# Street hails



## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

When you drive with your trade dress on, you inevitably will get people trying to hail you like a taxi. Is it actually illegal to pick them up? What if they request you through Uber? 
What do you do in that case?


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

Yes, street hails are illegal in most jurisdictions. Rideshares cannot take street hails. But it's a good question. When a cop sees somebody standing at the curb flagging you down, how does he know whether it's a street hail or just your Uber rider waving to identify himself? Is he going to check your app to verify the request?


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## UberXking (Oct 14, 2014)

nickd8775 said:


> When you drive with your trade dress on, you inevitably will get people trying to hail you like a taxi. Is it actually illegal to pick them up? What if they request you through Uber?
> What do you do in that case?


Thanks for reminding me of the good times. Before the string of unnecessary rate cuts, I often gave free rides.
Since it is illegal for us to pick up hales and riders who are at the airport can't get the closest car. There were situations where a pax was waiting at the same place for over an hour
I'd roll down my window and ask are you waiting for an Uber. Then ask them how long. I'd just say get in usually took 2 or 3 times. Always blew their mind. Can't afford to give service like that today.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

nickd8775 said:


> When you drive with your trade dress on, you iwill get people trying to hail you like a taxi. Is it actually illegal to pick them up?
> 
> What if they request you through Uber?


Yes, it is illegal to accept street hails on UberX, Uber Black or any of the others EXCEPT Uber Taxi. As Uber uses regular licenced taxicabs in the markets where it offers taxis, they can accept street hails. If a TNC driver accepts a street hail, the police, hack inspectors or sheriff's deputies will issue and summons and impound the car. If Uber finds out that you are accepting street hails, it will de-activate you--NO WARNINGS. Uber finds out about it, as a rule, if someone complains.

If someone wants to try me on UberX through the application, I will do it under two conditions:

1. The police, hack inspectors or sheriff's deputies are not looking. Even if someone walks up to you and tries to book you through the application, regulators, enforcement and Uber tend to put this in the class of a street hail, so if someone is looking I do not sit there and wait to see if it comes to me.

2. The user must understand that he has to accept whatever the application sends him. If it sends me, fine, get in (under the conditions of #1), If it sends him another Uber, he must wait for that Uber.

If he agrees, "Try it".

Do understand that I drive both UberX and Uber Taxi. Uber does not mind if an Uber user hails my cab on the street then decides to pay through Uber. In that case, if the application sends another Uber taxi, I will tell the user to cancel and try again. This is useful for street hails who are late to a meeting, about to miss a train or want to be on some aeroplane that left one hour past. The credit card terminals in the taxis here are slow. If they ping me through Uber, they need not wait and get an e-Mailer receipt. While on the last subject, there are those who prefer the e-Mailed receipt because they need not submit a paper one to Accounting. Instead, they forward the e-Mailed receipt to Accounting and get re-imbursed. Uber Taxi charges a two dollar user fee, here, but since they are being re-imbursed, they do not care.

There is the long answer. The short answer is to make sure that no one is looking and be sure that the user will not complain to Uber about you, for any reason. If the user, in mid-trip, suddenly decides that he does not like the route that you are using, if he complains to Uber, he could tell Uber how he got you. If he does, it is curtains for you.



Coachman said:


> Yes, street hails are illegal in most jurisdictions.
> 
> When a cop sees somebody standing at the curb flagging you down, how does he know whether it's a street hail or just your Uber rider waving to identify himself? Is he going to check your app to verify the request?


Indeed they are illegal.

Do not laugh, Coachman, but the police, hack inspectors and sheriff's deputies here WILL check your Uberfone to make sure that you have a request on it. If you do not, produce your licence, registration, insurance card and be careful that the police tow truck that is backing up to your vehicle does not hit you.


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## Huberis (Mar 15, 2015)

nickd8775 said:


> When you drive with your trade dress on, you inevitably will get people trying to hail you like a taxi. Is it actually illegal to pick them up? What if they request you through Uber?
> What do you do in that case?


