Taxis vs Uber

[Maestro]

Originally Posted by Z K

Uber treats drivers like crap - terrible company to work for. I know a few people who drive for Uber.

You make less money driving Uber than working McDonalds. You have no health benefits, you pay for your own car expenses and insurance. You have rules, dress code and regulated driving routes but none of the benefits of a real job. Uber "suggests" you do many things as a driver - those aren't suggestions - they're requirements and you can be let go if you don't follow them.

You do get good peak pay if you pick up people from bars on heavy usage times... but you'll have to drive at night and deal with drunk people who may puke in your car - again you're on your own to clean all that up.

My friends complain to no end about driving Uber - but they have no choice as it's the only game in town. Lyft is better for drivers but they don't have nearly as much traffic.

So Uber - great for the passengers, sucks for drivers.

A journalist went undercover to try to make it work. This matches the experiences my friends have had driving for Uber.
http://www.inquisitr.com/2077969/how...r-to-find-out/

This is the issue, most if not all Uber drivers do not realize they are running their own business and being contracted by Uber to do their work. Uber is making a huge issue of this with the government. With that said since most people do not treat this as a business they not accounting for all their expense and most time are paying more taxes and such than they should.

They drive around put gas in the car and wait to get money from Uber and then later pay taxes on the total amout of those check and do not subtract out all their expenese. Depend on the car and how it is used some time you can not even expense the car if it use for personal use or not owned by your company you are operting and driving under.

My understranding is if you set it up as real busines then it can pay off well, but most people never take this step.

[gtron]

if they're all contractors just wait until tax time. they're going to love that shit.

i never really use either. i often hire a driver when traveling internationally or rent a car when i travel nationally.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Maestro

This is the issue, most if not all Uber drivers do not realize they are running their own business and being contracted by Uber to do their work. Uber is making a huge issue of this with the government. With that said since most people do not treat this as a business they not accounting for all their expense and most time are paying more taxes and such than they should.

They drive around put gas in the car and wieght to get money from Uber and then later pay taxes on the total amout of those check and do not subtract out all their expenese. Depend on the car and how it use some time you can not even expense the car if it use for personal use or not owned by your company you are operting you driving under.

My understranding is if you set it up as real busines then it can pay off well, but most people never take this step.

If they are signing up as independence contractors, that dilemma is their own fault. Aside from not having receipts for business expenses, they will also get slammed with self employment tax (basically double FICA). I don't much sympathy for anyone that signs an agreement without understanding the implications it will have for them. Even if they didn't know when they signed up, if they are getting payments with no taxes withheld (like most contractors), a bell should have gone off right away to ask some questions. I have been self employed for 15 years so I'm not very troubled by this aspect of the Uber model.

[Maestro]

Originally Posted by CANGRKE70

I've used Uber once and almost died twice at the hands of our driver. Never again.

I know it's cheaper, but also insurance plays a role. Get into an accident and hurt with Uber and your insurance might not cover you. If they do, lucky. All Uber drivers are pretty much uninsured. All Canadian Insurance co. will not insure under personal insurance if you tell them you're going to be an Uber driver. Most Uber drivers "neglect" to inform their insurance that they are doing so.

Good point something I did not think about. My son was considering being a driver to help with school costs. If you are in an accident and the passenger gets hurt your insurance my refuse to cover the costs since your driving for hire and most policies did not cover this. I have had pickup trucks and currently have a trailer to haul stuff with my Flex. I remember speaking with insurance person about getting insurance on the trailer. He said no special insureance unless you using it for hire, similar to a pickup. He said as long as you are hauling stuff for yourself you are covered, if it hiring it out or using it for a business then you need different coverage.

To my other point most Uber driver do not treat this as business thus they most likely are not doing the proper business things.

[John 070]

I want to pay less too, who doesn't?

For example, I know of a place online, who also has an actual store, who goes toe-to-toe with amazon, does not collect sales tax, and ships for free, same day via UPS, which results in overnight delivery, since we are across the river. They are a 800 mil. outfit and authorized dealer for everything they sell. If the price drops within 30 days, no matter how many times, they issue a credit, unlike amazon, whose policy is 7. In other words, they spank amazon every which way but loose. And fairly.

There is also unfair competition. Like credit unions vs. banks. My credit union (the largest in the USA) offered a 5% 1 yr. CD last year. So we did it, and collected, as they just matured. 5% is nearly 4X the rate of even online banks like Ally, blah blah blah. They have an unfair advantage. I don't worry about it as long as they, and I, are following the law. The law would have to be changed to get rid of the advantage.

