Uber arrives in Southampton

[Saint-scooby]

Not sure if this is good or bad ?

 

I guess all the red plate drivers will be up in arms

[TwoPints]

I don't know a lot about Uber but any competition has to be good doesn't it?

[Saint_clark]

A lot of stories of blokes getting a bit of a fool around in the back seat off women they drive around in place of payments using this service. As good a reason as any to sign up.

[Jonnyboy]

A lot of stories of blokes getting a bit of a fool around in the back seat off women they drive around in place of payments using this service. As good a reason as any to sign up.

 

You want to fool around in the back seat with a taxi driver??

[Manuel]

Can't see it going away. Having used it in London, it's efficient, reliable, cheap and easy to use.

 

If there are valid concerns about lack of registration leading to worries about safety, then perhaps there will still be a market for some traditional cabs, but I can only see uber getting bigger and bigger.

[skintsaint]

Uber has been here for a while and use it a lot as it's half th e price of normal taxis. All uber drivers are screened so the dangerous driver aspect is no different to your usual taxi driver. Also you rate the service each cheap, if a drivers average get below 4 stars they get deregistered so always offer you water and mint/sweets/gum which is a nice touch esp after a few beers.

 

The whole booking on an app, getting all car and driving BRB info etc is just a new kind of taxi service.

 

Taxi drivers here don't like it as they used to be able to charge what they liked due to no competition.

[Dig Dig]

I don't know a lot about Uber but any competition has to be good doesn't it?

 

There is no competition. Uber is backed by hedge funds worth billions which allows them to undercut the competition in their locations with ease. People might not be all that happy with their prices and standards thereafter.

[holepuncture]

If you want to use a shambolic service, driven around by fresh of the boat immigrants in clapped out motors, then good luck to you.

 

I don't buy all this vetting nonsense, my friends that use it in London always have a story about the last car hey got in, always dodgy.

 

Personally, I prefer to use proper Hackney taxis or established local firms who employ salt of the earth Brits. I don't mind if it costs a little bit more than these über pikeys, safety first and all that!

[Deano6]

If you want to use a shambolic service, driven around by fresh of the boat immigrants in clapped out motors, then good luck to you.

 

I don't buy all this vetting nonsense, my friends that use it in London always have a story about the last car hey got in, always dodgy.

 

Personally, I prefer to use proper Hackney taxis or established local firms who employ salt of the earth Brits. I don't mind if it costs a little bit more than these über pikeys, safety first and all that!

 

Wow, racist much? I presume you don't watch Saints games, as they also employ foreigners.

 

By the way Brits are allowed to drive on Uber also, plus there are maximum age restrictions on all registered cars.

[Pedro]

Do they need hackney or private hire licences, how does it work, can we recognise them around town as I can't say I have noticed them.

[Saint-scooby]

I looked into it as I have a New Forest operators licence, you need to be registered with the local authorities in order to drive for Uber. I have yet to speak to the powers that be as I can only take a booking that originates here in the NF.

They have asked for all my details ie plate number, drivng licence etc.

I guess if its cheaper and they are taking a 25% cut then I wont be joining . Some of my customers use the system in London and rate it.

As stated prior uber is cheaper, but if there are drivers sat doing nothing pretty sure they will sign up .

 

Please understand there are some pretty dodgy things going on with some existing hackney and private hire drivers/ companies , just read the trade mags.

 

So I guess its watch this space

[Essruu]

Using them as a customer for price (if you can avoid being surge-priced, getting taken stupid routes, having your account details hacked/sold etc) is one thing; being a driver for them when the company reduces prices and increases commissioner will, is quite another.

 

Any driver that gets fooled/conned/lured into driving for the is an idiot and deserves the below minimum wages rate that they'll eventually net.

 

Check out the #ubered hashtag on Twitter.

 

Or read the tales of despair from virtually ever driver on their drivers forum. http://www.uberpeople.net/forums/Quit/

[TwoPints]

There is no competition. Uber is backed by hedge funds worth billions which allows them to undercut the competition in their locations with ease. People might not be all that happy with their prices and standards thereafter.

Well, that's competition and choice isn't it? If you want to pay a lower price and accept the service you get with it then that's fine. If not, you pay a higher price and get the service that gets you. By the sound of things, holepuncture will continue to use the higher priced option as I suspect many others would but it broadens choice in a similar way that budget airlines did.

[TwoPints]

If you want to use a shambolic service, driven around by fresh of the boat immigrants in clapped out motors, then good luck to you.

 

I don't buy all this vetting nonsense, my friends that use it in London always have a story about the last car hey got in, always dodgy.

 

Personally, I prefer to use proper Hackney taxis or established local firms who employ salt of the earth Brits. I don't mind if it costs a little bit more than these über pikeys, safety first and all that!

