# The result of too many drivers in Philadelphia : UberX Is Now As Bad As Philly Cabs



## Nitedriver (Jun 19, 2014)

I knew that was coming , not a good move by Uber ..

When, in October of last year, Uber announced that its cheaper-than-a-taxi UberX service was finally available in Philadelphia, most of us were delighted. In addition to being significantly less expensive than Philly's cabs, UberX was also significantly better.

Of course, that wasn't necessarily a difficult feat. Many Philadelphians had become fed up with the city's cabs, the worst of which were dirty and smelly and manned by angry drivers who would flip out if you tried to do the unthinkable: Pay your fare with a credit card.
But less than a year later, everything has changed.

the UberX situation in Philadelphia did offer a possible explanation for why UberX has gotten so damn bad. "Who do you think many of these new drivers are?" he said. "Philly cab drivers."

Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/news/2015/08/06/uberx-philadelphia-cabs/#Wl727Oi5GFsuLg0g.99


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## Courageous (Sep 18, 2014)

From polls I've taken with passengers, the cars are not so bad yet. It's the harsh attitudes that have creeped onto the scene. The condition of the vehicles will follow suit soon enough. I drive SouthEast Florida.


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## oneubersheep (Nov 27, 2014)

The thought that Uber drivers were better than Taxis was just delusional thinking.


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

onefuctubersheep said:


> The thought that Uber drivers were better than Taxis was just delusional thinking.


If one reads the article., one will see that cabbies in Philly are becoming Uber drivers & bringing along w/them their attitudes. Therefore UberX = Philly cabs.


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## GooberX (May 13, 2015)

UberNorthStar said:


> If one reads the article., one will see that cabbies in Philly are becoming Uber drivers & bringing along w/them their attitudes. Therefore UberX = Philly cabs.


Bullshit.

The low pay has pushed away all the good drivers and they're left with the desperate driving X.

In time the cars will be shittier than cabs ever were.

Why is anyone surprised?


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

onefuctubersheep said:


> The thought that Uber drivers were better than Taxis was just delusional thinking.


.........and taxi bashing has been _oh so fashionable_ for quite some time, thus done by every Dedicated Follower of Fashion. It has little basis in fact. Usually, it is the result of one or two bad taxi rides that obliterate any of the good and all of the mundane experiences. "_When I am right, no one remembers; when I am wrong, no one forgets"_. The whole taxi bashing thing is merely a corollary of that. Funny, too, it is allright when the public profiles and steretypes taxis and their drivers, but when a taxi driver profiles or stereotypes passengers or prospective passengers, there are calls for his public pillorying and a wholesale harassment campaign against cab drivers. Double standards and hypocrisy?

*A. *


UberNorthStar said:


> If one reads the article., one will see that cabbies in Philly are becoming Uber drivers & bringing along w/them their attitudes. Therefore UberX = Philly cabs.


*B. *


GooberX said:


> Bullshit.
> 
> The low pay has pushed away all the good drivers and they're left with the desperate driving X.
> 
> ...


What I have designated above as "B" is as good as any an answer to what I have designated above as "A". Further, if the rate comparison between UberX and taxis in Philadelphia is anything that approaches Washington's, the cab drivers did not stay long with UberX. The ridiculously low UberX rates here have sent more than one cab driver crawling back to his former cab company or, to another one in his jursidiction of licensure. Thus, "B" would explain the problem with UberX drivers better than the assertions that former cab drivers are bringing their alleged "attitudes" with them to UberX.

Another thing: from what I have read on this forum, there are more than a few UberX drivers who could learn more than a little bit from the cab drivers about certain things in this business. Some of these UberX drivers do, in fact, have much to learn. We have not heard from Dhus in a little while, but many UberX drivers could learn a great amount just by reading much of what he has posted here.

There is one point, however, that has been mentioned on this topic, and, in other places on this forum, that I must concede. My experience, as well as information drawn from conversations with other cab drivers, limousine drivers, rideshare drivers, Enforcement Personnel, regulators and, most importantly, customers dictates that I concede this point. Cab drivers' balking at credit cards IS a nationwide problem. These are the same cab drivers who holler "Uber This! and Uber That!" but fail to understand that every time that they balk at a credit card, they are playing DIRECTLY into the hand of the Uber about which they are whining. In this case, it is the cab driver who has a little bit to learn. The customer dictates the market. Further, no merchant has ever "won" an argument with a customer. I do not care how dead right the merchant is, if the customer does not come back, in the end, the merchant loses. Any merchant who will not rise to meet the demands of his market IS DOOMED TO FAIL. If the customer demands non-cash payment, you must make that available. If you will not, someone will. Then, he will have most of the customers and you will have few, if any.

Just as too many rideshare drivers can not see beyond the end of their collective nose, too many cab drivers can not, either.


