Taxi drivers in Boston and other major cities are angry that Uber is cutting into their fares.
This spring the Boston Taxi Drivers Association held a protest at Uber headquarters, and they are asking the City of Boston to either shut down Uber or subject Uber to stricter regulations.
The Cambridge Licensing Commission had a tension-filled hearing a few months ago about a proposal to label Uber a limousine service and force them to charge a $50 minimum per ride.
Then today I got an in-app notice that Boston's Mayor, Marty Walsh, is doing a survey about taxis and "ride sourcing" services. Collecting that kind of information seems innocent but I have a sickening feeling that it could also be used to shut down Uber. The space for additional comments was kind of small considering how much I have to say, so I pulled this old diary draft out of mothballs and decided to publish today so I can reference it in my response to the survey.
Below the jump is my extended testimony about why I hope I never have to go back to calling cabs.
I used to be a frequent taxi taker. Since my 18 year old car died in 2010 I've depended on taxis when I need to get somewhere fast or when I am running late. This is pretty much all the time, at least several times a week. I put a certain amount of money in my monthly budget for taxi taking. It is a lot less than it would cost me to make a car payment every month, and I do not have to buy gas, pay for insurance, cover unexpected repairs or pay for parking (and parking tickets). Plus I get door to door service and don't have long walks from inconvenient parking locations, which was really difficult for me when I could not walk as well as I can now.
I especially need a taxi on my way to work on early Sunday mornings, when there are not many taxis available. My commute is only about 10 minutes by taxi but almost two hours by public transportation because it takes four buses, or a bus to a subway to a bus, or three buses and a 15 minute walk, or a bus to a subway to a 15 minute walk, at a time when buses and subways do not run very frequently.
Sometimes I would call the taxi on Sunday and it would come right away, but sometimes it took 30-45 minutes to get a cab. It was completely unpredictable. Plus I have the kind of job where it inconveniences a lot of people when I am even a few minutes late, and getting up even earlier on Sunday to make sure there was time for a 45 minute cab wait seemed ridiculous. I live in a major city that ought to have reliable cab service!
When I am at work in Cambridge, most Cambridge taxis only take cash. I usually carry very little cash on me, but I got in the habit of keeping a "taxi twenty" in my wallet. Sometimes at the end of a long day, especially in bad weather, I would long for a taxi home instead of waiting for the bus to Allston that only runs once an hour, or taking the T all the way downtown and back out to Brighton (and that's after a walk down dark streets to get to the subway).
People told me about Uber for months. One morning after a particularly horrible taxi experience left me sitting at a bus stop calling my office to explain why I was so late, a bystander overheard my conversation and after I hung up she mentioned Uber. I had heard of Uber, but had never talked to anyone who used it. This woman explained how it worked and told me Uber was more expensive than a regular taxi, but I was still interested, since there are times when I have an emergency trip and paying a few extra dollars would be worth it to me.
A few weeks after the conversation at the bus stop with the Uber fan, I was late for a meeting because once again the taxi I called pulled away from my door without notice before I could get down the stairs. I called the dispatcher in frustration and vented. They know me and know my voice bcause I take so many taxis. I laughingly thought of myself as a good customer. The joke was on me.
"What is going on?" I asked. "This is happening a lot all of a sudden—four times in the last few weeks! The reason I use your taxi company instead of the others is your promise to give me a call when the cab arrives. Why have they stopped doing it?" "I can't make them call you, ma'am," the dispatcher said. "Well then why should I bother to use you instead of the other companies that don't have call out?" "Well maybe you should use another taxi company then" she snapped, leaving me dumbfounded. She was actually telling me that if I didn't like the service I should use another service? Well, so much for Captain Obvious. As I sputtered, trying to think of a response, she barked "Do you want me to send another cab or not?" "Yes," I squeaked out, meek and defeated, through angry tears.
That was the last time I called a taxi.
I downloaded the Uber app that day, and used it for the first time the following Sunday. I have not called a cab since then, and do not plan to, unless they manage to shut the Uber service down, which various folks are trying very hard to do.
Compare for yourself. Here is a narrative of my usual Boston taxi experience:
Call a cab.
Wait on hold while music plays and a recording tells me repeatedly that if I don't like waiting on hold I can use their taxi ordering app. Their app did not work with my android phone in spite of repeated attempts on my part and frequent assurances from them that it "ought to" work with my android.
After waiting on hold for a while, talk to a grumpy dispatcher, who asks me for my phone number and my destination and my name. There was one dispatcher who knew my voice, but if I got one of the other ones, it was rare that they would get the information the first time. So there is lots of frustrated repetition and repeated spelling just to give them the basic information. "Are you paying with a voucher today?" they often ask, even though I have never paid with a voucher and don't even know what they are. Finally they admitted they just wanted to know whether I was paying with cash. When I had cash I always said so, knowing it would make the cab come faster.
