. Reason : why are you so angry about people not using Taxi Magic?]

4/25/2014 1:14:52 PM

Quote :

"They're complete shit boxes and there's apparently no regulation about what type of vehicle you must use as a taxi. Jackasses throwing up Taxi signs on 12+ year old Honda Civics...awesome I tell you."

That's literally what UberX is though...which is why I laughed.

Gepetto you are so aggy about people not using Taxi Magic. I don't use it because generally fuck taxis as a staff, a record label and a motherfucking crew. I don't support the business model as it currently exists. Taxi Magic still gives me the product I am aiming to avoid. In my case, because I have access to the black car service, that is my preference. I will use that first, and then UberX if I'm just trying to get home at night, and would probably walk or take a bus before I used a taxi because again, fuck them. So much.

4/25/2014 1:26:49 PM

ITT, we learn that Geppetto works for Taxi Magic.

4/25/2014 1:37:05 PM

*waits for them to be banned in cary and CH*


really i hope it works out well. Might have to look in to getting the app and using it.

4/25/2014 1:37:48 PM

^4 in my original post i pointed out how uber is usually 1.5x+ what I normally have to pay

^3 i'll admit that i'm frustrated but it isn't about people not using taximagic. It's about people claiming how awesome something is (uber, the pit, inception, etc...) without knowing anything about alternatives and therefore taking a strong stance on an uninformed decision. Also, with which part of the model of someone picking you up on demand and taking you where you want to go do you so vehemently disagree?

That is what bothers me. Should it? Maybe not but to me it's a fine example how we're poor consumers of almost everything from goods to information to politics because we rally behind what's popular rather than seeking out the best.

[Edited on April 25, 2014 at 1:45 PM. Reason : ^s mostly]

4/25/2014 1:42:58 PM

You don't like the pit? I've been to lots of bbq places, and it's not bad.

4/25/2014 1:44:34 PM

If you're at a bar downtown late Friday night/Saturday morning and use taxi magic to get a cab, is there anything stopping the cab you called for from just stopping and picking up some other person instead of coming to specifically pick you up? If you can actually hail a cab by using taxi magic and not get bumped just because you're not the first person the driver sees standing by the road in that area, then I'll have to give that a shot as well.

4/25/2014 1:48:53 PM

I moved to SF in 2011 and Uber was a fucking god send. Taxi's wouldn't even pick you up because they were over booked on busy nights--contrasted with Uber that would have you in a clean leather seat, with a bottle of water inside of 5 minutes. Taxi magic in the same time frame made you wait 20-40 minutes and the end result got you a shitty taxi.

Any of the Lyft cars I've taken, only in LA, are in better shape and smell nicer than a Taxi in Raleigh. I'd be excited for it too since anything couldn't possibly be as bad as a generic taxi.

[Edited on April 25, 2014 at 1:51 PM. Reason : a]

4/25/2014 1:49:32 PM

what are uber's fare rates?

4/25/2014 2:02:50 PM

^3

my result is likely due to the fact that I pay upfront with taxi magic, which is the same thing you do with uber. I suppose since I've already paid (although not tipped) the taxi comes to get me. Honestly, I usually have to set a delay for pick up because if I say "right now" I don't have time to close my tab before leaving some place.

4/25/2014 2:19:42 PM

Since no one has....

Use my promo code okay!!! 99nsn

Get free rides n stuff

4/25/2014 3:24:57 PM

Taxi Magic has never ditched me to pick up another fare. Pretty sure they're not allowed to either.

4/25/2014 3:28:20 PM

Quote :

"Taxi's wouldn't even pick you up because they were over booked on busy nights--contrasted with Uber that would have you in a clean leather seat, with a bottle of water inside of 5 minutes. Taxi magic in the same time frame made you wait 20-40 minutes and the end result got you a shitty taxi."

My thoughts exactly, at least when it comes to DC taxis, although I will say that Taxi Magic was a lot better when I was using it in Arlington.

But if your Uber ride is under a fare multiplier and you get stuck in shitty traffic, prepare to get raped.

[Edited on April 25, 2014 at 5:13 PM. Reason : .]

4/25/2014 5:11:59 PM

Quote :

"Are you familiar with the majority of taxis in Raleigh? They're complete shit boxes and there's apparently no regulation about what type of vehicle you must use as a taxi. Jackasses throwing up Taxi signs on 12+ year old Honda Civics...awesome I tell you."

