Uber Drops Fares 50% For SF Taxi Strike

CharlesCallistro Make logical arguments relevant to the conversation. Posts that don't actually contribute anything to the discussion beyond some profanity aren't really even worth posting are they?

Dom CharlesCallistro Not too surprising the reaction. Uber are attempting to take advantage of a strike to further their business, and even cynically co-opting the word "solidarity" as they do it. It's a pretty low thing to do, hence the reaction.

Dom CharlesCallistro I actually don't see much more to say about it. "Fuck you, scabs" seems to very neatly sum up an appropriate reaction.

TripleAES People stand in solidarity with those who don't mistreat them. The next time you and your buddies pass up the little old lady, or the not so little, not so old, maybe not so lady, standing outside Trader Joe's with her bags, trying to get a ride home, just remember who it was that created the ill will. And then stop crying about the "loss" of business none of you wanted in the first place.

As an ex-taxidriver in San Fran, I see this as a typically uninformed statement.

Understand one thing about SF taxis: this is not Manhattan where everyone rides cabs and they can be flagged down anywhere (except if you're black).

Taxis are radio dispatched here. Yes, there are street pickups, but, West of Van Ness, that's not at all the case. When a cab flies past you it is likely because it has been dispatched to a specific address.

In my day I had to ignore the "old lady at Trader Joe's" because some other citizen had the foresight to call my garage and order a ride.

TripleAES

RickinSF TripleAES 20th century: passenger calls dispatch...waits on hold with dispatch...has to find cross streets because surly dispatcher won't send to exact address...and maybe gets cab 20 minutes later

21st century: client opens app, hits two buttons, tracks car on map as it arrives in 5 minutes

mcantelon We don't believe the taxi drivers are getting a fair deal either! But understand that Uber is not only a transportation alternative for riders, but it's a very viable alternative for the drivers as well. Just talk to one of our driver partners as they are some of our largest evangelists! Bottom line, the drivers that partner with Uber love Uber.

Ryan, VP @ Uber

ryangraves So you're not competing with cab companies, but you want their drivers to work for you? Why do you suppose they are not throwing off their shackles and becoming "partners" in droves?

mcantelon ryangraves Because they're not up to Uber's standards

SammieEdwards ryangraves What are the standards Uber has that most cabbies don't live up to?

mcantelon SammieEdwards ryangraves

Off the top of my head they fall into two categories:Driver:

+ Knowledge of the city

+ Courtesy (open the door for clients)

+ Appearance (shirt and tie for insatnce)

Vehicle:

+ Type (towncar / upper-class vehicle)

+ Cleanliness (interior, smell, paint-job, etc.)

+ Additional services (free water, etc.)

Nix Ayn Rand FTW... let them eat venture capital!

dumbleadore Nope we just call ourselves Uber.

ryangraves dumbleadore You neglect the mention that you used to be called "UberCab" but changed your name because you were ordered to. You guys apparently aren't big on being straight up about things, are you? http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/24/ubercab-ordered-to-cease-and-desist/

dumbleadore this is exactly why Uber is cutting their fares, people will forced to take alternative methods of transportation, like MUNI. taking the MUNI or using Uber, both are different alternatives. it would be ridiculous to feel that taking either muni or uber would go directly against a labor situation between cab drivers and city hall.

anthony_garcia dumbleadore http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=scab

mcantelon you're adopting this page for your own cause, i can see that, the text of the post says nothing of Uber supporting anyone aside from "ordinary folks [to] get around the city." my question is that would you consider yourself a scab if you rode your bike when you would normally hail a cab in the street? are you strikebreaking driving yourself to work or taking the MUNI?

from what i read here, Uber has no voice in the matter between the cabbies and SF city hall, they are just bringing another option to the table.

anthony_garcia mcantelon Driving my bike isn't creating a leverage weakening substitute for taxis. The MUNI continuing to exist isn't creating a leverage weakening substitute for taxis. You attempting to emulate taxis by lowering your prices is. And then trying to pass this off as "solidarity"? Have some class.

mcantelon i think solidarity mentioned in the post is being misappropriated to the cab drivers when the solidarity is meant for citizens, first of all. a word of support does equate to solidarity, so i think Uber is still keeping it real.

if uber wanted to really emulate how taxi prices are changed, then they would go up. :) thanks for your perspective mcantelon , but i still dispute your argument re: muni and uber directly influencing a strike.

anthony_garcia So your "solidarity" with the people is to offer replacement work that undermines the taxi driver's strike, yet your VP says you "don't believe the taxi drivers are getting a fair deal". Nice coherent position you have there.

mcantelon anthony_garcia So they pissed off one bitter hippie. Go Uber!

