# I must ask you uber drivers



## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


Prior it was a job that you had to invest money to begin, you are forced into working long hours to pay back the lease just to see a profit and like you said with a heavy cash business it is dangerous. Now if you already have a car there is no investment, I can go out for 1 hour or 12 it is my choice and it is 99% a cashless business, who wants to rob someone where they won't get green. Stealing a car is risky, it is huge, identifiable and not worth the risk to most criminals.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

I never said anything about a heavy cash business. And your flexibilty has existed in most markets for over 400 years. The inherent danger exists because of the nature of the business, whether motivated by money or other issues, obviously shown by this site. Consistently having a stranger in your back seat is questionable period. And the technology available today is used by my company, the majority of my business is charge accounts or credit cards, yet the passenger doesn't change. You're a taxi driver, period, and the methods of crime change with technology.


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## painfreepc (Jul 17, 2014)

Uber tells everyone we make $200 to $500 per day driving uberX, criminal knows most people carry an ATM card, we look like pretty good targets to me..


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Exactly, criminals adapt, just like technology. Uber wants you to think they reinvented the wheel. They did, only it has nails in it that didn't exist before.


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## elelegido (Sep 24, 2014)

hrcabbie said:


> I never said anything about a heavy cash business. And your flexibilty has existed in most markets for over 400 years.


It feels like I've been Ubering at least 400 years. Time to find an easier way to earn a living.


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## volksie (Apr 8, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Exactly, criminals adapt, just like technology. Uber wants you to think they reinvented the wheel. They did, only it has nails in it that didn't exist before.


I agree with everything you've said in this forum. Regardless of what happens to Uber, I'm an experienced driver now.
The more trades you have in your back pocket the better off you are! Plus, I'm enjoying it.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Very well put volksie, just watch your back. PLEASE all of you watch your back, I didn't one time and it almost cost me my life. Be careful and alert at all times.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Uber tries to portray this business as a friend giving a friend a ride for loads of money. If that were the case then the taxi business would have a years long waiting list for drivers and uber would be a moot point, actually non-existent. Their disregard for the drivers makes me ill.


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## Micmac (Jul 31, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


Indeed they are cab drivers!!!


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## ATX 22 (Jun 17, 2015)

I do it to supplement my income. I do watch my 6 constantly, and trust no one. Having a car that qualified for select in my market has helped. I enjoy the challenge of making it semi-profitable, and I like the social aspect. I'm not a big fan of young drunkards, though. Never knew before just how bad 2 or 3 drunks could smell at 2am.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

limepro said:


> Prior it was a job that you had to invest money to begin, you are forced into working long hours to pay back the lease just to see a profit and like you said with a heavy cash business it is dangerous. Now if you already have a car there is no investment, I can go out for 1 hour or 12 it is my choice and it is 99% a cashless business, who wants to rob someone where they won't get green. Stealing a car is risky, it is huge, identifiable and not worth the risk to most criminals.


Except...
Your $22,000 car will be toast in 30 months, JUST like a cab.
See, the car can't tell the difference if it's yellow or has a U On the windshield.
All it knows is its getting the crap bear out of it.
Sounds like a $22,000 investment metered out over 30 months to me.


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## ATX 22 (Jun 17, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile is correct, most are just too blinded by dollar signs to admit it.


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## volksie (Apr 8, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Very well put volksie, just watch your back. PLEASE all of you watch your back, I didn't one time and it almost cost me my life. Be careful and alert at all times.


Thanks for the reminder about this dangerous job. I don't drive nights because I don't see the value in it. That removes a lot of problems. (If I can't see their eyes they're not getting in my car!).
It blows my mind how many riders have tried to bring open containers into my van though! Like it's ok because they aren't driving. I canceled on some golfers Friday (daytime drunks), because they wouldn't throw out their drinks. The looks on their faces as I drove away was priceless!


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## DrivingStPete (Jul 30, 2015)

Hrcabbie, you seem to be suggesting that rides share, or whatever you choose to call it, has not created a market and customers that as you noticed was not always there. In fact it has.

It's a dangerous world. People get killed at movie theaters, at schools, in churches. In my overall experience I've found driving uber pax pleasant. But we should all be vigilant.

If someone is going to ping a driver to steal their atm or cc cards, that criminal was going to do that anyway, whether it was a taxi, uber, or city or school bus driver. Targeting cards would seem a different sort of criminal, I'd think.


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## Oh My (Dec 26, 2014)

hrcabbie said:


> Uber tries to portray this business as a friend giving a friend a ride for loads of money. If that were the case then the taxi business would have a years long waiting list for drivers and uber would be a moot point, actually non-existent. Their disregard for the drivers makes me ill.


You have to realize that most Uber drivers, including myself, misused the "rideshare" concept as using our personal vehicles as a source of income as a *********. And that's what Uber was, and still is, relying on.

I knew upfront it was a temporary full-time gig for me.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

I used to always say "you can't create cab business, either somebody needs a ride and can pay for it or take the bus". Well I was wrong. But I didn't anticipate someone coming along and offering that ride for 50% off. Now thatwill create some business. And a lot of people are going to get screwed in the process. Welcome to uber.


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## DrivingStPete (Jul 30, 2015)

People get screwed in every industry.

You have to remember you are in control. You are the owner of your actions and behaviors. There are consequences for your choices.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Anybody who reads this please understand my position, "we are in this together, we are the same". It's tough enough to drive a cab, it just sucks to see what uber has done, most notably to the majority of you guys.


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## Adbam (Jun 25, 2015)

I agree that the 2 businesses are close to the same. 

You are forgetting that anyone can call a cab. Only someone with a smart phone and proper payment attached can summon an uber. I guarantee that the person that caused you harm did not give you his cell phone number and credit card number before he did something.

Also cabs can do street hails. Those are 2 random ways an anonymous person with bad intentions can get inside a cab to do bad things. Uber is still dangerous but a cab is more dangerous.

Steeling a credit card doesn't guarantee any money. Cabs have to carry cash to give change.


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## painfreepc (Jul 17, 2014)

if a bad guy takes someone smartphone that has the uber/lyft client app, can now request a ride,
both clients and drivers are never asked to log-in to use the app, unless they have logged-out and who doses that.

On the lyft client app, if bad guy has the phone, can still log-in, even if you log out, 
if bad guy can some how get or see the code that lyft will send to your phone, that bad guy can now even log-in from any phone.


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

Hrcabbie,

I took a day to digest your initial post. Yes. My multi-facited business contains a taxi which operates on the Uber app. It especially hit home when I was presented with paperwork that will allow me to operate _legally _in a small city that is in the "zone" of the city in which I am a partner (haha). This is what opened my eyes.

"_Taxicab _means and includes any vehicle . . . as capable of use in the city to carry passengers for hire. Any such vehicle, whether metered or not, whether compensated by time or by the mile or per trip or on some other monetary basis (excluding limousines) is a *taxicab*." (Underlining & boldness per poster)

My previous impression of a cabbie was they accepted greenbacks only. Uber showed me that CCs would make these ride less appealing to a thief because I am not carrying cash.

As far as being "dangerous," I know picking up "hitch hikers" is not w/o danger. I do not find cabbies listed as the top 10 (or even top 25) dangerous jobs. I worked the graveyard shift for 7 years in a convenience store. Two of the stores I worked in were robbed although I was not the clerk on duty at the time.

I do believe that TNC/TCP drivers should be held to the same standards as a taxi driver for 1) the public's safety and 2) the city they "partner" with can keep tabs on how many TNC cabs have been authorized. I went through the FBI background check, as well as a drug test. The insurance I need to fill the gap left by Uber will be in place Wednesday so I can begin driving.

I am interested in attending a PD orientation for cab drivers because there maybe information given out that would help more in my driving. I am open to suggestions from cabbies, also.

J What I Learned.


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## ReviTULize (Sep 29, 2014)

hrcabbie said:


> Exactly, criminals adapt, just like technology. Uber wants you to think they reinvented the wheel. They did, only it has nails in it that didn't exist before.


Ha!! I can just see it...
"Yo!! Give me your SmartChip RFID-enabled debit card, so I can tap it against my square reader!!!...NOW! MF or I'll shoot!!"

All while holding the gun sideways cuz that's what they've seen in every gangsta movie. Those are the types that scare me the most, because they don't know what they're doing


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Actually technology has seriously advanced in the taxi industry. In my company you would be almost foolish to rob us, not meaning it wont happen. I can hit a button and ensure that you are brought on the big screen and everything that happens can be seen and heard. I can have the cops on my ass in less than a minute and you'll never know. Crime isn't always about money. I'm actually stunned at the number of female drivers now, both in cabs and uber. From standpoint they are equally dangerous, just my opinion.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

I actually haven't recently checked where cab driving ranks in terms of most danderous, but my comments used to be correct. Maybe the advances in technology and safety have deemed it less dangerous, I don't know. I'll change my statement to simply "it's a dangerous job in my opinion".


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Except...
> Your $22,000 car will be toast in 30 months, JUST like a cab.
> See, the car can't tell the difference if it's yellow or has a U On the windshield.
> All it knows is its getting the crap bear out of it.
> Sounds like a $22,000 investment metered out over 30 months to me.


$32k car, my car sees about average mileage whether I was going to a day job or not around 100 miles a day. I used to drive more for my day job than I do for Uber, I also put money aside for incidents including replacing it. I paid cash for this car and I'll pay cash for my next one. Will my car get a little bit more wear and tear? Of course it will, unlike a cab it isn't being run 24/7 and another thing going is the 2.0 diesel is proven to last 300k miles or more and still maintain its resale which is why I bought it new vs used because even used I would have spent the same amount.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

We spend around 10k for a used car with approx 30000 miles on it between 1 and 3 years old. Barring an accident we can get almost 400000 miles out of it becore it's retired. Our cabs get inspected 4 times a year by the police, and MUST be in very good conxition to pass. We service our cars every 3000 miles, and thats a full service,not just an oil change. If our cars aren't right they don't go on the road until they are. 24/7 is actually immaterial, it's the number of miles obtained, total cost and total profit combined.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

All of aforementioned is used to obtain the proper price to charge for all parties involved to achieve a reasonable profit. Cutting that charge in half, as uber has done, is insane. Somebody's going to lose, I think most know who that is.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> We spend around 10k for a used car with approx 30000 miles on it between 1 and 3 years old. Barring an accident we can get almost 400000 miles out of it becore it's retired. Our cabs get inspected 4 times a year by the police, and MUST be in very good conxition to pass. We service our cars every 3000 miles, and thats a full service,not just an oil change. If our cars aren't right they don't go on the road until they are. 24/7 is actually immaterial, it's the number of miles obtained, total cost and total profit combined.


Exactly a well taken care of vehicle will last as long as you want it to.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> All of aforementioned is used to obtain the proper price to charge for all parties involved to achieve a reasonable profit. Cutting that charge in half, as uber has done, is insane. Somebody's going to lose, I think most know who that is.


Uber isn't perfect but neither are cabs, most of the cost of a cab ride goes back to the person you are leasing from unless you are an owner/operator your earnings are no better than with Uber.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

When a taxi driver starts for the day they are in the hole the lease fee. So lets say you are in a big metro like Miami where a lease is $90 per day, you must make $90 in fares before you make any profit.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Well I'm sorry that the cab drivers don't do well in your market. As far as me being no better off than an uber driver, not on this planet. Yesterday - crazy busy - toatal bookings - $30.13 per hour - expenses - $7.27 per hour - total hours - 13. You do the math. Plus I quit at 7pm and let uber deal with drunks.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

limepro said:


> Exactly a well taken care of vehicle will last as long as you want it to.