Then you have an illegal advantage. Say a tuna boat parks next to the Chicken of the Sea legal boat, and hauls in shorts, cuts your line, runs over your traps, etc. Now you have Uber.

[mookie45]

I've had only positive experiences with Uber. They are far less expensive, the cars have been much cleaner than local taxis, and the ease of requesting one with 2 taps on my phone is convenient.

I recall spending over $60 on a taxi from the airport to my place last year. Last week I took the same route with Uber and it was $35. Another time I got lucky and was picked up in an F30 328i w/o using Uber Select.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by P1et

I take Ubers to the airport quite frequently at 4am in order to catch 7am flights. Never have had an issue. There are a lot of drivers who prefer the nightshift. No traffic, quiet on the street, and long-distance jobs.

Thanks for the feedback.

Red:
Good Lord! I hope never to have that much luggage or live/be that far from the airport. (at least not so it becomes a "frequent" ride I must take)

All the best.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by ASAP

I have over $1000 in charges in 10 different US cities with Uber... all I have to say is that if you still use and/or prefer taxis you may be borderline retarded. As an economically intelligent individual, I am not here to give you an opinion of the ethics / practices of a company but rather the incredible convenience of a great service... if you are into company ethics, go ahead and sell your macbook, get off facebook, don't use any MS products and sell all of your diamonds.

...Our intellectual acuity seems another matter about which you seem to have an opinion....

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

Lolz.....captain obvious asks you please explain to the mildly retarded why they are the way they are in hopes that they one day will join the ranks of non-retarded among our great forum here!
$$

Yes, I thought, "Oh, really?" as well when I read the "retarded" segment of that post.

Having taken taxis in about a score of countries, and certainly as many U.S. cities, I've concluded that U.S. taxis are neither the best nor worse one will encounter. I realize my experiences and observations are far from scientific.

I suspect that the extent to which one demands mollycoddling and such in a taxi drives how one feels about any of them. For my part, as long as the seats and door handles are visibly clean (i.e., nothing's visibly going to wipe off on my hands or garments), I'm fine with whatever vehicle I get into.

FWIW, in most parts of the world that I've been to, communicating effectively with the driver is the thing that concerns me most, followed by whether they know how to get where I want to go and whether they are gouging me. (Don't ask me why I give a damn about overcharging because I know damn well that in most cities whatever they charge isn't inordinately expensive. I just don't care for it on principle, I suppose.) I once encountered a cab in Africa that I just couldn't bring myself to enter, but

• London: I have remained loyal to "black cabs" rather than trying Uber. I have never, not once in twenty years and well over 100 visits, had a complaint about a "black cab" or the driver of one. I don't have a problem with Uber competing with "black cabs," but for now, I'm sticking with "black cabs." (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...s-says-MP.html) Too, I've never had trouble very quickly getting a cab in London. (Things may be different in the rest of the U.K. I don't know, but I don't go there either.)
• Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, and a few other PRC cities: Sometimes the cabs are somewhat worn out looking, but I've not come by any that are so dirty I can't sit in them in my business attire. The biggest gripe I have with them is the driver not reliably running the air conditioner so the cab is cool when I get in.
• Paris: I've taken a taxi once, maybe twice, in Paris. It's the one major city where as a non-French speaker, I just don't take taxis.
• India: I once tried a rickshaw for the novelty of it. It was fine, but I'm sure I overpaid. I use a private driver in India. (It's not at all expensive...~$500 or so for a whole week, but more often less, 24/7.) Too many of the yellow cabs aren't air conditioned, and that just doesn't work for me. At times, they can be hard to come by, most notably when one most wants one, such as in the rain. Also, the cab drivers are more concerned with getting from place to place as quickly as possible than they are whether I'm still in one piece by the time we get there. LOL I just can't put up with that, especially on their roads, more than a few of which are just horrible, even though there are some expressways that are perfectly fine. If there's anyplace I'm likely to first try Uber, it's India, that is if I actually stay there past the immediate business event that took me there to begin with.
• Japan: If clean taxis are important to you, go to Japan. Cleanliness is a cultural value in Japan, right down to their doilies and automatically opening doors. It wouldn't surprise me to one day find showers and anus washing toilets in taxis there one day. The drivers are extremely polite and knowledgeable.
• Other non-U.S. cities: Generally cleanliness isn't the problem. When I've had issues, it's been largely language/communication driven. The cars aren't always the newest or chicest, but they are reliably clean. Rome's taxis are dreadful; hire a private car or take public transportation, or walk; the price you'll pay is a total crap shoot, especially in bad weather when you really want a taxi.
• U.S. Cities: Outside of European-style cities like D.C., New York and a few others, the main issue for me is having to call one rather than walking out of the building and having several of them right there in an instant. That's probably a personal pet peeve, for I grew up in a "hail a cab in an instant" city rather than a "call for a cab" city. I never feel confident the cab will be there on time/in time, so I use sedan services instead if I must call for a cab.

