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Comment by chatmasta | Hacker News Reader

When I was in Taipei, the cab system was 100 times better than uber and had none of the problems of the cab system in the US. If uber's main value proposition is superiority to taxis, then it makes no sense for it to try to take over in a city where the taxis are perfectly fine.

Honestly, the same is true in NYC. I rarely call an uber because it's just easier to get one of the hundreds of yellow cabs than it is to stand on the street like an idiot looking for the Toyota Prius with the right license plate.

Since uber arrived, all the issues I had with cabs seem to have disappeared. The fares are lower, drivers accept credit cards, and don't talk on their cellphone to their buddy in India. Uber put the pressure on cabs and it worked. I see no need to use uber.

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A counter-anecdote to your anecdote: When I was in Taipei my friends and I tried to get a cab to Jiufen. The cab driver told us there was a special fixed rate for the trip and quoted us a number that seemed reasonable but was actually around a 50%-100% markup over the mileage/time-based price. So we called an Uber and saved about 50% vs what the cab quoted. The driver couldn't change the price and trick tourists.

Such practices are extremely common in mainland China as well, despite various degrees of regulation.

and then there's the Italian Bistro (and Italian pricing to tourist in general, including taxis and cafes):

"The third and most mysterious piece of non-absoluteness of all lies in the relationship between the number of items on the check, the cost of each item, the number of people at the table and what they are each prepared to pay for."

On a weekend evening the road to 九份 is just one huge traffic jam.

So it's not unreasonable that taxi drivers charge a special rate. It's a lot of extra hassle.

But I'm surprised Uber actually took you there.

Do they technically serve the whole of Greater Taipei?

I doubt the driver was trying to trick tourists. I've taken taxis to jiufen on a few occasions and drivers always typically want a fixed price that varies with each driver. This is with Taiwanese friends doing the negotiating.

I think it's somewhat understandable given it's a long way out of Taipei City and there's no guarantee of being able to find a return fare.

To me it sounds clear that uber has benefits there in that case, unlike the grandparent is claiming. Most consumers favour constant prices without surprises, and dislike negotiation processes.

Only because they force the driver to eat the loss (Or pay him with VC money).

If there is no guarantee of a fare back, this kind of pricing is not sustainable long-term.

Why not? It's definitely sustainable. The loss can be offset by the gains. And if the gains outweigh the loss then it's sustainable.

It's sustainable - if prices for regular rides rise to compensate for the losses drivers take on less profitable ones.

... and all of a sudden, you are back to taxi pricing.

I took an Uber from Taipei City to TPE airport. I was charged for the a "return fee" to account for the inconvenience of such an out-of-the way trip.

It was still dirt-cheap compared to a equivalent trip in the US.

I feel this is the issue with Uber, the price doesn't take into account the destination and probability of finding a return route customer. For example, I've talked with lyft drivers in Seattle who have picked up people in downtown who then say their destination is Tacoma or even Olympia (which can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours depending on traffic). That's 1 to 2 hours away from anywhere the driver normally operates, and with very little chance of finding a fare for the return drive. It would be fair if the fare was adjusted to take into account these important variations.

That's not true at all. Most consumers in Taiwan, myself included when I lived there, prefer to negotiate a set price for a longer distance trip.

Uber was an enormous improvement in SF and in Beijing (where there just aren't enough cabs). In Taiwan it's a sizable step backwards.

you're only seeing half the issue, i'm guessing that you only took a one way trip to jiufen? the driver's probably charging you for roundtrip because that's actually what he has to do, he'll have an empty cab on the trip back to taipei.

Uber applies competition. If you get rid of competition, it will go back to the way it was over time.

It's not something you can do once, and that's it.

False. They have said their goal is to be competitive against public transportation and to keep dropping prices. Not engage in a monopoly and become fat cats like the taxi industry.

Every business would want to appear genuine, what business would say openly that they outright plan on being a monopoly?

> Not engage in a monopoly and become fat cats like the taxi industry.

Given the anti competitive practices of Uber in the US, I wouldn't trust anything these guys say. "Start ups" always say that before becoming the monopoly.

Does Lyft not exist? Did yellow cabs not create an app for themselves in certain cities? What exactly is anti-competitive? They are literally dealing with an industry that is thug-entrenched.

Well, Uber did try to sabotage Lyft on multiple occasions [1]. The real story is a bit muddier, since Uber claims that Lyft also tried to sabotage them.

1. http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6067663/this-is-ubers-play...

Edit: Formatting

I bet you only go to certain parts of Manhattan if you think cab service is good in nyc

I agree. I lived in Taiwan for years and took thousands of cabs there. The existing service beats anything I've experienced from Uber in any country by a wide margin.

I can confirm the positive experience with cabs in Taipei. Taxi there is cheap anyway, and the taxi drivers I've experienced have been very friendly and professional.

A lot of them don't speak english though. I don't know if there are special english-speaking taxis you can call up like I've seen in other countries. Personally I've never needed it.

I've never used Uber in Taipei (I'd rather use the amazing Ubike bicycle rental system).

But the friends who do, mostly see it as a luxury service.

Especially when they want to send a home safely after a night out "take an Uber" they'll say.

It's the premium feel, vs a chatty taxi driver asking you about how much rent you pay.

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