Unbelievable comments. Seems that your friends in London continue to use them even though they have a 'story'. There are plenty of stores about licensed cabbies too by the way.

[Chez]

Uber seems to cut the throats of existing taxi firms. People are desperate for work so there is no shortage of interest, but it appears that drivers that sign up end up earning low wages.

 

It's going to grow and grow. Customers get a marginally cheaper ride, so why wouldn't they use it?

 

The people that really benefit are the ones that invested in Uber. A few get rich the rest get poorer. That seems to be the way of the world these days.

[a1ex2001]

Uber seems to cut the throats of existing taxi firms. People are desperate for work so there is no shortage of interest, but it appears that drivers that sign up end up earning low wages.

 

It's going to grow and grow. Customers get a marginally cheaper ride, so why wouldn't they use it?

 

The people that really benefit are the ones that invested in Uber. A few get rich the rest get poorer. That seems to be the way of the world these days.

Last sentence sums up the race to the bottom that we are in while most of the worlds money flows into the pocket of a tiny number of people, living in Sheffield uber has ruined the local taxi market and means at peak times you will get absolutely rinsed with surge charging through the roof!

[ScepticalStan]

Uber seems to cut the throats of existing taxi firms. People are desperate for work so there is no shortage of interest, but it appears that drivers that sign up end up earning low wages.

 

It's going to grow and grow. Customers get a marginally cheaper ride, so why wouldn't they use it?

 

The people that really benefit are the ones that invested in Uber. A few get rich the rest get poorer. That seems to be the way of the world these days.

 

The trouble is, the alternative is to legislate against Uber in a completely cynical attempt to force taxi customers to pay more purely to keep taxi drivers in their jobs.

 

That's essentially what happens with the London Underground. Drivers take home £50k p/a with literally around 50 days per year of holiday purely because the unions have prevented external recruitment, meaning that whenever they go on strike, they can bring the city to a standstill with no-one waiting in the wings to replace them.

 

We could easily, easily, easily find a bunch of recent migrants to drive the tube on £25k p/a, and the unions know this full well - hence the deliberate restrictions on the flexibility of labour to prevent it.

 

The net effect is that Joe London pays way more than he should have to for his Oystercard, but naturally, the public mostly hate the tube drivers.

 

So when rival taxi companies almost certainly want to do precisely the same thing with Uber, its hard to have much sympathy.

 

Why should the public be effectively forced to pay a little extra just to sustain the lives of taxi drivers who are only doing a job that anyone who can drive a car can do? Satellite navigation has killed the value of 'the knowledge' in the same way the car killed the value of the horse and cart. Tough truth, but truth nonetheless.

[hypochondriac]

Fantastic news. I love saving loads of cash on the odd occasion I take a taxi in London. The few times a year I take one in Southampton, I'll be making sure it's an uber.

[skintsaint]

If you want to use a shambolic service, driven around by fresh of the boat immigrants in clapped out motors, then good luck to you.

 

Not sure if different to here, but all cars cannot be older than 8 years old and I haven't been in a clapped out car yet.

 

Using them as a customer for price (if you can avoid being surge-priced, getting taken stupid routes, having your account details hacked/sold etc) is one thing; being a driver for them when the company reduces prices and increases commissioner will, is quite another.

 

They warn you if they surge charge before you book the job, had it only happen once and there was a 2.1 times increase on price so just waited 30mins till it finished. Not ideal for everyone I understand but you don't get surprised by it, if its too much get a taxi! And they don't take you a long way round, they follow a GPS through Uber and you can too through the app.

 

This is all based on Uber in Aus though, may be different in UK.

 

I just can't see how being charged $21 to get to the airport through Uber or $48 through a Taxi is a bad thing for the consumer.

[Essruu]

You've only got to search #ubered on Twitter to see how rife it is.

 

 

 

It's hardly surprising that this happens - it's either incompetence because of the lack of checks/knowledge required of Uber drivers, or it's deliberate by the drivers because their earnings are so low thanks to Uber's pricing.

 

Uber lures drivers in with false promises, signing up bonuses and the like. They even 'kindly' provide access to guaranteed HP or lease deals for new Priuses, that the drivers end up barely being able to cover the cost of because of the number of drivers they are competing against at such low rates and giving up such hefty commissions to Uber for.

 

There are loads of Uber driver forums like http://www.uberpeople.net/forums/Quit/ for evidence, class action suits against Uber etc.

 

But the bottom line is the average consumer doesn't care, as long as their ride (legal or not) is slightly cheaper than a traditional, heavily regulated Taxi or Private Hire Vehicle. Ignoring the fact that Uber is often very much not the cheapest, people who use Uber will only have themselves to blame when their local traditional taxi trade is wiped out and then Uber can charge what the hell it likes, surge pricing and all.