All the best.

[fravel]

Originally Posted by Z K

Total BS. Uber pretty much puts it on the driver to claim it out of the driver's own personal insurance - they tell the driver to never tell the insurance company they are driving for Uber. Most car insurance policies will not cover it if they know you are driving Uber.

Uber's insurance will kick in only if the driver's insurance claim is denied. This allows Uber to not pay a cent on most insurance claims - putting all the cost on the driver and passenger. Oh, and if you get into an accident while driving Uber - they can terminate you immediately.

Uber has some serious ethical issues. The model is good but they need to take care of their drivers better.

Gotcha, thanks for the info.

Now that you mention it, the blanket corporate policy I was thinking of was in relation to a company called "Be My DD". One of my ex's was a dispatcher for them - the idea was that they were a driver service; customers would contact them either before or during an event where they would be/are drinking, and the company would send someone to be the DD, but they would use the customer's car. I think they folded though.

[justinnum1]

Fuck taxis.

[mccannable]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

Fuck taxis.

Urber's new marketing campaign.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by mccannable

Urber's new marketing campaign.

That's funny shit right there

[UncleWede]

A few weeks back was th first time I've needed to pay for a ride in probably 20 years. Uber didn't even cross my mind. Got on the internet, found a taxi service in my area. If I requested it online, I'd get 20% off the fare.
Lady driver showed up right on time, took me to the tire store to get my son's car. We had a pleasant chat about GPS units, Waze, and speeding tickets on the 10 minute ride. I rode shotgun.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by Maestro

This is the issue, most if not all Uber drivers do not realize they are running their own business and being contracted by Uber to do their work. Uber is making a huge issue of this with the government. With that said since most people do not treat this as a business they not accounting for all their expense and most time are paying more taxes and such than they should.

They drive around put gas in the car and wait to get money from Uber and then later pay taxes on the total amout of those check and do not subtract out all their expenese. Depend on the car and how it is used some time you can not even expense the car if it use for personal use or not owned by your company you are operting and driving under.

My understranding is if you set it up as real busines then it can pay off well, but most people never take this step.

It isn't even about taxes. Just take the amount you take and subtract your expenses every year and you can see how much you make. The article I posted earlier showed that - $9 an hour to drive Uber. This doesn't include any medical coverage and can't claim unemployment if you get "fired" by Uber. You can claim some money back from expenses... so that adds a few dollars per hour back? You're still talking about $12 an hour with no medical benefits - hardly a living wage in most urban areas.

A lot of people use Uber as their full time job - this means they are controlled by the company and screwed if they get let go. A lot of people say "go work somewhere else then". Then the question is, what is someone with no education and experience to do? Anyone can sign up to drive Uber, the process is easier and simpler than even working at a fast food joint.

Ethically the company is terrible. I don't think most people will go back to hailing yellow cabs but there definitely needs more regulation and support for those working for the company. Given the huge profits they rake in, Uber can definitely afford to give their drivers benefits if they choose to drive as a full time job.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by Z K

It isn't even about taxes. Just take the amount you take and subtract your expenses every year and you can see how much you make. The article I posted earlier showed that - $9 an hour to drive Uber. This doesn't include any medical coverage and can't claim unemployment if you get "fired" by Uber. You can claim some money back from expenses... so that adds a few dollars per hour back? You're still talking about $12 an hour with no medical benefits - hardly a living wage in most urban areas.

A lot of people use Uber as their full time job - this means they are controlled by the company and screwed if they get let go. A lot of people say "go work somewhere else then". Then the question is, what is someone with no education and experience to do? Anyone can sign up to drive Uber, the process is easier and simpler than even working at a fast food joint.

Ethically the company is terrible. I don't think most people will go back to hailing yellow cabs but there definitely needs more regulation and support for those working for the company. Given the huge profits they rake in, Uber can definitely afford to give their drivers benefits if they choose to drive as a full time job.

