What's your Uber experience?

[Dr Ralph]

From my experience it is quite normal for shuttle and many other drivers to have tip jars.
Like it or not it is the way it's done there.

They can have a tip jar all they like. Doesn't mean I have to use it.

 

[Alanslegal]

Is it really the public service? If you had invested big $$$ in taxi plates in a regulated environment and then found they we being devalued dramatically, you would be looking for someone to be in your corner. A lot of drivers and their families will suffer if the NSW Taxi industry collapses.

Ahhh maybe so, or more likely maybe not. If UberX becomes lawful, there is nothing (at this stage) to stop a taxi driver from continuing to operate a taxi service PLUS an uberX service - kind of like double dipping. The smart drivers would be looking at "new" revenue streams rather than "hope" that their taxi association continues to pressure the governments and through that, suffocate competition.

Uber is proposing a model to the government that has restrictions, that is it can't operate 100% like a taxi so for example, they can't pick up passengers who hail them from the streets, can't queue up at airport or taxi ranks and so on.

Taxis still have that advantage regardless.

Uber lovers have no desire to see the damage that 'deregulation' of the taxi industry will do to thousands of hard working Australians - they think only of ME ME ME and how they can save a few bucks.

I would love to see how loud they squeal if some foreign corporate giant waltzed into their industry and openly flaunted all existing laws and regulations and all of a sudden placed their investments / jobs in total jeopardy - maybe - just maybe some of them might hold a different view.

Seen it happen in my family where a large multinational has wiped our business out (a bakery) but that's life. It would have caused around $200,000 lost - which is negligible to many people here - but when your family came to Austraila as refugees with nothing other the clothes we were wearing and a big dream to make the most of it - it was a big deal. My parents didn't just go cry and run to Social Security for a hand out - they worked even harder, two jobs, many many hours each week often every day of the week to make the most of it - put us kids through education so we wouldn't have to endure their hardships. Thank goodness for that as us children all completed university and ended up in decent paying jobs (and in my case get to travel around the world and see almost 50 countries before the age of 35). We didn't have a powerful "taxi association" back us or pressure the governments to do restrict that competition. It is normal, it is part of businesses coming and going, that expire and renew. Lots of legacy businesses have been wiped out by large businesses / multinational. If a person have bought bread, milk, meat, seafood from a supermarket, then they are as guilty as supporting UberX ... after all, buying from a supermarket, caused the wipe out of a majority of bread shops, bakeries, meat shops, seafood shops and so on. No wonder why the supermarkets have been pressuring the governments into allowing them to dispense medicines - good luck to the existing pharmacies as when that happens, another type of business going to become obsolete.

There are stories like this; Leichhardt heritage butcher on the hook

If we were are so concerned about the taxi drivers, then we should be more concerned about the car manufacturing industry in Australia - but we gave up on that too. Time for renewal I'd say and let's bring it on, and bring it on now.

 

[moa999]

A lot less UberX around in Sydney today from what I can tell.

The issue is government regulation has jacked up the price of plates (and hence fares) much like government policy on zoning and land release have jacked up property price and rents.

Those impacted (taxi plate Holders) and drivers will fight change as much as banks and property owners would fight the govt dumping 500000 new lots on the market

 

[Sprucegoose]

I use Uber regularly and can highly recommend them. Where there has been a problem with has efficiently corrected it. I.e. Overcharged once.

 

[burmans]

The issue is government regulation has jacked up the price of plates (and hence fares) much like government policy on zoning and land release have jacked up property price and rents.

True, but the plate owners who have made a mozza out of the price of plates have largely made their money via speculation. Suggesting the government underpins the prices of plates is not much different to suggesting the government should intervene in the share market to keep people losing money or the property market to do so.

I appreciate that the actions of government has jacked up these prices but I'm pretty sure this was a side effect rather than the intent. Speculation can be a dangerous game and there is no need for government policy to support such speculation. In fact for me, bad policy should be fixed, saying we shouldn't change policy because we made mistakes in the past is not really a strong argument to run.

 

[Isochronous]

Is one supposed totip Uber drivers in the US?

 

[TomVexille]

Is one supposed totip Uber drivers in the US?

No. The whole point is that it's a cashless system.

