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Comment by dionidium | Hacker News Reader

Counterpoint:

* Uber drivers often have no idea how to get around. In my city, they're often suburbanites who have come in to drive the drinking crowd to three or four entertainment strips. Venture outside of that and they don't even know where they are.

* The worst experiences I've ever had being driven by anyone in any context have been in Uber. My theory is that because people are in their own personal cars, they feel justified driving just like they do when they're alone. Whatever the cause, I have had some truly dangerous drivers.

* I don't necessarily need or desire a complete detailed history of every ride I've ever taken. There are huge potential privacy concerns.

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Counter-counter:

* Turn-by-turn largely takes care of this, and most drivers I've had are amenable to a friendly suggestion of, "go this way, it's a little easier."

* I've never had a problem. Definitely have had more crazy / dangerous taxi cab drivers - especially in Florida, whatever that anecdotal point may be worth.

* Being able to opt in/out would be nice for data collection purposes. But I think many people would appreciate that paper trail, especially for business purposes.

These are fair responses, but I'd like to push back on the idea that turn-by-turn is a suitable replacement for experience. In practice, an Uber driver relying on GPS in a neighborhood he's unfamiliar with is a driver who is making a lot of wrong turns, using streets that have better alternatives, and sometimes even attempting to use routes that are closed.

On the other hand, it's sometimes a problem that you 'trust' the taxi driver to know the best route, since there's no guarantee they're actually using it (if you're in a strange city or going somewhere unfamiliar). I honestly prefer they use a GPS because at least then I know the source of their choices. Sometimes that means it takes a little longer to get there, but I'm comfortable with that tradeoff. YMMV.

Agree, it works in some places, but in dense cities with a lot of driving and traffic idiosyncracies a driver who's reliant on turn-by-turn is frustrating as all hell.

It's part of why I've started using Ubers a lot less - their driver churn seems high and there are a lot of new drivers who just don't know the lay of the land, and here in NYC that's pretty critical.

A driver leaning on a GPS unit to get around is the difference between missing the Manhattan bridge on-ramp on the Brooklyn side 3 times in a row vs. getting back into Manhattan at a reasonable hour :P True story, that one.

>* Turn-by-turn largely takes care of this

no turn by turn gps usually causes them to blindly follow that without thinking. in places like Seattle there's a huge difference between GPS and actually knowing your way around. also paying someone to drive you somewhere kinda loses it's appeal once you have to tell them how to do it, especially if you are inebriated on your way home.

If you feel GPS does not take care of this to your satisfaction, then I hope you also don't get any new taxi cab drivers or ones that recently moved to the area, because they will also suffer from that problem, unless there's some special training most cabbies take to eliminate the need for GPS. I use turn-by-turn - or at least look at a map - even in places I know the best way to, because traffic, construction, or other unexpected developments may dictate going a different way, and looking at a map can help avoid unexpected surprises.

And if you're inebriated, there's much more value in getting someone else to drive you home than simply not having to tell them the best possible route. But sure, it's not great if you're paying someone and also needing to tell them how to do their job. But it sure beats the alternative of driving drunk or sleeping outside the bar.

>I don't necessarily need or desire a complete detailed history of every ride I've ever taken. There are huge potential privacy concerns.

I agree, I've wished Uber/Lyft would implement a feature where you can buy a ride for someone but guarantee that you wouldn't learn the endpoint (within e.g. some radius). Say, you justmet someone who did a favor for you and you want to return it, but in a way that doesn't reveal more information about them than they're comfortable giving.

While Uber drivers don't always know where to get around, the Uber app provides them directions, and many of them also use Google Maps/Waze. Having lived in far-out brooklyn for a year, cabs NEVER knew how to get there, and didn't want to figure out how, but an Uber has my address, and will be told exactly how to get there.

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