Uber vs. Taxi

In the last year, Uber has quickly taken over the business of taxi drivers in major cities and it's safe to say, cabbies are pissed.

Really pissed.

If you're not familiar, Uber is a company where you can request your own personal driver via phone app. It was created as a way for hired town car drivers to make extra money during the downtime of their originally paid hire for the day. The company started out with town cars but quickly evolved into UberX (hybrids) and suburbans for larger parties. Basically, it's a faster, fancier, and more enjoyable way for people to ride in a car with a stranger - and maybe getting a bottle of water or a good story instead of a cranky cabbie.

Photo courtesy: http://phillysportslive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/uber.jpg

I can totally understand why this whole ordeal upsets the cab companies. It takes away their business In a lot of cities where Uber has yet to launch, cab drivers are doing everything they can to keep them out. 

Personally, I prefer Uber if I need a ride. It's basically the same price as cabs (sometimes UberX is cheaper), the drivers are extremely professional, and the cars are much more comfortable and better taken care of. What's not to like? The last three or four cabs I have been in have been such awful experiences, from cranky drivers who don't want to take me where I want to go, or their credit card machines don't work - it's just miserable. If I have to tell them "You could be making money right now but instead you are arguing with me about why you won't take me where I want to go," then your customer service sucks.

But that's the thing - with Uber, they're professional and know the meaning of customer service. From request to destination it's seamless. Simply put your credit card information into the app, which also uses GPS to get a car to you, and you never have to pull out a credit card or a map. It's that simple. Not to mention a great way to catch a ride if your wallet got stolen at the club or you left your credit card at dinner. Just open your account, and Uber's got your back. 

Photo courtesy:http://blog.uber.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/mailchimp.png

My challenge to cab drivers is this: If you're upset about Uber, don't complain and moan about how they are ruining your business. Instead, challenge them - fix up your cars, make sure your machines work, know where you're going, and be the most customer service oriented driver in your city. Treat every customer like they are King. In this day and age, people don't have time for attitude, they want a nice, simple, pleasant ride.

Look at it this way: When FedEx burst onto the mail scene, the U.S. Postal Service was pissed. FedEx did everything the post office did but they did it better, faster, and more accurately. Their execution forced the postal service to step up their game if they wanted to even think about staying in the game.

If you haven't tried Uber and it's in your city, I highly recommend it. They also have a lot of promotions and great deals for first-time users. I even had ice cream delivered to my place once because of Uber - I can't say a taxi driver ever brought me ice cream. It's a cool company with a cool concept, and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. 

They've revolutionized riding with strangers.

Try it, I dare you. 

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