So would you suggest they unionize?
I guess this is the trouble with big corporations like this,they get too greedy and underpay and take advantage of their workers while the very top get stinking rich.
However the consumer using this reaps a tremendous savings.....I guess it's all about sustainability....seems both have pros/cons.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Z K

It isn't even about taxes. Just take the amount you take and subtract your expenses every year and you can see how much you make. The article I posted earlier showed that - $9 an hour to drive Uber. This doesn't include any medical coverage and can't claim unemployment if you get "fired" by Uber. You can claim some money back from expenses... so that adds a few dollars per hour back? You're still talking about $12 an hour with no medical benefits - hardly a living wage in most urban areas.

A lot of people use Uber as their full time job - this means they are controlled by the company and screwed if they get let go. A lot of people say "go work somewhere else then". Then the question is, what is someone with no education and experience to do? Anyone can sign up to drive Uber, the process is easier and simpler than even working at a fast food joint.

Ethically the company is terrible. I don't think most people will go back to hailing yellow cabs but there definitely needs more regulation and support for those working for the company. Given the huge profits they rake in, Uber can definitely afford to give their drivers benefits if they choose to drive as a full time job.

Customers don't care. If they cared enough, they would hand out cash tips.

It's not like uber is forcing people into these assignments. People sign up. If, according to your post, there are effectively no other opportunities for these people, isn't $9-$12/hour better than nothing? If there are other opportunities and uber is horrible to them why not do something else? Would they be better off with no work at all?

[kprocivic]

I love Uber. Just paid 80 bucks on a cab right last weekend cause i was to intoxicated to pull up the app. Normally uber is significantly cheaper. I have always had very nice people with uber, they offer water, chips, peanuts, and other snacks in the car which I think is cool.

[gtron]

saw on the news this morning an uber car turned upside down.

reminded me of this thread.

that is all.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by kprocivic

I love Uber. Just paid 80 bucks on a cab right last weekend cause i was to intoxicated to pull up the app. Normally uber is significantly cheaper. I have always had very nice people with uber, they offer water, chips, peanuts, and other snacks in the car which I think is cool.

If you've ever driven for Uber, you'd know that those offerings are ones that Uber "suggests" drivers do in their work agreement.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Customers don't care. If they cared enough, they would hand out cash tips.

It's not like uber is forcing people into these assignments. People sign up. If, according to your post, there are effectively no other opportunities for these people, isn't $9-$12/hour better than nothing? If there are other opportunities and uber is horrible to them why not do something else? Would they be better off with no work at all?

Something is always better than nothing but being a part of the working poor is not really something people aspire to do.

I'm saying that driving Uber is no better than working any other minimum wage job except there's no benefits. It's a pretty shady operation that takes advantage of lower income people. I guess in some ways no different than most lower wage jobs - perhaps worse.

So would you suggest they unionize?
I guess this is the trouble with big corporations like this,they get too greedy and underpay and take advantage of their workers while the very top get stinking rich.
However the consumer using this reaps a tremendous savings.....I guess it's all about sustainability....seems both have pros/cons.

I am not suggesting unionization. I'm saying Uber should act like a ethical company and have fair practices for their employees.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by Z K

I'm saying Uber should act like a ethical company and have fair practices for their employees.

I applaud your silly optimism

[K19BMW]

Originally Posted by Z K

Uber treats drivers like crap - terrible company to work for. I know a few people who drive for Uber.

You make less money driving Uber than working McDonalds. You have no health benefits, you pay for your own car expenses and insurance. You have rules, dress code and regulated driving routes but none of the benefits of a real job. Uber "suggests" you do many things as a driver - those aren't suggestions - they're requirements and you can be let go if you don't follow them.

You do get good peak pay if you pick up people from bars on heavy usage times... but you'll have to drive at night and deal with drunk people who may puke in your car - again you're on your own to clean all that up.

My friends complain to no end about driving Uber - but they have no choice as it's the only game in town. Lyft is better for drivers but they don't have nearly as much traffic.

So Uber - great for the passengers, sucks for drivers.

A journalist went undercover to try to make it work. This matches the experiences my friends have had driving for Uber.
http://www.inquisitr.com/2077969/how...r-to-find-out/

The bolded is absolutely not true.

1. the only dress codes uber has is wear clothes (aka don't be naked). I have used Uber 100 times and in those times I've have seen the drivers wear everything from a suit all the way to a tank top and ripped shorts.

2. The drivers can drive anywhere in the state they are registered in as long as a town/city itself doesn't have laws against Uber. They are not restricted to a set route.

3. If someone pukes in an Uber car then uber pays for the drive to have his car completely detailed on the interior (and maybe exterior also but idk about that). I have had that confirmed by several Uber drivers.

Get your facts straight before you bash a company.