Keep telling yourself this.
I THINK i can 
I THINK I can
I THINK I can

...afford to replace the front and rear headgaskets.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

That was funny TwoFiddyMile. We actually deal with shitty manufactured trannys in our cars. After 100k it's a crap shoot until we put a new ****** in it. Thats cheaper than spending more money on a different model, overall same nice ride and we pop a ****** in it in a day, back on the road.


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> "it's a dangerous job in my opinion".


I agree taxi driving can be dangerous.


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## Uberectile Dysfunction (Aug 19, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


I was in a line for taxidriver applicants, the only one maybe but there wasnt enough flexibility to make it a second job, which I was looking for. With this, its perfect, way easy to start and all the flexibility of an olympian gymnast. Now, ill agree with you on any Tom Dick Harry and Sue can do it and maybe, like 90% of all types of drivers on the road, pry dont understand the risks. Ive had a class A Cdl for 8 years with much experience, but thats me, it seemed like a viable, rational option for me. Thanks for recognizing us as Taxis, that means alot because that is what we are, as well as ICs, owner operators, bookkeepers, marketing managers, middlemen, and hopefully, safe, cautious, curtious, focused, experienced drivers.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

painfreepc gets it. You're drunk ass doesn't notice that your phone is gone. The savy criminal uses it to order uberblack, ensuring that the trip is more than worthwhile, after ensuring that his trip will give him the opportunity to have momment of isolation, he then puts a 38 to the side of your head, steals your 50000 vehichle and leaves you on the side of the road, if you're lucky and he doesn't eliminate you. Criminals adapt, cash doesn't matter so much anymore. Please remember that, it's easy to let your guard down for a momment, then it's too late.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

I seldom get paid in cash anymore. I simply worry about psychos.
Remember kids, just because your car isn't yellow (or any of the garish colors we use in the taxi biz), that U doesn't protect you from Patrick Bateman. He's hip to be square, he likes your business card, Phil Collins, and he owns a smart phone.


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## itsablackmarket (May 12, 2015)

I don't see what's stopping someone from identifying Uber pax waiting alone on the road at 3 AM, robbing their phone and sending them running another direction so the thief can hijack the ride, and then forcing the driver to the ATM to withdraw his daily limit, then steal the car and phone when they're done. Easy. Plenty of opportunities for this to happen, and with Uber's no gun policy for pax/drivers, if they're obeying the rules, they won't be able to defend themselves and the driver from this situation before the driver arrives.

Now if Uber drivers could afford higher end cars with better security systems, that is one thing that would deter thieves from stealing their cars. But most Uber drivers are in basic 10-20k vehicles that do not have high end security systems. Thieves have only Uber to thank for this, with their low rates.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Thanks guys. My point about the danger aspect destroys uber's model that a cashless transaction ensures your safety. As I said before, taxis have been around for over 400 years, the first known regulations, to my knowledge, were in England by a king I don't recall at this momment. We've doing this for a long time and technology won't change the substance of it. My company can put you on the road quickly, but not without a considerable amount of knowledge for what you are engaging in. We don't just hand you the keys to car and say good luck. Uber does, but you already have the keys, so good luck.


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## DrivingStPete (Jul 30, 2015)

Nothing ensures your safety.


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## Sacto Burbs (Dec 28, 2014)

hrcabbie said:


> All of aforementioned is used to obtain the proper price to charge for all parties involved to achieve a reasonable profit. Cutting that charge in half, as uber has done, is insane. Somebody's going to lose, I think most know who that is.


Lil ole me?


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## MarkR (Jul 26, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


I know right? I tell them in at least 1 email a-day how we ARE employees since they have insurance on us. That makes them my employer. ****ING FUNNY!!!!


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Keep telling yourself this.
> I THINK i can
> I THINK I can
> I THINK I can
> ...


Just because you have no money in your account doesn't mean we are all in the same boat. And head gaskets are a $60 fix with 3-5 hours of my own time. They also aren't known to go bad in the new diesels, the old 1.8t non diesel used to sludge and rot gaskets.


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## poopy (Jun 28, 2015)

Holy smokes, hrcabbie...

Glad you're still with us.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Thank you poopy. So am I.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

Wow when I first started reading I was gonna make a reference to a sublime song but after finishing I'm glad you are ok. Did they get the guy? There couldn't have been to many active duties at that hotel it would be quite easy to figure out who he was.


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## KofiTaxi (Aug 18, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Anybody who reads this please understand my position, "we are in this together, we are the same". It's tough enough to drive a cab, it just sucks to see what uber has done, most notably to the majority of you guys.


we're fighting back a bit in new york. we got this new app called arro (google it to read more about it...articles in new york observer, wired, and new york daily news). already has 2500 downloads just this weekend. does the same exact thing as uber without the surge pricing and new york is their beta market. will be rolling out to boston/DC and Chicago next. i think another competitor will help tremendously in keeping uber a bit more honest and treating as a bit more fairly.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Good luck Tofi Taxi, we have been doing the same in Hampton Roads. Customer service isn't everything, it's the only thing. Cab on


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

You can't destroy a billion dollar indrustry overnight, that dumbass from uber thought he could, he will ultimately lose market share because of greed, but that doesn't matter, he will make his money and move on, while disrupting many lives in the process. Very sad.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> You can google it, the piece of garbage is Cedric Plather, his uncle is Hardee Davis, both from Augusta, Ga. The piece of shit still walks the streets, if anybody reading this ubers in Augusta, if it's available, please google him, you can see his picture and ensure your safety.


That it shitty, just read the overturn of conviction, seems he got out over a technicality but you could still go after him in civil and take anything and everything he owns.


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## MarkR (Jul 26, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> April 10,2007. I pick up an active duty member of the United States Navy at a local motel in Hampton, Va. He is very cordial and directs me to the local Walmart less than 2 miles away. His wife's car broke down and he is going to retrieve it. He directs me to a specific burgandy car parked on the north side of the building. He was quite nice and I felt completely at ease. I did not notice that he had moved from the passenger side of the back seat to the driver's side of the back seat. While waiting to be paid for the $5.00 fare, which lasted about 30 seconds, he pulled a knife out, slashed my throat and stabbed me in the back 4 times. I miracuously escaped the vehichle and stumbled into the front entrance of the Walmart, where 2 off duty emt's happened to be at the right place at the right time. They saved my life as I was bleeding profusely at multiple areas on my body. I still had to deal with my internal injuries on the way to the hospital. Fortunately his knife was not long enough and my most severe injury at the time was a slice in my lung. I spent abount an hour not knowing if I would live or die. I deal with the physical pain of my injuries every day. I dropped my guard for 30 seconds, now I pay for it every day. He only got 40 bucks for his actions. Please be careful.


Since you work for UBER, are your expences going to be covered since you were on duty at the time (yes you are an employee since they provide insurance coverage for us while we drive). Is UBER going to do repairs on your car if there was any damage? If not, are you going to go after UBER? I would. I'm glad you are ok. UBER MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT DROP OFF LOCATIONS BEING INCLUDED AT THE TIME OF THE PING THEY ARE SO ****ING THICK HEADED ABOUT THIS.


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## MarkR (Jul 26, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Well I'm sorry that the cab drivers don't do well in your market. As far as me being no better off than an uber driver, not on this planet. Yesterday - crazy busy - toatal bookings - $30.13 per hour - expenses - $7.27 per hour - total hours - 13. You do the math. Plus I quit at 7pm and let uber deal with drunks.


I drive for UBER and I don't deal with drunks or do it at night. SCREW THAT!!! I do it for a couple of hours on the weekend. I might do it for an hour or 2 on Saturday 3 or 4 on Sunday.... 1 day during the week maybe 2 hours after work, before it gets dark. It works for me. I don't care about surge, ratings tend to get dinged then so I don't bother wasting gas and time to get to the high priced areas. I like going to the Newark Airport because it gives me a chance to "open" the car and clear possible build up. Thanks Uber for my fun $$$ every week.


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## ashevillecabbie (Sep 4, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> You can't destroy a billion dollar indrustry overnight, that dumbass from uber thought he could, he will ultimately lose market share because of greed, but that doesn't matter, he will make his money and move on, while disrupting many lives in the process. Very sad.


Uber will crash and burn just as surely as the dot-freaking-com bubble burst back in the nineties. Yes, much $$$ has been invested, but Uber must spend it fighting lawsuits, reimbursing partners who get ticketed/impounded et cetera. Not a sustainable business model!


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## BizyMom (Sep 1, 2015)

I appreciate this thread. For me, this is completely my "Dave Ramsey" job - if anyone knows who Dave is. We're working at becoming debt free. My 'real' job is a Registered Nurse, which I enjoy very much. But I have a daughter who participates in a very expensive dance program at a semi-professional level. Hubby and I decided that we would work on our debt without making her give up her dance. Her studio is in an Uber town, 20 miles from home for us. 

Four days/week, I'm sitting in the studio, reading a book for 2-6 hour stretches. When Uber 'opened', I decided to use that time to try it out. I won't make a ton of money - I'm done by 9:00 p.m. so I can get her after class - and I'm not driving any of the traditional 'drunk' hours. So far, I've transported students from campus to shopping and an older guy to the library and grocery store. 

It was 'wasted' time for me and a vehicle that was already sitting there. I have four kids - I know exactly how much damage and mess can occur with people in-and-out of the car all the time in slush and snow and muck. Our seats are leather and easy to wipe down and we have a shopvac at home that makes it easy to clean the floor. If I can make an extra $100/month to apply to our debt, we'll be debt free except for our house in a year.

I carry NOTHING of value with me in the car except the car itself and the phone I need to run the app. My driver's license is in the center console and everything else is in my purse in daughter's dance studio locker.

For me, the flexibility is absolutely perfect. I'm very new, so we'll see if the income is enough to overcome the hassle.


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## JMBF831 (Aug 13, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Except...
> Your $22,000 car will be toast in 30 months, JUST like a cab.
> See, the car can't tell the difference if it's yellow or has a U On the windshield.
> All it knows is its getting the crap bear out of it.
> Sounds like a $22,000 investment metered out over 30 months to me.


30-months? Did you fail math lol

Even putting 40,000 miles a year would mean you would be at 100,000 miles. Didn't know cars stopped working after 100k miles...

*I'm assuming a 22k car is brand new and started with no miles. Otherwise, use a better example. Maybe a 10,000 car, like a Honda Fit.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

40000 miles a year full time? No, try more like 150000. His math is fine.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

JMBF831 said:


> 30-months? Did you fail math lol
> 
> Even putting 40,000 miles a year would mean you would be at 100,000 miles. Didn't know cars stopped working after 100k miles...
> 
> *I'm assuming a 22k car is brand new and started with no miles. Otherwise, use a better example. Maybe a 10,000 car, like a Honda Fit.


Charlotte is 300 square miles. One can put 200 miles a day here on a car in two thirds of a shift.
Add to that it's a .75 market.
Multiply that by 300 days, that's 60,000 miles per year.
Ooh!
Maths.
Monetary arithmetic and metrics are my strongsuit. 9 years building a mom and pop cab company, then selling. Call center middle management before that.

You're welcome for the math lesson


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## MarkR (Jul 26, 2015)

painfreepc said:


> if a bad guy takes someone smartphone that has the uber/lyft client app, can now request a ride,
> both clients and drivers are never asked to log-in to use the app, unless they have logged-out and who doses that.
> 
> On the lyft client app, if bad guy has the phone, can still log-in, even if you log out,
> if bad guy can some how get or see the code that lyft will send to your phone, that bad guy can now even log-in from any phone.


you should always logout. i do. Being in I.T. I have always done that.