You must not live in Raleigh anymore. Taxi Taxi is taking over and they're rocking new Prius'

Quote :

"Get [me] free rides n stuff"

Also I love how everyone is ignoring the fuck out of dtownral

4/25/2014 5:38:28 PM

Where?

4/25/2014 5:47:29 PM

Uber fares are cheaper than cab fares in Raleigh. Also, no tipping with Uber.

[Edited on April 25, 2014 at 11:16 PM. Reason : Don't use Lyft. You'll get raped.]

4/25/2014 11:16:44 PM

I'm a driver

4/26/2014 12:14:29 PM

So how do the free rides work?

We pay and hope to get a credit or something?

4/26/2014 12:54:20 PM

no you sign up and download the uber app and let your driver know that you are using your free ride and they will make sure that it is free. Your account should automatically credit you the free ride


something like that.

[Edited on April 26, 2014 at 12:56 PM. Reason : .]

4/26/2014 12:55:49 PM

took advantage of a free ride last night and got a receipt emailed to me for $0.00

pretty rad

super nice, clean car, too

AND we went through a checkpoint on Western

[Edited on April 26, 2014 at 2:12 PM. Reason : the first time I've even been through one]

4/26/2014 2:06:51 PM

Cleaner than a taxi?

4/26/2014 4:27:57 PM

yep

it was a relatively new BMW

4/26/2014 5:14:32 PM

Somebody help me out here.

Are Uber drives licensed to be cab drivers at all?
Are their cars inspected at all (outside of the yearly NC BS)?
What insurance are they required to carry?

If Uber is claiming to do all this, are we just taking their word for it, or are local governments involved at all?

http://valleywag.gawker.com/why-is-uber-charging-you-extra-to-not-get-assaulted-1567825107/+laceydonohue

4/28/2014 2:58:37 PM

I use uber all the time, and even drive as a driver about 2 days a month for the heck of it.


You have to have a 2006 or newer 4-door car
Has to be your car, not a loaner
Have to have proof of registration, insurance, and DL
Uber provides insurance when you are awaiting a request and when you are actually driving someone
You do not have to be a registered taxi driver or anything
Driver keeps 80% of fares, Uber gets 20%
Drivers have to pay for gas, wear and tear, etc.
You get a free iPhone to use, but they just implemented a $10 a month data fee for the phone so your first $10 a month in fares goes to that

As a user, its FAR better than a taxi:
No cash needed
Nicer rides
Nicer drivers (they are almost all 25-45 year old tech savvy people, not the dregs of the earth like taxi drivers). Same thing with customers, vast majority are people 21-45 probably, mostly professionals and college kids
Not expected to tip at all
There is transparency with the drivers, you know who they are, they know who you are, you can complain directly and others (the public) can see those complaints. Same thing with customers. Drivers can turn down historically assholish customers, customers can turn down asshole drivers. Because of this there is an incentive for drivers to be "good" and not just herd you around like cattle. Most drivers provide water, gum, etc. to riders for example.
Very easy to split fares between your group using the app, once again, no cash needed, no trying to split a $10 etc.
Oh, and it's always cheaper



[Edited on April 28, 2014 at 3:35 PM. Reason : d]

4/28/2014 3:34:29 PM

we had the same driver both Friday and Saturday and he couldn't have been nicer

4/28/2014 4:43:31 PM

If you want to be a driver can you be selective about what times you are available? I'd love to drive around the happy drunks that are friendly and fun on the way to the bars. Then sign off before it turns into the sloppy drunks needing rides home.

4/28/2014 4:47:05 PM

yup... all you do is say you are available on the driver's app on the phone they give you... you can do one ride and then stop if you want.

That is basically what I do. If I go out hard on a Friday night and want to take it easy Saturday I will do an hour or so, maybe 6-9 or something like that then go out for the night.

4/28/2014 4:49:17 PM

I'd totally be down to drive for them if I didn't drive a 98 Explorer

4/28/2014 5:05:12 PM

it's fun as shit.

Very first ride I had as a driver the chick hit on me but I didnt know what was "ethical" or if it was a Uber undercover sting operation or something so I didnt pursue it and the very next ride were two trashed GT students that wanted to buy me a burger haha. Its basically like getting paid to drive your drunk friends around. But, be as it may, I dont do it for my primary income or anything like that, I basically do it for fun a few hours a month here and there so I could see how it might get old sitting in your car 8-10+ hours a day if it is your primary income source. But the pay is pretty good, especially if demand is high (like a festival letting out). I once made $175 in 3 hours.

[Edited on April 28, 2014 at 5:25 PM. Reason : d]

4/28/2014 5:24:35 PM