SammieEdwards mcantelon anthony_garcia See, when you say things like that, you're demonstrating that the issue of union labor doesn't really mean anything to you, that it's just an ideological football you can toss around. To some of us, collective bargaining rights and union solidarity have a visceral, day-to-day meaning. This whole thing reeks of tone deaf, disconnected privilege coming from people who never had to worry about feeding a family without a college education, and it's disgusting.

beatpanda SammieEdwards mcantelon anthony_garcia Who says I don't?

SammieEdwards mcantelon anthony_garcia I'll go this far out on a limb: I don't think you know what that's like, or I would imagine you would have more sympathy for people trying to get a better wage and working conditions. I could be wrong, of course, but then I'd find it hard to understand how you can dismiss someone concerned about the workers in this situation as just "one bitter hippy".

SammieEdwards mcantelon anthony_garcia By the way, this is what solidarity looks like: http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/under-dome/2011/06/muni-operators-support-cab-strike-transit-service-won-t-be-affected

beatpanda mcantelon anthony_garcia Resorting to mob tactics just plain doesn't earn my sympathy. Innovate or get a new job. Uber innovated. Deal with it. And okay, maybe you have a point.... two bitter hippies.

SammieEdwards beatpanda anthony_garcia I don't think cynically taking advantage of someone else's vulnerbility while they strike is "innovation": more like bottomfeeding. It'll be interesting to see how Uber spitting on people trying to get a better deal plays in the long run. My guess is not so well.

JimDerwin who will you pick up when you are drunk and want to go back to house ? Who will pick up tired sick and disable lady from shopping ?? who will pick up when you have to rush for an interview ? who will pick up when you have to see your girlfriend on 10 minutes ?? buddy, those are only examples why we need cab ... We better spend time to improve service and working condition of every one. Not to introduce fucking limos who will suck our pockets..

Nickbrown JimDerwin I could have sworn this was about to be an argument for Uber, because they do all of these things really well.

LivefyreBlows "The principals and VC's wear their social liberalism like neon signs" I love this. Saw similar responses on Twitter from other folks in the space.

mhessing robertalan uber Yeah, that's why originally called themselves "UberCab": http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/24/ubercab-ordered-to-cease-and-desist/

mcantelon The taxis are striking today, 6/21/11. @Uber was last known as "UberCab" on 10/24/10. But this doesn't even matter, because Uber and taxis are different services. They use different business models, technology, and vehicles to compete for similar sets of customers. Many of the comments I read here assume that those customers *belong* to the taxis. I disagree - customers tend to choose the most cost-efficient solution available. By striking, taxis are removing themselves as an option and providing an amazing opportunity for Uber. I don't understand why anyone would give a competitor such an obvious opening, but there you have it. It's time for taxis to step up to Uber's challenge and provide better and more timely service. Are they up for it?

mhessing Uber Yeah, how crazy to think that businesses that get paid to pick people up in cars in the same geographical area are offering the same service.

"why anyone would give a competitor such an obvious opening". They probably didn't assume a bunch of yuppie scabs would so blatantly take advantage of their situation. How crazy of them to assume that others in the industry might have some class.

mcantelon Uber Well, I think the service actually is different. I can eat at a burrito stand for a few bucks, or go to a nice restaurant for a few more. Both businesses get paid to put food in my belly - but they're clearly not the same service. Same applies to taxis and Uber.

Business is about competition. If the taxi drivers don't think a competitor will take advantage of their situation, then clearly they have not seen enough competition!

"Yuppie scabs?" That is the most creative oxymoron I've heard in a very long time. I'm so using it from now on :)