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## Sebikun20 (Jul 25, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Actually technology has seriously advanced in the taxi industry. In my company you would be almost foolish to rob us, not meaning it wont happen. I can hit a button and ensure that you are brought on the big screen and everything that happens can be seen and heard. I can have the cops on my ass in less than a minute and you'll never know. Crime isn't always about money. I'm actually stunned at the number of female drivers now, both in cabs and uber. From standpoint they are equally dangerous, just my opinion.


 Sexism at its finest. Why are female drivers dangerous? Female riders have a right to not ride with pervy men.


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## Sebikun20 (Jul 25, 2015)

DrivingStPete said:


> Nothing ensures your safety.


That's what I tell females who fear driving for Uber or Lyft. If you are a good looking woman you can get harassed literally anywhere . yes you increases your chances taxi driving but I don't think you should be afraid. Confidence shows.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

I wasn't trying to be sexist. It's a dangerous job. An average man has an advantage over an average woman in a physical confrontation, minus weapons or special training, all day long.


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## MarkR (Jul 26, 2015)

itsablackmarket said:


> I don't see what's stopping someone from identifying Uber pax waiting alone on the road at 3 AM, robbing their phone and sending them running another direction so the thief can hijack the ride, and then forcing the driver to the ATM to withdraw his daily limit, then steal the car and phone when they're done. Easy. Plenty of opportunities for this to happen, and with Uber's no gun policy for pax/drivers, if they're obeying the rules, they won't be able to defend themselves and the driver from this situation before the driver arrives.
> 
> Now if Uber drivers could afford higher end cars with better security systems, that is one thing that would deter thieves from stealing their cars. But most Uber drivers are in basic 10-20k vehicles that do not have high end security systems. Thieves have only Uber to thank for this, with their low rates.


Uber is not meant to be done full-time. I can see you are in between jobs or something on the side. It's fine.


BizyMom said:


> I appreciate this thread. For me, this is completely my "Dave Ramsey" job - if anyone knows who Dave is. We're working at becoming debt free. My 'real' job is a Registered Nurse, which I enjoy very much. But I have a daughter who participates in a very expensive dance program at a semi-professional level. Hubby and I decided that we would work on our debt without making her give up her dance. Her studio is in an Uber town, 20 miles from home for us.
> 
> Four days/week, I'm sitting in the studio, reading a book for 2-6 hour stretches. When Uber 'opened', I decided to use that time to try it out. I won't make a ton of money - I'm done by 9:00 p.m. so I can get her after class - and I'm not driving any of the traditional 'drunk' hours. So far, I've transported students from campus to shopping and an older guy to the library and grocery store.
> 
> ...


Good luck. Remember taxes are NOT done for you. Set aside a safe amount like 30% for federal and 10% for state so you won't get banged at the end of the year. Since you are a nurse, you can have your employer take a little extra out each paycheck to counteract that added expense. After you make $600 with Uber, you will be hit with a 1099 form. I'm trying to keep it under that. Good luck! Welcome to Uber and this fun forum.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Your not going to owe much taxes driving for uber if you claim all your miles from start to finish. Their ridiculous rates aren't much higher than the irs deduction for miles driven when using your own vehicle as an IC. When you add the miles driven without a passenger, which you can do while actively seeking trips, in most cases you will owe nothing.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


Ugh. Just because in your mind Uber drivers fit the definition of a taxi, in no way does that make it so. YOU do not set the definition of a taxi. I don't set the definition of a taxi. Even Websters doesn't set the definition of a taxi. It's totally up to your local legislature to define what a taxi is. If they haven't, then you are not. We all might be vehicles for hire, but taxis? No.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Well, it's performing the exact same service that has been identified as a taxi for about 400 years. Call it whatever you want to.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> Ugh. Just because in your mind Uber drivers fit the definition of a taxi, in no way does that make it so. YOU do not set the definition of a taxi. I don't set the definition of a taxi. Even Websters doesn't set the definition of a taxi. It's totally up to your local legislature to define what a taxi is. If they haven't, then you are not. We all might be vehicles for hire, but taxis? No.


Silly semantics. 
I've owned and operated two different types of licensed vehicles for hire.
The car doesn't care where the miles come from, what kind of plate is on it, the color, meter or no meter.
The miles beat the shit out of the car.
You can call it a cucumber for all we care, it's getting beat to shit by the miles.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

"Theres no such thing as a free mile!"
Eddie Kempner, former fleet owner
ITOA taxi
Boston


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> Ugh. Just because in your mind Uber drivers fit the definition of a taxi, in no way does that make it so. YOU do not set the definition of a taxi. I don't set the definition of a taxi. Even Websters doesn't set the definition of a taxi. It's totally up to your local legislature to define what a taxi is. If they haven't, then you are not. We all might be vehicles for hire, but taxis? No.


In most jurisdictions, what an UberX driver does would be considered either a taxi or a livery vehicle.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

I actually don't understand commanderxl. I apologize if he takes offense at being labeled a taxi driver. Then what is his profession?


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Well, it's performing the exact same service that has been identified as a taxi for about 400 years. Call it whatever you want to.


It doesn't matter in the least what I call it, or what you call it. It only matters what the law says. How can I make that any clearer?


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> I actually don't understand commanderxl. I apologize if he takes offense at being labeled a taxi driver. Then what is his profession?


I don't take any offense. I'm just trying to explain that "taxi" has a legal definition that is NOT subject to our interpretations. In Tampa, a judge has ruled that Uber does not fit the legal definition of a taxi.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> In most jurisdictions, what an UberX driver does would be considered either a taxi or a livery vehicle.


No. In _some_ jurisdictions. Maybe. Not most.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> No. In _some_ jurisdictions. Maybe. Not most.


Most, many, some. Semantics.

That's why I made up my own term. We are all in the "Driving people around for money" industry.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> Most, many, some.
> 
> That's why I made up my own term. We are all in the "Driving people around for money" industry.


Okay, I will give you that.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

The term "rideshare" confers as much legitimacy on being a ********* as the term "sex worker" confers on a prostitute.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> The term "rideshare" confers as much legitimacy on being a ********* as the term "sex worker" confers on a prostitute.


Said the Taxi Driver in Arizona.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> Said the Taxi Driver in Arizona.


Legal, licensed, insured taxi driver, as per the definition of "taxi" in the Arizona statutes.

Not a unlicensed, un/underinsured *********, as per the common definition of "*********".


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

The creative definitions that have occurred in many jurisdictions are quite entertaining. They are a result of uber's propoganda machine and public support for a service that is not realistic at their pricing. That will end at some point. I hope those that support this save their electronic info so we can say "I told you so". Regulations are there for a reason, and they will catch up. Localities rushed to judgement because of public sentiment, not wanting to look old age. Uber pushed it to far, and will survive, but common sense regs will prevail, because they pushed it too far. You are a taxi driver, at some point the authorities will let you know that.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> Legal, licensed, insured taxi driver, as per the definition of "taxi" in the Arizona statutes.
> 
> Not a unlicensed, un/underinsured *********, as per the common definition of "*********".


A commercial public vehicle that is not a "taxi" doesn't make it a "**********."

And what exactly is the legal definition of a taxi in Arizona? Nevermind, I'll tell you what it is:

56. "Taxi" means a motor vehicle that has a seating capacity not exceeding fifteen passengers, including the driver, *that is registered as a taxi* in this state or any other state, that provides passenger services *and* that:

(a) Does not primarily operate on a regular route or between specified places.

(b) Offers local transportation for a fare determined on the basis of the distance traveled or prearranged ground transportation service as defined in section 28-141 for a predetermined fare.​
From: http://www.azleg.gov/ars/28/00101.htm

So if you're "registered as a taxi," you're a taxi. If you're not, you're not. Period.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> The creative definitions that have occurred in many jurisdictions are quite entertaining. They are a result of uber's propoganda machine and public support for a service that is not realistic at their pricing. That will end at some point. I hope those that support this save their electronic info so we can say "I told you so". Regulations are there for a reason, and they will catch up. Localities rushed to judgement because of public sentiment, not wanting to look old age. Uber pushed it to far, and will survive, but common sense regs will prevail, because they pushed it too far. You are a taxi driver, at some point the authorities will let you know that.


Like it or not, they are the legal definitions and the _only_ definitions that matter.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> A commercial public vehicle that is not a "taxi" doesn't make it a "**********."
> 
> And what exactly is the legal definition of a taxi in Arizona? Nevermind, I'll tell you what it is:
> 
> ...


The term "gypsy" is specifically used to refer to vehicles that _are not_ "registered as a taxi", yet are doing the same work a taxi does.

I know that the term "*********" isn't codified in law, but it is in the parlance of our time.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

The major pizza chains didn't suddendly become "independent food distributors who match a driver with a hungery person" because you could order online or via app instead of a phone call. Regulations will catch up, they just panicked because of uber's boldness to break the law.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> Like it or not, they are the legal definitions and the _only_ definitions that matter.


You know what ********* means. I know what it means. I think any "reasonable person" would know what the term means.

You can argue that it depends on what the definition of "is" is, but some people have a problem with that argument.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> You know what ********* means. I know what it means. I think any "reasonable person" would know what the term means.
> 
> You can argue that it depends on what the definition of "is" is, but some people have a problem with that argument.


Then tell it to the judge, not us. Stop trying to confer you're simplistic definitions on all Uber drivers when they are irrelevant and irresponsible. You are not the arbiter. You're a taxi driver.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Commanderxl you don't get it. You are correct today, you won't be tomorrow, not meaning exactly tomorrow.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> Then tell it to the judge, not us. Stop trying to confer you're simplistic definitions on all Uber drivers when they are irrelevant and irresponsible. You are not the arbiter. You're a taxi driver.


There are no judges here to my knowledge.

With or without your approval, I'm going to continue calling a spade a spade.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Commanderxl you don't get it. You are correct today, you won't be tomorrow, not meaning exactly tomorrow.


I might not have been correct yesterday, and I might not be correct tomorrow. But today -- the only time that is relevant -- I am correct.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> I might not have been correct yesterday, and I might not be correct tomorrow. But today -- the only time that is relevant -- I am correct.


So you never answered the question. What do you call an Uber driver?


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> There are no judges here to my knowledge.
> 
> With or without your approval, I'm going to continue calling a spade a spade.


If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg.

That's from Abraham Lincoln.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin125047.html#7PAHGuaIhf2KPpQm.99


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> So you never answered the question. What do you call an Uber driver?


An Uber driver.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

You can polish a turd, but it's still a turd.


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## poopy (Jun 28, 2015)

Jeez TDiA,

You sure pissed off the ********* driver...


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg.
> 
> That's from Abraham Lincoln.
> 
> http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/abrahamlin125047.html#7PAHGuaIhf2KPpQm.99


"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

That's Shakespeare.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> You can polish a turd, but it's still a turd.


Whatever. I'm not trying to change your minds because it makes no difference if I do. I'm just countering your untrue arguments so other drivers won't be influenced by them.


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## poopy (Jun 28, 2015)

Commander,

Just so I'm clear,
the untruths you're referring to are hrcabbie and TDiA calling Uber drivers taxi drivers?

Because if that's the gist of your assertion,
I find it to be a 1, _maybe _2, on a 1-10 scale of potential inaccuracies.

Your statement over in crazy Will's thread however:


CommanderXL said:


> Actually, you're not breaking any laws, in Illinois at least. Illinois law exempts you from responsibility.
> "When riding in a commercial vehicle, such as a taxi, young children do not have to be contained to a restraint device."


https://uberpeople.net/threads/uber...is-by-not-requiring-child-safety-seats.34846/

I give that, a 9, or 10.

William1964 isn't tooling around in a commercial vehicle in Illinois.
In fact, your text in that thread is pretty much in conflict with your whole declaration here, that Ubers ain't taxis.

