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Comment by ngangaga | Hacker News Reader

> Except at some level you do obviously believe that using the app was worth $57

That's ridiculous. "because you didn't end the story by saying you called a cab company and got a big discount by doing it the old fashioned way." is just bad-faith weaseling. Uber is worse in every way than the taxi stands that used to be at airports; now you hail a car via an expensive app and have to wait for them to all jockey to where you are if they don't bail on the way.

Taxi stands still make the most sense at events and leaving mass transit and that's even before considering the ridiculous cost. Visiting europe felt like a breath of fresh air in comparison—technically they have uber, but there was no point in using it because taxis were so prevalent, reliable, and cheap.

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Part time I went to Paris I had a 30 minute wait for a taxi at Gare du Nord.

However last time I was as Dulles I wanted straight into a taxi, having been burnt the previous time when I ordered uber while going through customs and had to wait for ages.

At Singapore Changi taxi queues can take ages, or no time at all.

In Kenya I waited for an uber for 40 minutes to have it cancelled by the driver as I saw him get close to the airport, with a message saying he had “been arrested”.

I don’t bother with uber in the U.K. any more - very rarely works. Used to be nice and reliable in cities It was in, about 10 years ago.

You can’t draw a conclusion based on personal annecdotes.

Hm, fair enough. Oddly Dulles is my local airport and I wasn't able to find any taxis the last time I flew in. Clearly I'm looking in the wrong place.

'Europe' is a big place. Lots of local variation. Here in Ireland, only taxi's are allowed on Uber. So the same people are driving on uber, freenow, and being hailed at taxi ranks (although costs vary depending on the app).

100% fair; I was referring to Spain and Portugal FYI, but I've heard very good things about Italy as well in this regard.

> Visiting europe felt like a breath of fresh air in comparison—technically they have uber, but there was no point in using it because taxis were so prevalent, reliable, and cheap.

Taxis in Shanghai have been largely replaced by app-related taxis. I have no particular knowledge of whether this moved prices up or down.

But there are two obvious changes:

1. It's now possible to get a taxi when it's raining.

2. The app drivers feel free to smoke.

Point 2 is a negative, but point 1 is a huge positive. How do European taxis respond to the rain?

TBH, Uber wouldn't be so much of a problem with decent competition. But the critical mass required for a transit app is quite difficult to establish, and Lyft offers essentially the same deal with a slightly better margin for drivers. It's a de-facto duopoly here in the US where the two companies are incentivized to drive prices as high as the market will sustain, and the local apps (for instance we have one here in DC that is a co-op) are often legislated out of existence.

> Taxis in Shanghai have been largely replaced by app-related taxis.

The APP itself isn't the issue, it's the pricing. But it sounds like China has a much healthier market than we have.

> 1. It's now possible to get a taxi when it's raining.

Why would this make so much of a difference? I'm very curious.

>> 1. It's now possible to get a taxi when it's raining.

> Why would this make so much of a difference? I'm very curious.

I have no idea.† But the fact remains that traditional taxis in Shanghai (1) leave the streets when it's raining; (2) won't stop for you when it's raining if you do see one that hasn't pulled its disappearing act yet; and (3) won't let you in even if they have stopped for you and learned where you want to go. And believe me, getting stranded in the rain sucks.

Rain is common in Shanghai at all times of the year, by the way.

† That is, I have no idea why taxi drivers refuse to take passengers when it's raining. It's obvious why taxi apps will still do so - the app allows you to contact them at all times.

> How do European taxis respond to the rain?

What do you mean? What happens with cabs when it rains where you live.

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