The dispatcher then gives me a waiting estimate—"five to fifteen minutes"—that means absolutely nothing.
After 15 minutes, if I have not gotten the call out, I go downstairs and wait for the cab so I can jump in as soon as it comes. After a few more minutes of waiting, I call back. "Hi, is the taxi coming?" "Yes, he's on the way" or "He will be there in five minutes" or "He's right down the street/around the corner/half a mile away" or the dreaded "He came and left already—you weren't outside."
When the cab does come, sometimes it is way down the street because the driver "forgot" the address or heard it wrong. The driver sits impatiently as I walk to the taxi carrying all my stuff and pulling my rolling bag behind me. Then I fold my big and tall self into the back seat. The front seat is pushed back as far as it will go, giving the driver all the leg room and leaving almost no leg room for passengers. The seat can't be moved forward because it is bolted to a security shield. My rolling bag usually causes an argument, even if I put the wheels up so they don't touch the seat. once in a while they pop the trunk open so I can put my bag in there.
Explaining the destination is another adventure. I give the address and I get "what street is that near" or "do you know how to get there"? So many taxi drivers in the Boston area either have no idea where anything is, or deliberately take roundabout routes for a higher fare, or both. The frequent language barrier can make it hard to explain things that should not have to be explained: Copley Square--COPP lee, not Poppy! The confusing nature of Boston streets makes it even worse: "not Washington Street in Brighton, Washington Street downtown!" or "not Harvard Street in Cambridge, Harvard Street in Brookline!". Then there are just crazy choices: no, don't take the Mass Pike West from Cambridge to get to Fenway Park!
Then the ride is a matter of constant vigilance to make sure the driver takes the best route possible. Questions like "Do you live around here?" "Are you going to work?" and "Are you going home?" and other attempts to find out if you know where you are going let them know if they can take the long way and get a higher fare on the meter. So it's a constant stream of "Please don't turn that way, that's a one way street going the wrong way." "No, please don't take the roundabout route on Storrow Drive to 'avoid the lights', take the direct route down Xxxxx Street." Any hope of checking email or getting any other work done during the ride is impossible.
After we reach the destination, the real fun begins as the driver tries to get me to pay cash. I am in a taxi because I am in a rush, so the last thing I want is a prolonged argument.
I pull out my debit card and swipe.
"My card machine isn't working,"
Sometimes this is not even true, they are just trying to get you to pay cash. I always swipe anyway even when they say that. That's how I know they frequently lie about it. I say at the same time "But you're not allowed to take out a taxi with a broken credit card machine."
"Do you know I have to pay 6.5% fee on credit cards?"
"I'll give you a little extra tip to make up for that." Some of them are so math challenged that they will claim it costs them an extra $2.00 on a $15 fare. Or maybe they are just lying about that too.
"Are you sure you don't have cash?"
These days I carry as little cash as possible, but when they give me a really hard time I pull out my wallet and rifle through all kinds of receipts and scrap paper looking for bills. At night I have to ask them to turn the interior light on. The majority of the time the interior light is broken, or so dim I can't see anything in the back seat (the light is in the front for the driver to be able to see).
If I were an unscrupulous person, I would say well, you can have $10 cash or I can swipe my card for $18. Your choice. I know that some of the them would take the cash, since they need it to buy gas or just to have cash in their pockets.
After the driver has reluctantly agreed that I can pay with my preferred method, I fumble with the swipe machine because the touch screen makes it hard to enter in a tip amount unless you pick one of the pre-determined choices of 20%, 25% or 30%! I usually do give 20%, but I like to put in an amount that rounds to an even dollar.
Finally the fare is paid. I get my wallet back into my bag, and zip it up, or put it in my pocket if I am in a real hurry. I struggle out of the cramped back seat with my things while the driver insincerely mutters "take your time".
Compare that with this:
I tap the Uber app on my phone. I see a map showing my location, and little car icons moving on the streets that represent the Ubers in the area. In the center is an estimate of about how long it will take for a car to arrive. If the arrival time estimate is less than 5 minutes (and it usually is), I make sure I am completely ready before I actually ask for a car.
The app remembers my address, locating me by a combination of GPS and the addresses I enter most frequently, so I do not have to type it out. I confirm that is where I am. After I request a car, I get a screen message from the app showing the approximate arrival time, the name of the driver, the make and model of his/her car, and the license plate. I also get a notification/text message with the name of the driver and the estimated arrival time. On the map, all the car icons have disappeared except the one that is coming to get me. I can see by watching the screen exactly what street the driver is on and how close. There is also a button that lets me call the driver or send a text to the driver.