In closing, you stated in that a Tampa judge ruled Uber doesn't fit the definition of a taxi.
Dollars to donuts that judge made that ruling because no, Uber doesn't fit it.
Uber fits the definition of an _illegal_ taxi, which at this time the State of Florida has given a temporary pass... a *smart* judge never implicates himself in taking on higher courts when not presented with legal challenge to do so. Never good to volunteer for a dirty job that wasn't even presented.


The court is in recess. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em.


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## MarkR (Jul 26, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Your not going to owe much taxes driving for uber if you claim all your miles from start to finish. Their ridiculous rates aren't much higher than the irs deduction for miles driven when using your own vehicle as an IC. When you add the miles driven without a passenger, which you can do while actively seeking trips, in most cases you will owe nothing.


AWESOME!!! Hey I just got back from a run. I went to the address and stupid whoever she was didn't put the address in the app correctly. I got there and started the trip (of course) and I called her to let her know I was there and in the process of calling her, My phone rang and it was me calling myself. UBER BETTER FIX THIS SHIT. I digress. She wound up calling me and she said where are you? I told here I was at the address she gave me to pick her up. She said "the app placed the pin wrong" I said fine, where are you she didn't really know the street she was on, I hung up and ended the trip and went to the gym. Let her worry about what happend to her $5. Anyway, we need a way to call the pax. I would have been pissed had this not been .1 miles away from the house.

SO, now along with calling the pax about where they are going, I have call to verify the address. I'm not leaving the house without all info before I go.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Thanks poopy, I simply couldn't understand his or her point, now I do.


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## Thinjim (May 25, 2015)

How do u prove that u drove x amount of miles for uber to the irs?


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## Thinjim (May 25, 2015)

How do u prove that u drove x amount of miles for uber to the IRS?


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

Just keep records, I have an excel sheet that records mileage, time, fares and calculates taxes for me.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Write down your odometer when you start and when you finish every day.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Silence, important sometimes, thanks poopy


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## Thinjim (May 25, 2015)

Then they'll take your word that u drove x miles?

The Sherpashare app sounds like the easier way to go. I used to write down my odometer. But sometimes I forgot. Sherpashare sounds easier.


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## Thinjim (May 25, 2015)

sherpashare even tells u how long u drove. But it will ask u what trips were for uber and which ones weren't.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

poopy said:


> Commander,
> 
> Just so I'm clear,
> the untruths you're referring to are hrcabbie and TDiA calling Uber drivers taxi drivers?
> ...


They are conflating the term taxi driver to include Uber drivers then declaring them illegal and gypsy. That is untrue on any scale.

Call a spade a spade. Don't call it a snow shovel. Call an Uber driver an Uber driver, don't call him a taxi driver, especially when the intent is to call him illegal and gypsy - because that is just not true.

All things that are cobalt are blue, but all things that are blue are not cobalt.


----------



## Kennedy C (Jun 28, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Uber tries to portray this business as a friend giving a friend a ride for loads of money. If that were the case then the taxi business would have a years long waiting list for drivers and uber would be a moot point, actually non-existent. Their disregard for the drivers makes me ill.


So don't drive for Uber then. We're all free to make our own decisions.


----------



## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. ....Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber.


You still wouldn't find me in a line to join a taxi company, even if Uber hours away tomorrow. I do this precisely because I already have a car that qualifies and with OT slowing down at my day job, it helps to make ends meet.

The can industry is as corrupt as any over regulated industry out there. I don't want to be an employee. I may be one of the few that is ok with the current use of the IC definition. So why would I want to subject myself to TOTALLY ANONYMOUS strangers? Why subject myself to discrimination lawsuits because I may miss a fare who looks undesirable? You said it yourself. Friday's and Saturdays are low on supply abd high on demand. Who is going to invest in running a CAB for two days a week? Can I lease a cab part time? Will big taxi pay for all my expenses for a weekend and be ok if I don't want to work the drunk crowd?

I'm sorry about what happened to you in 2007. It's horrible. The subsequent release of that convict can only add to your ptsd.

It is a dangerous world out there. But I chose not to live in fear. Otherwise, I am already defeated. Meanwhile, I'm going to feed off this gravy train until it isn't fun anymore or, like Alaska, a court ruling causes Uber to just turn off the app here leaving dozens out of work.


----------



## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> I might not have been correct yesterday, and I might not be correct tomorrow. But today -- the only time that is relevant -- I am correct.


"We have jam every other day.

Always every OTHER day.
NEVER jam TODAY".
Lewis Carol


----------



## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> "We have jam every other day.
> 
> Always every OTHER day.
> NEVER jam TODAY".
> Lewis Carol


"Where is fancy bred? In the heart? Or in the head?"

Willy Wonka (and Willy Shakespeare)


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Thanks poopy, I simply couldn't understand his or her point, now I do.


I doubt that. But, thankfully, your understanding is not required.


----------



## forqalso (Jun 1, 2015)

MarkR said:


> Uber is not meant to be done full-time. I can see you are in between jobs or something on the side. It's fine.
> 
> Good luck. Remember taxes are NOT done for you. Set aside a safe amount like 30% for federal and 10% for state so you won't get banged at the end of the year. Since you are a nurse, you can have your employer take a little extra out each paycheck to counteract that added expense. After you make $600 with Uber, you will be hit with a 1099 form. I'm trying to keep it under that. Good luck! Welcome to Uber and this fun forum.


You're trying to keep your annual Uber income under $600? Why bother? That's fifty dollars a month, one or two rides a week.


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## ashevillecabbie (Sep 4, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> They are conflating the term taxi driver to include Uber drivers then declaring them illegal and gypsy. That is untrue on any scale.


Actually it IS true! It's plain as day!

I'm familiar with the Hillsborough County court case you are referring to. The Judge declined to issue the preliminary injunction the plaintiffs wanted on first hearing, but he did tell them what issues to address when the case comes to actual trial. Meanwhile, HCPTC is still issuing citations to Uber and Lyft drivers in Tampa, because the judge did NOT rule that what you are doing is legal--he simply did not have that power.

You want me to call a spade a spade, CommanderXL? Here goes: You, sir, are an illegal ********* driver!


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

ashevillecabbie said:


> Actually it IS true! It's plain as day!
> 
> I'm familiar with the Hillsborough County court case you are referring to. The Judge declined to issue the injunction the plaintiffs wanted on first hearing, but he did tell them what issues to address on appeal. Meanwhile, HCPTC is still issuing citations to Uber and Lyft drivers in Tampa, because the judge did NOT rule that what you are doing is legal--he simply did not have that power.
> 
> You want me to call a spade a spade, CommanderXL? Here goes: You, sir, are an illegal ********* driver!


You cad!
The man insisted he's not to be called gypsy or cab driver!
The nerve


----------



## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

ashevillecabbie said:


> Actually it IS true! It's plain as day!
> 
> I'm familiar with the Hillsborough County court case you are referring to. The Judge declined to issue the injunction the plaintiffs wanted on first hearing, but he did tell them what issues to address on appeal. Meanwhile, HCPTC is still issuing citations to Uber and Lyft drivers in Tampa, because the judge did NOT rule that what you are doing is legal--he simply did not have that power.
> 
> You want me to call a spade a spade, CommanderXL? Here goes: You, sir, are an illegal ********* driver!


Wow. Look at this. Yet another uninformed taxi driver shares his wisdom.

You couldn't be more wrong!

"Because *an Uber Driver does not necessarily satisfy the definition of a 'taxicab'* under the unambiguous language of the PTC's ordinances, the Court declines to enter injunctive relief at this time," Huey wrote.

From: http://www.tampabay.com/news/transp...ction-to-stop-ubers-rideshare-service/2240448


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> You cad!
> The man insisted he's not to be called gypsy or cab driver!
> The nerve


It makes zero difference what you call me - or any other Uber driver. It only matters what the legislature and the courts say. I'm not giving you my opinion, I'm telling you the current legal situation. A taxi driver's opinion is not relevant and is in no way helpful to this forum.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> It makes zero difference what you call me - or any other Uber driver. It only matters what the legislature and the courts say. I'm not giving you my opinion, I'm telling you the current legal situation. Your opinions are not relevant and are in no way helpful to this forum.


Says you.
Pffft!


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Says you.
> Pffft!


No ... Says Judge Huey.


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## MarkR (Jul 26, 2015)

forqalso said:


> You're trying to keep your annual Uber income under $600? Why bother? That's fifty dollars a month, one or two rides a week.


I have a job already. I started this at the end of July. I do this on weekends. It works for me. I'm still studying this whole thing anyway. I'm really not sure what to think about it. I like it. Good concept, a LOT OF PROBLEMS. But I'm still doing a study on it before I decide if I want to bother making more.


Thinjim said:


> How do u prove that u drove x amount of miles for uber to the IRS?


Keep good records! I write down my miles and put them into a spreadsheet. Since uber does not pay the miles to go to point "A", you include those too. There are apps for keeping miles from the time the first ping comes in until you drop off that person. SHERPASHARE and TRIPLOG. When a ping comes, hit start and hit stop when you drop them off. It will say your miles are high are you sure? YES! and on to the next one.


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## ashevillecabbie (Sep 4, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> No ... Says Judge Huey.


From that same Tampa Bay Times piece:

"[Huey] encouraged the PTC to rewrite its definitions so that Uber clearly comes under the regulatory umbrella."

"Huey also took issue with the fact that the PTC had only sought an injunction against Uber and not its competitor Lyft or other rideshare entities, known as transportation network companies."

"But his criticism wasn't reserved solely for regulators. Huey poked holes in Uber's arguments, too, including the assertion that because Uber has been operating here since April 2014, its presence was now the status quo.

"In a non-derogatory sense, the James Gang cannot ride into town and tell Sheriff Wyatt Earp how to act," Huey wrote. "In this case, the status quo is life before Uber, not after."

While Huey denied the injunction, he noted that winning at this preliminary stage
is more difficult than winning at trial. Then, regulators need only prevail by a "preponderance" of the evidence."

Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft drivers are still getting ticketed in Tampa Bay.

Because they're really just illegal gypsy cabs.


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## negeorgia (Feb 1, 2015)

BizyMom said:


> I appreciate this thread. For me, this is completely my "Dave Ramsey" job - if anyone knows who Dave is. We're working at becoming debt free. My 'real' job is a Registered Nurse, which I enjoy very much. But I have a daughter who participates in a very expensive dance program at a semi-professional level. Hubby and I decided that we would work on our debt without making her give up her dance. Her studio is in an Uber town, 20 miles from home for us.
> 
> Four days/week, I'm sitting in the studio, reading a book for 2-6 hour stretches. When Uber 'opened', I decided to use that time to try it out. I won't make a ton of money - I'm done by 9:00 p.m. so I can get her after class - and I'm not driving any of the traditional 'drunk' hours. So far, I've transported students from campus to shopping and an older guy to the library and grocery store.
> 
> ...


Congrats on deciding to 'get your life back'. I started Ubering 1 year ago as the second business that I have started following Dave's advice to 'grow a business slow and with cash'. My wife and I finished baby-step 2 in early August and are building the 3-6 month emergency fund right now. When we stopped using debt as our 'problem solver' we got to stop being broke and stopped the paycheck to paycheck lifestyle. Breathing room with finances has been fantastic.


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## KingTravisHasNoClothes (Jun 11, 2015)

Uber advertises make up to $25.00 an hour. But how many idividual would sign up if uber disclosed that if you drive for uber your estimated cost if drove 20 hrs a week or 40 hrs a week you will need to consider all expenses such as fuel , oil changes, tires and loss of equity in your vehicle . And at any given time rates can and will fluctuate . Did i mention uber insurance will not stand behind you in the event that you experience an accident while on line. When all said and done your actual earnings at best will be around $10-$12. an hr.