Even ubertaxi has a built-in gratuity that you can adjust.

 

[BillytheFIsh]

An interesting one last weekend.

While there has been a trend, particularly in the last 3 months, for more and more Uber drivers to be current or former taxi drivers, I was picked up last Saturday by a fellow on his first night out for Uber who was not only a taxi driver, but also the owner of a taxi plate.

Not sure if there have been others, but none that have been prepared to admit it.

 

[Major]

My biggest beef with the taxi industry is that very few taxi plate owners actually drive the cab. Most of them rent the vehicle to a driver so that each cab has to support 2 families. No wonder the drivers whinge and complain about their earnings.

Uber's profit comes from a percentage of each trip whereas the taxi owner charges the driver a set fee per shift. If the cab driver doesn't have a good shift he will take home virtually nothing.

This article is a couple of years old but sets out the problems for the taxi industry. It is not going to get better until State governments accept that Uber is not going away anytime soon

Poor fare: the tough life of the Australian taxi driver - Background Briefing - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[ajd]

The release of the ACT Government's taxi review is imminent - it'll be ironic if our Labor-Greens government manages to deregulate the taxi industry before any of the Liberal states do. Even given the, uh, inferior quality of the UberX rides I've had in SYD, as someone who chooses not to own a car, I can't wait for Uber to be available in CBR.

(Also, while I do feel somewhat for our taxi drivers, I have no pity whatsoever for Aerial Capital Group (our main taxi network/dispatch company), and I will relish seeing them being absolutely owned by Uber)

 

[moa999]

I do however still have a massive issue with Uber's 20+% fees, when many states have just regulated Cabcharge (and its ilk) to 5%

 

[burmans]

While there has been a trend, particularly in the last 3 months, for more and more Uber drivers to be current or former taxi drivers, I was picked up last Saturday by a fellow on his first night out for Uber who was not only a taxi driver, but also the owner of a taxi plate.

Recognition of the inevitable, I'd suggest.

 

[moa999]

And while I have some sympathy for individual drivers who purchased inflated plates as their retirement nest egg, nothing for Cabcharge that owns a bunch of plates itself

 

[knasty]

I do however still have a massive issue with Uber's 20+% fees, when many states have just regulated Cabcharge (and its ilk) to 5%

But cabcharge is just the payment network, and payable in addition to the quoted fare by the consumer. Quite different to the fee schedule Uber has with its drivers which is not payable by the consumer (directly).

 

[serfty]

I do however still have a massive issue with Uber's 20+% fees, when many states have just regulated Cabcharge (and its ilk) to 5%

Apples and oranges ...

The 20% is the commission Uber get from the fare paid to the driver.

5% is a service fee if using Cabcharge etc. - pay cash and that become a non-issue.

With Cabs, if (as is normally the case) the driver does not own the cab or plates, they get about 50% of the metered fare (at least that was the situation a decade ago).

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I do however still have a massive issue with Uber's 20+% fees, when many states have just regulated Cabcharge (and its ilk) to 5%

Changing the value curve for the consumer.

Do you have a problem with Uber providing a better rounded customer experience too? I do.. it's unfair! Taxi's can't complete!

 

[wanderer_au]

I use and recommend GoCatch here in Sydney and also in Canberra.

 

[GCC]

I use and recommend GoCatch here in Sydney and also in Canberra.

+1 for Go Catch in those cities, delivers most of the Uber advantages via the app, always had a clean cab and knowledgeable drivers. I've used Uber in the USA, but here it isn't an option as the service doesn't extend as far as my home on the Sydney Northern beaches. Feeling somewhat detached from the whole debate as I don't actually have Uber as a choice.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Received this email overnight - Uber Restaurant Promo - but Uber must know I am not one of their greatest fans as I cannot activate on my phone

 

[Batesy]

+1 for Go Catch in those cities, delivers most of the Uber advantages via the app, always had a clean cab and knowledgeable drivers. I've used Uber in the USA, but here it isn't an option as the service doesn't extend as far as my home on the Sydney Northern beaches. Feeling somewhat detached from the whole debate as I don't actually have Uber as a choice.

I can get uberX regularly in Fairlight/Manly are you a bit further north (over the Narrabean bridge)?