Often by the time I get my keys and bag and walk down the stairs the car is already there.
If I am not there when the driver arrives, he will call me through the app (he does not get my phone number) to let me know he is outside. If I need another minute he will wait. I always tell them they can start the meter/timer on me if I need more than a minute.
When I walk out of the door, 95% of the time the Uber driver gets out to help put my bags in the trunk, even if it is raining (they often carry umbrellas). Then, seeing my height, they pull the front passenger seat forward giving me more leg room. Without being asked.
The cars are clean—the seats, the floors and even the trunk. They all have seat belts. They all have working air conditioning. They all have working heat. They all have GPS. Some drivers put small bottles of water and granola bars or other snacks in a tray or pouch accessible from the back seat.
Before I get in the car I have entered the address where I am going. (The app remembers the destinations I go to most often so I do not have to type them out.) When the car comes I just get in. Then I can sit back and make calls, check email, check Twitter, read posts on Daily Kos, listen to music or the radio on my phone, or even take a ten minute nap. If I ask them to put on the ball game or WBUR or say I want to ride in silence they comply without argument.
The seat is comfortable, the temperature is appropriate. The ride is pleasant.
But this is the best part.
When I reach my destination, I get out of the car and go. The driver retrieves my bag from the trunk, if I have one. Sometimes they even open the passenger door for me while I am checking to make sure I have all my belongings.
It is easy to get out of the car because of the extra leg room, and someone holding the door. I do not have to argue about the fare. I can leave my wallet safely buried at the bottom of my bag. Tipping is not required, although sometimes I do give an extra dollar or two if the trip was very short or the ride was very pleasant. Tipping is actually and truly OPTIONAL.
Twice I accidentally left something in the car and the driver, checking the back seat after I got out, returned it to me before he pulled away. And if I ever leave something in the car and remember it after the fact, it is easy to contact the driver.
SO much easier than taking a taxi. In every possible way.
No wait, THIS is the best part.
Right now, it costs less than a taxi ride.
In the summer of 2014 they had a special discount, apparently because people use fewer cabs in good weather. Uber offered a 25% discount off the already cheaper than a taxi price. This caused a major stir in Manhattan, because it made Uber cheaper than the taxis there for the first time.
I would pay MORE than a taxi ride for this level of service. But then I would not be able to take it as often. The woman who talked to me at the bus that day might have been thinking of Uber XL or Uber Black, which are more expensive. The regular Uber X cars are good enough for me.
After the ride is over, I get a screen message from the app asking me to rate the driver from 1 to 5 stars. Drivers have to have an average higher than 4 stars to be able to work. I also get an emailed receipt that I can print out for tax files or reimbursement if needed--with the cost breakdown (distance, time, and "safe ride" service fee) and a little drawing of the GPS route taken.
The cherry on top: the rating screen also has a place where you can type in a comment. One time when I was using the service in Manhattan, the driver took a roundabout route, claiming he was avoiding traffic and construction by not going the way I wanted to go. I did not think the guy was deliberately scamming me so I gave the ride 5 stars but I typed in the comment section: "did not take most direct route"
The next day I got an email from Uber:
I can see that the route was not the best. I’ve adjusted the fare down to $14, which reflects our estimate for what this trip typically costs. The difference has been refunded to your account, and will be available within the next 1-3 business days.
Oh. My. God. A REFUND? A frakkin $10 REFUND? Because they checked the GPS route and saw that the driver drove me all around midtown? Wow and wow. There are no words to describe my astonishment, and this diary is way too long now anyway.
Various committees and commissions and task forces all around the world are trying to stop Uber. Cab companies would rather put googobs of money into fighting Uber than improve their own service.
If I have to go back to taxis, I'll deal with it somehow. But for now, Uber is the best thing that ever happened to my transportation needs. In some ways—the ability to get work done or relax in transit, door to door service with no need to buy insurance or gas; no need to search for parking spaces or pay for parking, no need to walk to and from parking spaces (yes it is good exercise but sometimes I am in too big of a rush)—it is even better than having my own car.
This diary may be TL/DR for a lot of people, but I've been meaning to put this stuff in writing for some time now, and seeing Mayor Walsh's survey made me decide to publish today.
If traditional taxi companies want to offer tracking apps that work, clean comfortable cars, courteous drivers, and automatic credit card payments, nothing is stopping them from doing so. Oh, except the higher profit they make by paying no attention to customer service when they were the only game in town!
Uber. Everyone's Private Driver.TM They may lose a legal round or two, but their technology and business model is clearly the future. Ultimately there is no way to stop private car owners from using modern technology to get paid for giving people rides.