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## negeorgia (Feb 1, 2015)

The fine print is 'your results may vary'!... People get upset when they perceive there are no warnings and disclosures.... The reality is some ignore the warning that 'your results may vary'.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


The most dangerous industry to work in is "Mining," which includes oil field work. The next most dangerous is "Farming." I bet all the horse and buggy carriage drivers wrote similar letters to the editor of the local newspaper when internal combustion cabs hit the streets.

You know in New York, they have practically the same number of taxi medallions as they did 80 years ago? They added a few about 20 years ago, but the number is still nearly the same. To get a medallion in New York, you have to buy one from a current medallion holder. Prior to Uber, they cost around a million bucks. Yes, $1,000,000.00. Not a misprint. Most cabbies are independent contractors, right? They lease the cab from the 1 percenter taxi cab company owner for what, $750-$1,000 a week?

Not to mention the fact that the people in the New Your boroughs were pretty much SOL on getting cabs, partly because of collusion between the cab companies and city officials to limit the number of available cabs by not issuing new medallions. While NYC now allows the green non-medallion Boro cabs in certain areas, the only reason that happened was in response to Uber. They are also upgrading their cab fleets to comfortable mini-vans. These are things that wouldn't have happened while the yellow cabs had a stranglehold on the vehicle for hire business in NYC.

So what's the difference? Both have independent contractors as drivers. Cabbies make $11 to $12 an hour according to studies. The majority of people would say the majority of cabs they've ridden in are dirty. Cabbies in Vegas will take unaware people the long way around through the tunnel to make an extra buck or two, not to mention the kick backs they get from strip clubs for convincing customers to go to a particular strip club instead of the one they originally considered. I've been in Vegas cabs that were stuffed full of brochures for escort services and clubs.

I can make $11 to $12 an hour running my car into the ground, or the same paying out $2,000 plus a month to someone else for the privilege of making money.

The taxi business has been sitting on its collective hands for 80 years. Ride sharing is now on the scene and will "Amazon" the vehicle for hire transportation business. There's no way to stop it.

This isn't Uber Kool-Aid, it's more of a business case on a disruptive technology. It's the people who work in the by-passed technology that get hit the hardest, in this case the traditional cab driver. It sucks, but that's how things have always been ever since the Bronze Age and all those guys making stone axes got put out of business.

So don't blame Uber for being successful. Blame the cab industry as a whole for sucking (apologies to the good cabbies and good cab companies).

I've only been Ubering for two weeks, but I'm a pretty wise old fellow, and I see the reality of how hard the work really is and how difficult it is to make a buck, but so far I enjoy it for making extra cash (which I may or may not blow at strip clubs). If I feel differently in six months, I'm big enough to admit what a doofus I was.


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## superhans (Jul 29, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


....and what is wrong with a taxi driver? Your statement leads us to believe you are not one of the 'unclean' and so elevates you (in your own mind). Your 'expertise' at being antagonistic has gotten you your fix of disapproval I imagine with the pages of responses, I have not read past your first post...and you have all this time to spend answering when you should be maneuvering millions around the globe in short term derivatives, or something equally unlikely...hehe.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Old Rocker said:


> The most dangerous industry to work in is "Mining," which includes oil field work. The next most dangerous is "Farming." I bet all the horse and buggy carriage drivers wrote similar letters to the editor of the local newspaper when internal combustion cabs hit the streets.
> 
> You know in New York, they have practically the same number of taxi medallions as they did 80 years ago? They added a few about 20 years ago, but the number is still nearly the same. To get a medallion in New York, you have to buy one from a current medallion holder. Prior to Uber, they cost around a million bucks. Yes, $1,000,000.00. Not a misprint. Most cabbies are independent contractors, right? They lease the cab from the 1 percenter taxi cab company owner for what, $750-$1,000 a week?
> 
> ...


"...I've only been Ubering for 2 weeks...".
Next time, put that at the BEGINNING of your long rant so I can avoid it


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

The point I was trying to make is that an unbelievable number of people now want to engage in the people transportation business and didn't seem as interested before uber. If that's because uber is that much better then ok, I understand. I wish you continued success and prosperity. Please drive safely and be safe.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> The point I was trying to make is that an unbelievable number of people now want to engage in the people transportation business and didn't seem as interested before uber. If that's because uber is that much better then ok, I understand. I wish you continued success and prosperity. Please drive safely and be safe.


It's because Uber is the greatest propaganda machine since the 3rd Reich.
We offer you showers, don't pay attention to the trains they only bring people in.


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## negeorgia (Feb 1, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> The point I was trying to make is that an unbelievable number of people now want to engage in the people transportation business and didn't seem as interested before uber. If that's because uber is that much better then ok, I understand. I wish you continued success and prosperity. Please drive safely and be safe.


I was looking for IC work with deductible mileage, without having to have any advertising. 1 year down, the more miles the better, seemingly endless stream of potential riders.


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## CommanderXL (Jun 17, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> The point I was trying to make is that an unbelievable number of people now want to engage in the people transportation business and didn't seem as interested before uber. If that's because uber is that much better then ok, I understand. I wish you continued success and prosperity. Please drive safely and be safe.


I don't think Uber drivers were necessarily drawn to it. I think Uber just made the process (not the requirements) so easy. And there's no commitment. You take three pictures with your phone and the next day you're driving. If you don't like it or it doesn't work for you, you stop.

Uber has also heavily promoted it to both drivers (when was the last time you saw an ad for any other type of driver?) and passengers, especially young people to whom they have made it sort of cool.


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## phillipzx3 (May 26, 2015)

limepro said:


> Prior it was a job that you had to invest money to begin, you are forced into working long hours to pay back the lease just to see a profit and like you said with a heavy cash business it is dangerous. Now if you already have a car there is no investment, I can go out for 1 hour or 12 it is my choice and it is 99% a cashless business, who wants to rob someone where they won't get green. Stealing a car is risky, it is huge, identifiable and not worth the risk to most criminals.


So buying/owning a personal car to "Uber" with isn't an investment? So what happens when your engine blows a head gasket (or whatever). No investment, you say?
This a the problem with many Uber drivers. They think because they're driving their personal car, they have no investment in this "game."

I own my cab, so I guess I have no investment, right?

"Steeling a credit card doesn't guarantee any money. Cabs have to carry cash to give change."

" Uber is still dangerous but a cab is more dangerous."

"Only someone with a smart phone and proper payment attached can summon an uber."

As a cab driver, I rarely have more than 30...40 bucks cash on me. I bet most Uber drivers have that in their wallet, too. How do you provide change for your tips (that you'all complain you don't get)?

Also..we have cameras in our cabs (except for the gypsy cabs and Uber/Lyft). Those pictures are sent to a server the instant a passenger gets in my cab. An Uber driver slaps a "Gopro" camera in his car, and you've just added something for a thief to steal...along with your car. I have 4...FOUR, GPS tracking systems in my cab. You? Oh ya...that's right. Your Uber phone/driver app...that the thief chucks out the window.

Uber drivers will pull over for a "flag." Don't try to fool anyone they won't/don't.

This "lack of cash in Uber cars" or that driving a cab is "more dangerous," is lamesauce.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> "...I've only been Ubering for 2 weeks...".
> Next time, put that at the BEGINNING of your long rant so I can avoid it


Well, then, you wouldn't have read it.

I thought it was less a rant and more of a bombastic lecture on Uber as a disruptive technology.

I'll try to do better next time.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

phillipzx3 said:


> So buying/owning a personal car to "Uber" with isn't an investment? So what happens when your engine blows a head gasket (or whatever). No investment, you say?
> This a the problem with many Uber drivers. They think because they're driving their personal car, they have no investment in this "game."
> 
> I own my cab, so I guess I have no investment, right?
> ...


Owning a vehicle is a luxury, paying for permitting, leasing, background checks, etc. Are all business expenses because at the end of the day the car isn't yours. Those that bought their car to strictly use for Uber full time, well I won't make comments on that but we all know it isn't a good investment. As for repairs, they happen regardless, just a little quicker when ubering but you offset it by making money while using he vehicle.
It is funny you are the 2nd person in this thread to throw the dreaded head gasket out there. Just a little secret, most are made of metal now unlike the junk crown vics and even if they do go it is a sub $100 fix and a few hours of your time. Those that can't turn wrenches pay others, those that can have an edge.

As for change, nope don't carry any, wallet? Nope I don't carry it, I have passworded locked documents stored in my phone in case I get pulled over but if I'm robbed I don't want anything that links to where my wife and kids live, nor do I carry a house key.

Taxi cab drivers are a daily target, had one with a shootout the other day in Miami. When was the last time we heard of an Uber driver getting robbed? I believe it was 5 months ago, everyone knows we have no money and nothing worth value.

Picking and choosing rides also helps, when a name like VTC or K pops up on the screen you cancel or ignore it, you don't have that luxury. As for street hails, I'm sure it does happen but for me? Nope I am one of the most important people in my life and of those people a rider is no where on the list.


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## phillipzx3 (May 26, 2015)

limepro said:


> Owning a vehicle is a luxury, paying for permitting, leasing, background checks, etc. Are all business expenses because at the end of the day the car isn't yours. Those that bought their car to strictly use for Uber full time, well I won't make comments on that but we all know it isn't a good investment. As for repairs, they happen regardless, just a little quicker when ubering but you offset it by making money while using he vehicle.
> It is funny you are the 2nd person in this thread to throw the dreaded head gasket out there. Just a little secret, most are made of metal now unlike the junk crown vics and even if they do go it is a sub $100 fix and a few hours of your time. Those that can't turn wrenches pay others, those that can have an edge.
> 
> As for change, nope don't carry any, wallet? Nope I don't carry it, I have passworded locked documents stored in my phone in case I get pulled over but if I'm robbed I don't want anything that links to where my wife and kids live, nor do I carry a house key.
> ...


In my neck of the woods we haven't had one of our cabs robbed in 15...maybe 20 years. We've put cameras in all our cabs. We also have a (somewhat) hidden switch that'll instantly send out a call for help along with a GPS location. That brought that sort of stuff (robbing drivers) to a halt.

So you don't carry any charge for tips, you say? I have a bridge for sale. Interested?

We can compare stereotypes all day long, but the bottom line is an Uber driver is no more safe than a cabbie. And in my experience, Uber drivers are less safe. They're also more inclined to "go off" on a passenger.

"I have passworded locked documents stored in my phone in case I get pulled over but if I'm robbed I don't want anything that links to where my wife and kids live, nor do I carry a house key."

Are you really that naive of how easy it is to "poke around" a smartphone? Spend some time on XDA and learn a bit more about Android or iOS based phones. You're living in a dream world if you believe you're secure. 

We own about 50 or so Prius'. Another 75 or so XB's
(the other 200 or so are a mix of CV, Vans, wheelchair vans, and an assortment of "other" cars. It has to be four door, and no older than 10 years). When you have a fleet of them (Toyota based cars) with 300,000 miles on any one of them, come tell me about your "lack of" problems.

As for picking up a wrench...does building engines for 50 years count? How about being a licensed A & P mechanic? Or how about building my own airplane and using a turbocharged 13b engine as a power plant? Does any of that count for the ability to "have an edge." Besides, most people want an ASE certified mechanic to do the work on the car they're PAYING to ride in. Not some shadetree mechanic with a crescent wrench and a Haynes manual.