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## GooberX (May 13, 2015)

Outstanding and real.


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## Lack9133 (Mar 26, 2015)

UberNorthStar said:


> If one reads the article., one will see that cabbies in Philly are becoming Uber drivers & bringing along w/them their attitudes. Therefore UberX = Philly cabs.


I don't think this is limited to just Philly. This is happening across the country. Basically Uber opened the flood gates to allow all the crap drivers who couldn't hack it with a taxi company back on the road. Probably beating a dead horse with this point but while in the beginning they might have brought your standard 25 year old wanting to make some cash on the side, those individuals are slowly removing themselves from the system with the low pay.


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

Another Uber Drive said:


> Cab drivers' balking at credit cards IS a nationwide problem


For awhile it seemed the local news was reporting almost daily the robbery of a cabbie.


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## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

UberNorthStar said:


> For awhile it seemed the local news was reporting almost daily the robbery of a cabbie.


If my experience with hacking Downtown and on the West Side (where the money is, here), most people are paying with cards. Most of my street hails pay with cards. Most of the calls that I get from my company pay with cards. Most of the drivers here work Downtown in the day. Anymore, I work Downtown more than I used to, because in the daytime, many Uber Taxi summonses come from there or from residential neighbourhoods closer to Downtown.

At night, the drivers are telling me that they get offered cards more often than not in the nightlife areas: Georgetown, Adams-Morgan, DuPont, Woodley and Cleveland Parks (on Connecticut Avenue, only), 14th Street, H street, NoMa and some of the outlying venues. (Did I forget any?). Some of those drivers admit to balking at the cards.

It does not seem that the word has spread to the thugs that few people are using cash, anymore. The only place that you still see cash in any quantity is East of the River, where most of the 'hoods are. Still, most of the robberies here started in places other than the East Side, they simply take place on the East Side. There are other factors that have influenced the uptick in robberies, but I will refrain from discussing them here.


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## UberComic (Apr 17, 2014)

You can replace Philadelphia with LA in that headline, and it'd still be true.


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## phillipzx3 (May 26, 2015)

Lack9133 said:


> I don't think this is limited to just Philly. This is happening across the country. Basically Uber opened the flood gates to allow all the crap drivers who couldn't hack it with a taxi company back on the road. Probably beating a dead horse with this point but while in the beginning they might have brought your standard 25 year old wanting to make some cash on the side, those individuals are slowly removing themselves from the system with the low pay.


What's happening in Portland,Or, is drivers fired from cab companies went to Uber. We have one who, according to news on the wind, was busted for using heroine. He now drives a car with personalized "Uber" vanity plates, and is a pretty vocal supporter of Uber. I'd be too if no cab company would hire me.

These ex- cab drivers know the active spots, so they're able to do "ok"...for now. But it is a bit funny watching these guys "fight" over the closest position (GPS based dispatching will do that) to get the trips.


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## Lack9133 (Mar 26, 2015)

phillipzx3 said:


> What's happening in Portland,Or, is drivers fired from cab companies went to Uber. We have one who, according to news on the wind, was busted for using heroine. He now drives a car with personalized "Uber" vanity plates, and is a pretty vocal supporter of Uber. I'd be too if no cab company would hire me.
> 
> These ex- cab drivers know the active spots, so they're able to do "ok"...for now. But it is a bit funny watching these guys "fight" over the closest position (GPS based dispatching will do that) to get the trips.


Same thing is happening in Denver. There are a few guys here who couldn't get hired on at any taxi company for various reasons and are now very vocal supporters of ride-shares. I won't go into what they were supposedly doing but if the rumors are true, they should be in jail.

Completely agree with the closest position. The way our airport is laid out, drivers would park their cars and literally stand next to security gates with their phones in hopes of being pinged. The airport finally had enough of random Uber drivers hanging out next to their security gates (obvious security reasons) and started requiring drivers to stay with their vehicles. I heard drivers were doing the same in hotel lobbies until hotels started kicking them out as well.


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## AintWorthIt (Sep 30, 2014)

I've had several people on Lyft tell me they no longer use uber due to bad experiences. This is in Kentucky. Uber did it to themselves and will only get worse.


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## Nooa (Dec 30, 2014)

Uber has a great product but continues to under value itself & destroy its brand
By continuing to lower their prices (for absolutely no reason), allowing 2000 or newer vehicles & allowing just about anyone to drive they're shooting themselves in the foot.


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## Lyft4uDC (Jul 28, 2014)

AintWorthIt said:


> I've had several people on Lyft tell me they no longer use uber due to bad experiences. This is in Kentucky. Uber did it to themselves and will only get worse.


don't kid yourself. they will come to both, but lyft is 10x slower than uber in majority of markets.


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