If you drive in Philly, PA a decent amount, read up on SB984 making its way through Harrisburg. It discusses such topics and outlines the consequences. SB984 makes it clear that drivers can not arrenge rides through any other means than the app itself. The rules are currently more or less in place already, but the bill creates a TNC commission, paid for by the TNC companies through fees. There are lots of possible consequences to SB984 check it out...... The biggest change: intent to enforce what is already on the books.


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## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

All day everyday. I make them pay cash or square reader though. I.e, I keep all the fare.


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## tradedate (Nov 30, 2015)

dirtylee said:


> All day everyday. I make them pay cash or square reader though. I.e, I keep all the fare.


That's a dangerous game. And they are not covered under Uber insurance in case of an accident.


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## AF_Vet (Dec 15, 2015)

nickd8775 said:


> When you drive with your trade dress on, you inevitably will get people trying to hail you like a taxi. Is it actually illegal to pick them up? What if they request you through Uber?
> What do you do in that case?


Leave the street hails to the big boys, i.e. the local taxi companies that charge riders 3 to 5 times what goober ALLOWS us to charge.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

AF_Vet said:


> Leave the street hails to the big boys, i.e. the local taxi companies that charge riders 3 to 5 times what goober ALLOWS us to charge.


Is the Uber fare in that part of Florida only one-third the taxi fare?


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## AF_Vet (Dec 15, 2015)

Another Uber Driver said:


> Is the Uber fare in that part of Florida only one-third the taxi fare?


Actually less than 1/3 when you factor in the $3.50 for the first drop and $6.30 for the first mile.

Here are the rates of one local cab company:

$3.50 - First Drop to 1/7 mile
($6.30 first mile)

.40 - Each 1/7 Mile Thereafter
($2.80 per mile)

$2.00 - Each Additional Passenger

plus 40 cents per 48 seconds to wait!


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

AF_Vet said:


> Actually less than 1/3 when you factor in


Thank you for the information.


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## phillipzx3 (May 26, 2015)

From a popular


AF_Vet said:


> Leave the street hails to the big boys, i.e. the local taxi companies that charge riders 3 to 5 times what goober ALLOWS us to charge.


popular downtown hotel in Portland, Or to PDX the price difference between a cab and UberX is less than 3 bucks. If UberXL is ordered, it can cost twice what a taxi (van) costs. This business that Uber is cheaper than a taxi is hogwash.

Oh....and the cab will have legitimate insurance, unlike many Uber drivers.

Portland taxi rates:
$2.50 flag drop
$2.60 per mile
.50 cents per minute waiting time

And no surge.


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## AF_Vet (Dec 15, 2015)

phillipzx3 said:


> From a popular
> 
> popular downtown hotel in Portland, Or to PDX the price difference between a cab and UberX is less than 3 bucks. If UberXL is ordered, it can cost twice what a taxi (van) costs. This business that Uber is cheaper than a taxi is hogwash.
> 
> ...


"This business that Uber is cheaper than a taxi is hogwash."... Sing it... "I want to be an airborne ranger....." I never understood why you wanted to jump out of our perfectly good airplanes.... anyway, I digress. Fact: Uber IS 3 plus times cheaper than a taxi HERE. .. That is all. Carry on soldier.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

AF_Vet said:


> "This business that Uber is cheaper than a taxi is hogwash."... Uber IS 3 plus times cheaper than a taxi HERE. .. .


In some places it is, in some places it _*ain't*_. While the per-mile rates for UberX are slightly lower than those of a taxi in New York City, according to drivers there on both sides as well as customers, *there ain't all that much diff'rence in the price at the end of the trip.
*
UberX must have rolled out recently in Portland, Oregon. I can remember, recently, that my customers from there told me that it was not available. When UberX launches in a new market, the rates are up there to lure drivers. Once Uber gets enough drivers, those drivers will be receiving the e-Mails...................

*GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*


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## Larry-AMS (Feb 24, 2015)

$5.00 base + $3.00 per mile...payable by credit card that I hold during the trip and charge on Square or exchange for Cash at the end of the ride! Oh yeah, no tipping required!


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