So you think you can pull a head off a 4.6 Ford modular engine in a Crown Vic, then replace a headgasket in "a few hours," do ya? How about the heater core? Book is around 6 hours or so. You should be able to knock one off in what..an hour or two? Crown Vics (the P-71's) go for 500....700k miles with decent care. Put a decent drivers seat them, get it retuned for better MPG, and it's a good (and safe) car.

Assuming the skills of others is a bad thing. 

"I don't want anything that links to where my wife and kids live, nor do I carry a house key."

So all these stories we hear from Uber "partners" they sit at home waiting for a "ping" is all lies? Say it ain't so!!! If I turn on my Uber app.. (yup, we can do that) I can "triangulate" my way to any Uber driver waiting for his golden "surge" egg to be laid. Easy as that.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

phillipzx3 said:


> In my neck of the woods we haven't had one of our cabs robbed for 15...maybe 20 years. We've put cameras in all our cabs. And that brought that sort of stuff to a halt.
> So you don't carry any charge for tips, you say? I have a bridge for sale. Interested?
> 
> We can compare stereotypes all day long, but the bottom line is an Uber driver is no more safe than a cabbie. And in my experience, Uber drivers are less safe. They're also more inclined to "go off" on a passenger.
> ...


I am more secure than if I had my insurance card and registration laying in my glovebox, by the time they "poke" around in my phone someone would have found out something happened to me, instead of a surprise visit 20 minutes after.

I'm sorry you feel cameras make you feel invincible, cameras only keep honest people honest, if they kept criminals honest banks wouldn't be robbed, shoplifters wouldn't steal, etc. If the opportunity or want arrises they are gonna take the chance.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

Looks like cameras don't always work in portland.

http://koin.com/2015/06/26/portland-cab-driver-accused-sexually-abusing-rider/

Read here about a portland cabbie killed.
http://www.taxi-library.org/safety.htm

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/04/man_accused_of_pistol-whipping.html

http://www.januscam.com/index.php/n...-assaulted-before-car-was-stolen-by-passenger

Seems you live in a fantasy land.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> It's because Uber is the greatest propaganda machine since the 3rd Reich.
> We offer you showers, don't pay attention to the trains they only bring people in.


Godwin's Law.


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## PHXTE (Jun 23, 2015)

phillipzx3 said:


> So buying/owning a personal car to "Uber" with isn't an investment? So what happens when your engine blows a head gasket (or whatever). No investment, you say?
> This a the problem with many Uber drivers. They think because they're driving their personal car, they have no investment in this "game."
> 
> I own my cab, so I guess I have no investment, right?


The people I see making this argument clearly have no idea what a fixed and variable cost are.

A fixed cost is something that stays the same regardless of your "production". For most people here, unless you specifically bought your car to Uber with, their car payment is a _fixed cost_. In other words, it remains the same whether you Uber 0 miles or 2000 miles, therefore it isn't proper to consider it a cost of driving Uber. The expense stays the same no matter what you do.

A variable cost is an expense that increases in total by the amount of your "production". Gas is a variable cost because your total expense grows the more you drive. Likewise for maintenance and depreciation.



> "Steeling a credit card doesn't guarantee any money. Cabs have to carry cash to give change."
> 
> " Uber is still dangerous but a cab is more dangerous."
> 
> ...


I'm not all that worried about crime and no, I don't carry cash to make change for my non-existent tips. I don't carry cash in my normal day to day life, so I'm not going to carry it Ubering either. I also have something much more useful for protecting myself than a camera. Draw your own conclusions. If you're that terrified of Ubering to even be concerned with this, you shouldn't be driving in the first place.


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## negeorgia (Feb 1, 2015)

All I know is when I financed my hotel bills when attempting an Amway business 20 years ago, it did not end well. When I did not finance my work truck when doing Dish Network IC, it went fantastic. The same logic that prevents me from financing my UberX gas purchases also prevents me from financing my UberX vehicle. I had paycheck to paycheck lifestyle for 22 years; I did some research and now have emergency fund lifestyle with the option of returning to paycheck to paycheck lifestyle; I just have no desire to do so.


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## negeorgia (Feb 1, 2015)

For me, buying a car to Uber in is not an investment, it is a business expense. I have never purchased a car with the thought that it is an investment.


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## CROWBOY (May 31, 2015)

It's fine where I am because they haven't fully dropped the rates. In one county, they have but I've stopped working there. It's most likely going to hit the entire state. Once that happens, I'm out. I like the idea, just not the rates. I like driving, but for me to become an actual taxi driver (yellow cab, and everything that goes with it) would be impossible and not as profitable.


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## frndthDuvel (Aug 31, 2014)

https://uberpeople.net/threads/the-...g-talking-about-tips.35198/page-2#post-460905


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

I go by the bank ATM every hour or so and deposit my tips so I'm not carrying a lot of cash on me.


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## forqalso (Jun 1, 2015)

MarkR said:


> I have a job already. I started this at the end of July. I do this on weekends. It works for me. I'm still studying this whole thing anyway. I'm really not sure what to think about it. I like it. Good concept, a LOT OF PROBLEMS. But I'm still doing a study on it before I decide if I want to bother making more.
> 
> Keep good records! I write down my miles and put them into a spreadsheet. Since uber does not pay the miles to go to point "A", you include those too. There are apps for keeping miles from the time the first ping comes in until you drop off that person. SHERPASHARE and TRIPLOG. When a ping comes, hit start and hit stop when you drop them off. It will say your miles are high are you sure? YES! and on to the next one.


Point is... doesn't the added insurance costs eat up most of the $600 a year you make with Uber? What's the point in a ten dollar a week part time job that costs you more than that to run?


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## The_One (Sep 9, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


I could not have said it any better.


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## The_One (Sep 9, 2015)

"volksie, post: 453224, member: 12280"]I agree with everything you've said in this forum. Regardless of what happens to Uber, I'm an experienced driver now.
The more trades you have in your back pocket the better off you are! Plus, I'm enjoying it.[/QUOTE]
Enjoying what, destroying your car, losing money and wasting your life away, Uber's favorite driver.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

This thread should be re-titled "for cabbies to talk about what they don't know". 90% of the people posting are cabbies and the majority of it is false.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> I doubt that. But, thankfully, your understanding is not required.


Sorry I missed a few posts. You're correct, my understanding is not required, nor is yours.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

CommanderXL said:


> Wow. Look at this. Yet another uninformed taxi driver shares his wisdom.
> 
> You couldn't be more wrong!
> 
> ...


Interesting how you highlight your position when the judge was equally dissenting against your position, if not more so.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

Call it whatever you want to, eventually we will all be labelled the same, because we are the same.


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## hrcabbie (Aug 26, 2015)

limepro said:


> This thread should be re-titled "for cabbies to talk about what they don't know". 90% of the people posting are cabbies and the majority of it is false.


Your 90% is correct, but reflects those currently using the uber platform who are unhappy, the cabbies just agree.


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## poopy (Jun 28, 2015)

I've only been in cabs as a rider.

I have however, been a *Gypsy *cab driver under the _tech company _known as Uber's, app.

10 percenter baby!


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Your 90% is correct, but reflects those currently using the uber platform who are unhappy, the cabbies just agree.


This board represents maybe 1% of all drivers and not everyone is unhappy that's on here. If people were unhappy they just wouldn't drive, much like how you are quitting taxi driving.


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## JDJ (Apr 15, 2015)

Not everybofy


The_One said:


> "volksie, post: 453224, member: 12280"]I agree with everything you've said in this forum. Regardless of what happens to Uber, I'm an experienced driver now.
> The more trades you have in your back pocket the better off you are! Plus, I'm enjoying it.


Enjoying what, destroying your car, losing money and wasting your life away, Uber's favorite driver.[/QUOTE]

Uber did not force anyone to buy a car for uber, yet they help you buy one if u need one or want one.
Obviously your car is going to get destroyed working for any car service not just uber.
Some people make the investment without knowing if they are going to last in this business those are the one's
that end up losing money and wasting their life.
Now in my market its hard not to make any money I don't care what anyone says.
& for those that don't like uber there are plenty of other markets you can try you are not stuck with just uber.


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## The_One (Sep 9, 2015)

Stop making excuses for the scum called Uber, they have destroyed the whole Taxi/FHV business, it's fly by nighters like you that Uber is leaning on, and at the same time destroying full time Taxi/FHV Jobs.


JDJ said:


> Not everybofy
> 
> Enjoying what, destroying your car, losing money and wasting your life away, Uber's favorite driver.


Uber did not force anyone to buy a car for uber, yet they help you buy one if u need one or want one.
Obviously your car is going to get destroyed working for any car service not just uber.
Some people make the investment without knowing if they are going to last in this business those are the one's
that end up losing money and wasting their life.
Now in my market its hard not to make any money I don't care what anyone says.
& for those that don't like uber there are plenty of other markets you can try you are not stuck with just uber.[/QUOTE]


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

The_One said:


> Stop making excuses for the scum called Uber, they have destroyed the whole Taxi/FHV business, it's fly by nighters like you that Uber is leaning on, and at the same time destroying full time Taxi/FHV Jobs.


Someone is bitter, taxis have had a government formed monopoly for far to long. A better, cheaper service has been formed and the one mad of course are the ones in the industry being crushed because of their inability to transform. It would be like the electric company losing their monopoly and someone else figuring a better way of doing it while cutting your bill in half because they can cut out all of the need for infrastructure. You would absolutely love that, you would support it...unless you were the electric company getting pushed out for your dinosaur ways. You wouldn't care about the thousands of electric company employees losing their jobs, you would only care about your bill being cut in half.

Stop crying, especially on an Uber board, it gets you NOWHERE, it gets you no sympathy, it gets you no money, however it does get you laughed at.


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## forqalso (Jun 1, 2015)

driverco said:


> If you keep all your gas, maintenance, & food receipts trust me you won't owe any taxes $150 minim a week gas * 52,+ 300+ meals, + oil change 5 times a year, brakes tires rotors tune ups, trans, ac, fuel filter air filter shocks, etc least once a year, 40+ car washes, a few interior details, smog registration insurance, most likely a few tickets, depreciation of vehichle you won't make enough profit to actually owe anything


That's right. I'm only wondering why that guy would be limiting his Uber income to $600 a year to avoid paying taxes. Why do it at all?


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## The_One (Sep 9, 2015)

driverco said:


> I think it's more the ability to work whenever, most part time jobs you have a schedule and have to show up, you can wake up at 5 am bored nothing to do and clock in, have something come up you can log in drive till the tanks empty and make a quick 200+ bucks or just a quick 20
> 
> No ones rushing to be a taxi driver everyone know that's what the position is. It's the easiest, low barrier to entry, part time gig on the planet as of now. Good to have as a back up why not?


It's wanna be Taxi drivers like you, operating an illegal Taxi that is killing full time Taxi drivers jobs who obey the laws and pay their respective dues.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

limepro said:


> Someone is bitter, taxis have had a government formed monopoly for far to long. A better, cheaper service has been formed and the one mad of course are the ones in the industry being crushed because of their inability to transform. It would be like the electric company losing their monopoly and someone else figuring a better way of doing it while cutting your bill in half because they can cut out all of the need for infrastructure. You would absolutely love that, you would support it...unless you were the electric company getting pushed out for your dinosaur ways. You wouldn't care about the thousands of electric company employees losing their jobs, you would only care about your bill being cut in half.
> 
> Stop crying, especially on an Uber board, it gets you NOWHERE, it gets you no sympathy, it gets you no money, however it does get you laughed at.


You live down to your avatar. 
Sad my vision is so poor on this Galaxy phone, if I'd ever seen your avatar before I'd have truly understood.


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## Dana T (Sep 14, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Very well put volksie, just watch your back. PLEASE all of you watch your back, I didn't one time and it almost cost me my life. Be careful and alert at all times.


Care to elaborate on what almost cost you your life? What happened?


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> You live down to your avatar.
> Sad my vision is so poor on this Galaxy phone, if I'd ever seen your avatar before I'd have truly understood.


Why? Because you know that as the public it is true, you choose the lowest and best priced cell phone service, you choose the lowest priced and best TV service, you would choose the cheapest electric service and people choose the lowest and best car service. You are just on the losing end so you think I'm the bad guy.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

limepro said:


> Why? Because you know that as the public it is true, you choose the lowest and best priced cell phone service, you choose the lowest priced and best TV service, you would choose the cheapest electric service and people choose the lowest and best car service. You are just on the losing end so you think I'm the bad guy.


Lol no.
Your avatar brands you 'asshole'.
I simply noticed it.
You say it all, and the UP readership appreciates your honesty.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> "We have jam every other day.
> 
> Always every OTHER day.
> NEVER jam TODAY".
> Lewis Carol


In full (insert high earnings of your choice in place of jam and that's how Uber works). Oh and Uber turns us all into Red Queens:

The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday-but never jam to-day."
"It must come sometimes to 'jam to-day,'" Alice objected.
"No, it ca'n't," said the Queen. "It's jam every other day: to-day isn't any other day, you know.

Now the Red Queen running:

"Well, in our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else-if you run very fast for a long time, as we've been doing."

"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> It's because Uber is the greatest propaganda machine since the 3rd Reich.
> We offer you showers, don't pay attention to the trains they only bring people in.


I'm guessing a lot of folks had that go right over their heads.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> I'm guessing a lot of folks had that go right over their heads.


Sharp as a tack, Fuzzy. First the Alice in Wonderland reference in full, then Godwins Law.
Good work.


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## Taxi Driver in Arizona (Mar 18, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Sharp as a tack, Fuzzy. First the Alice in Wonderland reference in full, then Godwins Law.
> Good man.


I'm pretty sure Fuzzyelvis is a woman.


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## Realityshark (Sep 22, 2014)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> We are all in the "Driving people around for money"


That pretty well sums it up.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

driverco said:


> If you keep all your gas, maintenance, & food receipts trust me you won't owe any taxes $150 minim a week gas * 52,+ 300+ meals, + oil change 5 times a year, brakes tires rotors tune ups, trans, ac, fuel filter air filter shocks, etc least once a year, 40+ car washes, a few interior details, smog registration insurance, most likely a few tickets, depreciation of vehichle you won't make enough profit to actually owe anything


Hardly any of those things are tax deductible, unless your vehicle is Uber only, not a family vehicle. Meals aren't deductible at all. Neither are car washes. Or tickets.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Taxi Driver in Arizona said:


> I'm pretty sure Fuzzyelvis is a woman.


Thanks. Edited to ambiguity.


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


I still believe that everything we do is geared towards 3 things. 
I mean everything. Including the stupid shit just to be happy.
It takes everything we do to achieve these 3 things.

Reproduction
Eating
Survival


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

William1964 said:


> I still believe that everything we do is geared towards 3 things.
> I mean everything. Including the stupid shit just to be happy.
> It takes everything we do to achieve these 3 things.
> 
> ...


Are you familiar with Marlow's Hierarchy of Needs?


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Old Rocker said:


> Are you familiar with Marlow's Hierarchy of Needs?


Maslows hierarchy of needs.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Maslows hierarchy of needs.


Autocorrect strikes again... or my tablet really likes Rita Marlow.


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## Kuhataparunks (May 8, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Very well put volksie, just watch your back. PLEASE all of you watch your back, I didn't one time and it almost cost me my life. Be careful and alert at all times.


Story time please


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## mrjhnsn (Jul 2, 2015)

limepro said:


> Prior it was a job that you had to invest money to begin, you are forced into working long hours to pay back the lease just to see a profit and like you said with a heavy cash business it is dangerous. Now if you already have a car there is no investment, I can go out for 1 hour or 12 it is my choice and it is 99% a cashless business, who wants to rob someone where they won't get green. Stealing a car is risky, it is huge, identifiable and not worth the risk to most criminals.


I spent two weeks and $350 dollars to get my taxi license and start working in SF. Pretty minimal "investment" if you ask me. I work the hours I want, drive cabs that are nearly brand new and don't have to worry I will be sued into poverty if I get in an accident. I really feel sorry for Smartphone Hailed Illegal Taxi drivers working for less than minimum wage, risking life, financial security and jail, all while running their own cars into the ground. We need new young blood in the taxi industry, come join us, you're halfway there already.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

Troll


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## mrjhnsn (Jul 2, 2015)

Old Rocker said:


> Troll


Really dude? Is that all you have? Lest you forget WE are all in this together. 
Uber and Lyft's illegal actions put everyone, especially you, at risk. 
How am I a troll if I am sharing my experience in getting licensed as a taxi driver in SF? 
If you want to come at me intelligently we can open a new thread for everyone to join in on. 
Otherwise, stop the projecting and go back to school because you obviously have a lot to learn about reading comprehension.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

A troll is someone who makes an inflammatory post in order to illicit reactions. I learned all about trolling back on the Usenet, probably before you were born.

Plus, I've ridden in taxi's in SF and I call BS.

I'm putting you on ignore now. If any other of we illegal workers wishes to engage with you, that's their choice.


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## mrjhnsn (Jul 2, 2015)

I was on Usenet 25 years ago. 
My cab last night was a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with leather interior and under 80k miles.
What's your ride? A 2004 Taurus? Prius financed by Uber's Indentured Servitude loan?
I'm not here to engage like this dude. 
I must reiterate: WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. 
You are working against your own best interests, by continuing to Uber/Lyft. 
Do what you like. Do what works for you. Do what helps you pay the bills. 
All I am saying is that becoming a Taxi driver is cheaper and easier than anyone who has drank the kool-aid believes. 
It benefits all for-hire drivers to be 100% legal, no matter who they book rides through.

#DMWA

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/653742206893748224


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

mrjhnsn said:


> I spent two weeks and $350 dollars to get my taxi license and start working in SF. Pretty minimal "investment" if you ask me. I work the hours I want, drive cabs that are nearly brand new and don't have to worry I will be sued into poverty if I get in an accident. I really feel sorry for Smartphone Hailed Illegal Taxi drivers working for less than minimum wage, risking life, financial security and jail, all while running their own cars into the ground. We need new young blood in the taxi industry, come join us, you're halfway there already.


So two weeks investment, $350 and how much daily on your lease? How many hours do you spend a day in the car? There is a usefulness to being able to log in and out when you please, not having to spend 12 hours in the car because you paid to have it for the day/week. I own my cars, I for the most part had them prior to doing Uber(I bought a minivan for the family recently), I have no time or money invested in Uber.


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## limepro (Mar 7, 2015)

mrjhnsn said:


> I was on Usenet 25 years ago.
> My cab last night was a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with leather interior and under 80k miles.
> What's your ride? A 2004 Taurus? Prius financed by Uber's Indentured Servitude loan?
> I'm not here to engage like this dude.
> ...


I have a 2013 Passat tdi and 2013 town and country, neither purchased through ubers predatory lenders and both paid off as I pay cash for all cars. The Passat I bought new, the minivan I bought a couple weeks ago used.

I know not everyone is in the same boat but there are positives and negatives to both, for me the positives of Uber outweigh the negative.


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## Kojaxe (Sep 23, 2015)

mrjhnsn said:


> I was on Usenet 25 years ago.
> My cab last night was a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with leather interior and under 80k miles.


Mine was 2014, Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk bought 3 months ago. Brand new bought it not for Uber but for personal used but... need money to get laid every friday nights. so, Uber is the answer. LOL!


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

Butthurt taxi drivers are butthurt because their precious medallion system, brought about by political bribery, is crumbling. SF only allows 1500 medallion cabs at any one time. I recently heard that the city of Philadelphia actually sold three medallions this year. NYC has approximately the same number of medallion cabs as it did 80, yes 80 years ago, although they do now have Boro cabs.

I see posted here the Yelp! ratings for Uber in various cities, but for comparison, look at the ratings for Yellow Cab in the same cities.


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## Einstein (Oct 10, 2015)

limepro said:


> I know not everyone is in the same boat but there are positives and negatives to both, for me the positives of Uber outweigh the negative.


It all depends on how you value your time. Most Uber drivers who understand the numbers have a very low self-worth with respect to time. Obviously not by choice. If there were better gigs in this economy, who would work for pennies per hour?

Uber will continually push the low-fare envelope until they start bleeding too many drivers and they won't be able to replenish them fast enough.

Uber has no shame.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

Kojaxe said:


> Mine was 2014, Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk bought 3 months ago. Brand new bought it not for Uber but for personal used but... need money to get laid every friday nights. so, Uber is the answer. LOL!


Perth, Westeros. Nice.


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## Old Rocker (Aug 20, 2015)

Einstein said:


> It all depends on how you value your time. Most Uber drivers who understand the numbers have a very low self-worth with respect to time. Obviously not by choice. If there were better gigs in this economy, who would work for pennies per hour?
> 
> Uber will continually push the low-fare envelope until they start bleeding too many drivers and they won't be able to replenish them fast enough.
> 
> Uber has no shame.


It's no secret Travis wants an IPO. The good thing is they will then have to open their books for FTC scrutiny and audit, plus publish quarterly and annual shareholder reports. This will reveal their finances to everyone.


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## Einstein (Oct 10, 2015)

The IPO will flop. The media will hype it to the moon and the speculators will bid it up sky high, then it will crash. Worse than Alibaba.


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## mrjhnsn (Jul 2, 2015)

limepro said:


> So two weeks investment, $350 and how much daily on your lease? How many hours do you spend a day in the car? There is a usefulness to being able to log in and out when you please, not having to spend 12 hours in the car because you paid to have it for the day/week. I own my cars, I for the most part had them prior to doing Uber(I bought a minivan for the family recently), I have no time or money invested in Uber.


Correction: When you turn on the Uber driver's app you are investing time, every ride request you accept is a financial investment. 
Legal protection is generally priceless one would presume right? Not having to worry about maintenance, insurance, vehicle license and regulatory requirements while not destroying my own personal vehicle is completely is completely worth having to drive all the way across the city to the taxi yard and pay about $9-12 per hour that I want the cab. I am not locked into 12 hours, 10 hours, 8 hours or any hours. I have complete freedom with my schedule. There are certainly tradeoffs of not having the convenience to just turn on an app and go, but the conveniences afforded by Uber/Lyft for the driver are not remotely matched to the services they provide the driver. Cab companies are sometimes grimy funky places, sometimes they are awesome, well run businesses that are quite the contrary to the picture being painted by Uber/Lyft to ensnare drivers.

Here's roughly how it getting my license went down for me. The fees are even less now than they were in 2007 when I got my cab license.
Here is the approximate time and monetary investment spread over two weeks.

$175 Taxi School (4 days, 6 hours a day), this is cheaper now, not sure by how much.
$30 LiveScan done at SFPD (1.5 hours) (get done wherever price may vary)
$130~ish Taxi License Application (45 min), this is now done at the SFMTA for $0 
$0 Taxi School at the SFPD with quiz and SFO rule session (6 hours), this is now done at the SFMTA
$10 3x5 Id Card (done at the cab company)
$15 Pictures for application and city issued ID (30 min)
$85 Business License. (done by mail, annually)

I have been paying approximately $185 in fees to the city every year to maintain my license, i find it not substantially different or more onerous (in fact much less so) than getting a real estate license in California. A simple license I have held for 10+ years which also required my fingerprints, school and tests.

Daily lease rate depends on day and how long I take a cab out. Once I pass 9 hours on a pro rata shift it goes to the full shift rate which varies based on the car type and shift period worked. Below is a breakdown of my week this last week. (RPH is rides per hour, $ per mile is net, hours is how many worked not leased, all cabs driven this week were non-hybrid unlike the majority of the SF taxi fleet).

















Hopefully you find it helpful to see the real picture of a week in the life of an experienced taxi driver.

BTW: I do not think of uber/Lyft drivers to be "the enemy". You are all simply trying to make money, just like me; I want to see you all make money, money that cannot be taken away by insurance companies, lawyers, etc. It's always your prerogative however, to make your own decisions and do what you need to do to pay the bills. 
In my humble opinion, in SF at least it's actually better to drive a cab for all the shit you get with the lease cost.

Also... please tell the newbies to fully pull out of the roadway when they are picking up or dropping.... One does not need to line up the pin and dot on the map like virtual pin the tail on the donkey. Use the driveways, traffic cutouts, open parking spots, etc.; NOT in the Bus/Taxi lane/zones or blocking a driveway and a lane of traffic on a major street like Pine, Fell, etc...
If we honk or bright you, please move out of the way. We aren't trying to start anything, you're simply in our way and likely violating the law (bus/taxi zone/lane).

Thank's guys.
I know I can come off as a dick sometimes in my writing, but I assure you I do not intend to personally attack anyone, I will hit back with some sass if you are just being intentionally inflammatory.


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## mrjhnsn (Jul 2, 2015)

Old Rocker said:


> Butthurt taxi drivers are butthurt because their precious medallion system, brought about by political bribery, is crumbling. SF only allows 1500 medallion cabs at any one time. I recently heard that the city of Philadelphia actually sold three medallions this year. NYC has approximately the same number of medallion cabs as it did 80, yes 80 years ago, although they do now have Boro cabs.
> 
> I see posted here the Yelp! ratings for Uber in various cities, but for comparison, look at the ratings for Yellow Cab in the same cities.


You clearly are the expert here and know WAAAYYY more than me about how my industry works.
I mean, Yelp ratings and reviews are almost better than youtube comments when it comes to facts about SHIT_Vs_Taxis right?
Clearly all those non experts must have more collective knowledge than someone deeply embedded into the fabric of the San Francisco taxi industry (currently 1900+ full time medallions, the vehicle license, and 250+ part time medallions).

Even Wikipedia has more accurate information than you, and even Wikipedia is out of date. 
BTW the ONLY actually corrupt and broken taxi regulatory systems anywhere close to your claims of political bribery are Boston and Philly. 
Why do you think Vegas is the last place in the US for Uber to have to fight its way into? 
Not bribery, goons or protectionist laws, it's that Vegas has the most technologically advanced and highly regulated taxi business in the US.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Old Rocker said:


> Butthurt taxi drivers are butthurt because their precious medallion system, brought about by political bribery, is crumbling. SF only allows 1500 medallion cabs at any one time. I recently heard that the city of Philadelphia actually sold three medallions this year. NYC has approximately the same number of medallion cabs as it did 80, yes 80 years ago, although they do now have Boro cabs.
> 
> I see posted here the Yelp! ratings for Uber in various cities, but for comparison, look at the ratings for Yellow Cab in the same cities.


Troll.


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

driverco said:


> And for your half a grand & 185 a year just for you to start & keep your taxi license & fees nor to mention time. It cost me $50 doctor fee which I didn't even pay as it was taking g out of 1st 2 statements...look once people use Uber they really don't go back so whatever side you on cab market share is shrinking period. No one pays half price for equal or better service then goes back to paying double for the hell of it not to mention but I clear over 200 most days with half the amount of the rides you given on your 200+ days


I've grossed $180 so far since 5:30 am in my own cab. 140 full rolling miles.
You?
Uber- selling the lie about free miles to owner operators everywhere since 2011.


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## stuber (Jun 30, 2014)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


Agreed. UBER X is wildly popular because of the price. The technology is great, and fun, and convenient, and empowering for customers. All true. But it's the price that's driving UBER and Lyft.

Obviously there's plenty wrong with the taxi industry. And the industry will probably never fix the problems until the weekly lease model is abolished. Drivers have to own and operate their vehicles.

But the one thing that taxis have right is the pricing. Despite everything, they have somehow figured out the pricing. It's fair and consistent. Prices could be slightly lower if there wasn't a middle man fleet owner taking profits from the driver.


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## mrjhnsn (Jul 2, 2015)

stuber said:


> Agreed. UBER X is wildly popular because of the price. The technology is great, and fun, and convenient, and empowering for customers. All true. But it's the price that's driving UBER and Lyft.
> 
> Obviously there's plenty wrong with the taxi industry. And the industry will probably never fix the problems until the _weekly lease model _is abolished. _Drivers have to own and operate their vehicles._
> 
> But the one thing that taxis have right is the pricing. Despite everything, they have somehow figured out the pricing. It's fair and consistent. Prices could be slightly lower if there wasn't a middle man fleet owner taking profits from the driver.


The lease fees to a cab company are not profit to a "middle man" like Uber. The lease fees are paying for vehicle maintenance, insurance, support staff, etc. I get free roadside assistance, tows and a replacement cab should something go wrong on the road does Uber give you that? Cab companies are not wildly profitable like people think because of these facts. *Some drivers lease by the hour, day, week, month or just own their cabs. Drivers are not required to own their cabs in most major US cities.* Most drivers that do own their own cabs have been at it for many years and choose to do so for a long list of reasons.

Meanwhile its always been easy to get into the taxi industry. *Uber just made everyone believe that it was some huge expense to get a cab license; in fact almost every city in the world has a two part taxi permitting system, one permit issued to the driver and one permit attached to the car.* The one attached to the car has always been the biggest expense, but its only a large expense in cities where congestion mitigation and supply balancing has been fine tuned over decades to best suit that cities' need.

Paying 20-30% of each fare and getting nothing but a booking app in return while having to drive your own car.... that's no bargain, its a ripoff. Gross does not = Net. 
The costs of doing business are just that. Whether you are selling hot-dogs or computers, anytime you operate a business costs get incurred, operations, licensing, insurance, rent, utilities, etc. *Going on the Uber app for a couple hours and being stoked you GROSSED $185, you still lose $0.56 for every mile driven (approx $82 based on the gross) on top of the nearly $55 you'll pay Uber and gas... leaving you with a whopping $48. before taxes.*

*We have had 400 years to work on fine tuning on-demand transportation (taxis)*. We got the prices right because without regulated prices and standards in on-demand transportation, the system falls apart. Drivers make less, passengers pay more, service goes down, and the guys at the top just get richer. History has borne out this truth in almost every major city in the world.

MrJhnsn


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## Hrcabbie2 (Jan 29, 2018)

My my, how things have occurred, not working out so well Uber drivers, huh?


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## TwoFiddyMile (Mar 13, 2015)

Hrcabbie2 said:


> My my, how things have occurred, not working out so well Uber drivers, huh?


Welcome back.
Does reincarnation hurt?


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## Hrcabbie2 (Jan 29, 2018)

TwoFiddyMile said:


> Welcome back.
> Does reincarnation hurt?


Only on your back side 250 lol



Hrcabbie2 said:


> Only on your back side 250 lol





TwoFiddyMile said:


> Welcome back.
> Does reincarnation hurt?


The new generation cab drivers seem a little disgruntled, 1 dollar a mile can do that to a man, or woman


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## William1964 (Jul 28, 2015)

Agree or disagree?

If the gig or demand worker app asked you this question or sent you this little dialogue what would you say?

Please share screenshot photograph or image that describes or shows why you have your answer. A screenshot of something that just isn't right and shows it something isn't working the way you think it should be


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


Uber POLICE COMING SOON !


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## sbstar07 (Aug 31, 2017)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


I mean... What's your point??


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## itsablackmarket (May 12, 2015)

sbstar07 said:


> I mean... What's your point??


I think his point was pretty clear. Uber is a scam.


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

Must be pretty bored to bring up your own two year old thread that never had any merit to begin with.


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## Hrcabbie2 (Jan 29, 2018)

JimS said:


> Must be pretty bored to bring up your own two year old thread that never had any merit to begin with.


I actually didn't follow this for the last couple of years, only meant to comment on this using my old thread because of the sad situation overall that transporting people has become, financially. The little saying after your posts pretty much affirms that and the merit of my original thread, have a nice day


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## JimS (Aug 18, 2015)

I think your avatar says it all...


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## Hrcabbie2 (Jan 29, 2018)

JimS said:


> I think your avatar says it all...


You may be right, but your avatar is equally correct


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## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


I drove a cab, but I think I know the answer.

First off, driving a painted taxi with a taxi top light saying "taxi" tells the world you are a "taxi driver".

Now then, there is nothing wrong with that, I was a taxi driver without shame whatsoever. But there's a lot of people who would never see themselves as a taxi driver, for them, there's a mild stigma to it. Oh, I suppose they wouldn't say they have anything against taxi drivers ify you asked them, but they won't ever be driving one for a living. For some reason, that mild stigma hasn't comported to being an Uber driver, 'cause you're not driving around in an obvious taxi, with Uber, it's more discreet.

But, you're right, a vehicle for hire is a vehicle for hire, no matter what you call it. On the other hand, a few cab companies have handed me some really skanky cars to drive, in my time. My personal car is real nice, as are the vast majority of Uber cars.

I don't think driving for Uber is as dangerous as a taxi. It's widely know Uber drivers do not handle cash, and it's all done with CC, and there is tracking for every trip. After 4 years as an Uber driver, I've had no scary experiences. I have had many as a taxi driver. Drug runs were a nightly occurrence as a taxi driver, I've yet to have one of these as an Uber driver. No prostitutes, yet, but quite often as a cabbie. Also, taking street hails can be, at times, a white knuckle affair. Not often, but every once in a while. I suppose it depends on where you drive, as well, and in what city. I drove a cab in Hollywood, and Uber in San Diego, and San Diego today is much much tamer than Hollywood was in the 70s. Driving a cab in Hollywood in the 7os was, well, let's just way it wasn't boring. San Diego, is a lot more boring, but at the tender age of 66, that's just the way I want it.


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## Falafelhead (Oct 23, 2017)

hrcabbie said:


> Believe it or not you guys are taxi drivers. Uber's propoganda calling you rideshare partners is hilarious. There are now between 4 to 7 times as many taxi drivers in the market in America, just to service the abundance needed on fri and sat equal to the overall service industry needed on those days. While the taxi industry needed attention to those days, the overall service industry would be equally needy. Where were all you guys before uber? I don't recall lines around taxi companies with people looking to drive a taxi before uber. This site alone attests to the issues with driving a taxi, yet now soccer moms want to participate in the second most dangerous profession next to a police officer. What's up with that?


In NYC. Taxicabs gained bad reputation cause they are generally assholes.

It seems like when they got their license they been instructed that they are the most important vehicle on the road, other cars dont matter, peoples lives dont matter, only their next fair matters.

Now sure theres some asshole uber drivers, but most of them are x cabbies that switched over.

Who the f would wanna drive a yellow cab???. I dont care if what im saying is discriminating. I drove in nyc for 11 years before driving uber, im not gonna stop disliking cabbie drivers for a long time, and never ever consider driving a cab cause that job comes with an asshole title.


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## itsablackmarket (May 12, 2015)

Oscar Levant said:


> I drove a cab, but I think I know the answer.
> 
> First off, driving a painted taxi with a taxi top light saying "taxi" tells the world you are a "taxi driver".
> 
> ...


The only reason Uber is (probably, I don't have the statistics) safe than a taxi is because Uber/Lyft drivers are more relatable to would be criminals, since they probably have family who drives for them.


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