 

Uber drivers are modern day slaves, making a handful of investors very wealthy by skimming 20-25% off the top of low prices that the drivers would struggle to live off of if 0% was taken. The public just sees 'shiny app, no cash' (ignoring the fact that there are dozens of similar apps for the Taxi/PHV trade, locally, nationally and globally) and 'cheap prices' and doesn't care about the underhand and unscrupulous tactics that are employed to achieve it.

 

I can't see the problem going away for some time, not while Uber are chucking huge amounts of money at PR, slick advertising and incentives to lure unwitting new slave drivers. They are, however, losing millions and millions every month, so we shall see.

[hypochondriac]

That's just scaremongering, traditional taxis firms will still be around in some form. The few times I've used uber it's been a pleasant experience and miles cheaper than other London taxis.

[Huffton]

You've only got to search #ubered on Twitter to see how rife it is.

 

 

 

It's hardly surprising that this happens - it's either incompetence because of the lack of checks/knowledge required of Uber drivers, or it's deliberate by the drivers because their earnings are so low thanks to Uber's pricing.

 

Uber lures drivers in with false promises, signing up bonuses and the like. They even 'kindly' provide access to guaranteed HP or lease deals for new Priuses, that the drivers end up barely being able to cover the cost of because of the number of drivers they are competing against at such low rates and giving up such hefty commissions to Uber for.

 

There are loads of Uber driver forums like http://www.uberpeople.net/forums/Quit/ for evidence, class action suits against Uber etc.

 

But the bottom line is the average consumer doesn't care, as long as their ride (legal or not) is slightly cheaper than a traditional, heavily regulated Taxi or Private Hire Vehicle. Ignoring the fact that Uber is often very much not the cheapest, people who use Uber will only have themselves to blame when their local traditional taxi trade is wiped out and then Uber can charge what the hell it likes, surge pricing and all.

 

Uber drivers are modern day slaves, making a handful of investors very wealthy by skimming 20-25% off the top of low prices that the drivers would struggle to live off of if 0% was taken. The public just sees 'shiny app, no cash' (ignoring the fact that there are dozens of similar apps for the Taxi/PHV trade, locally, nationally and globally) and 'cheap prices' and doesn't care about the underhand and unscrupulous tactics that are employed to achieve it.

 

I can't see the problem going away for some time, not while Uber are chucking huge amounts of money at PR, slick advertising and incentives to lure unwitting new slave drivers. They are, however, losing millions and millions every month, so we shall see.

 

Will be interesting to see how Wesy Quay react

[JackanorySFC]

I think the current West Quay cars app is excellent, by a mile the best in the City. However Uber's knocks spots off it. I understand the drivers get a raw deal, today I got a cab back from Heathrow and used an excellent local service (Chase Cars) and got a good deal. However for short, A-B journeys I'm dead chuffed Uber is now in Southampton. The ability to split fares for personal journeys, no need for cash and the ability to track the driver (no more "just round the corner sir, 5 minutes away) means I'll definitely use it.

 

The real benefit comes for corporate users IMO. I work in the US a lot, New York, Boston and LA are brilliant for Uber journeys , everything is linked to my company card and my account is linked to Expensify (my business expense App), saving me money and time. No more dodgy "give me an empty receipt please mate" nonsense either. Pain in the **** that Vegas doesn't have it yet (they have a proper militant Taxi Union there) as their cabbies are right rip off merchants, unless it's been added since last April?

 

In terms of customer service. Last week in Boston I had a nightmare experience, driver that had never been to Boston before but had decided to "give Boston a go", I was his 2nd fare in the City, had no clue about Boston's uniquely European roads ("what, no grid system, WTF?") so took me in a huge loop and meant I missed my dinner reservation. I gave the driver 2 stars (would have been 1 star but he was a decent fella) and said the above as the reason. Within 10 minutes they had checked the data from my journey, concluded I was correct and I received a reply saying my $17 Uber fare had been refunded and I got an extra $10 credit for my next trip.

 

My main gripe is Uber drivers double parking in London and New York waiting for fares, causes chaos traffic wise IMO, they need to sort that out.

 

Not going to pretend this won't hurt established drivers, most are superb (not the foreign hackney fellas demanding £50 cash up front from London Road to Botley tho) but it's inevitably going to take over.

[Sydenhampton]

It's so British to hate change, isn't it? I bet some of you lot still hate the Itchen Bridge for taking the Woolston Ferry's business away!

 

I'm not buying this "Uber is taking our business" claim by the Hackney cabbies up in London. I live up here & have been using Uber for a couple of years now, never a problem. Uber's trade is coming from mostly bus/nightbus users and those who would normally go and sit in the office at Station Cabs waiting for a private hire; that's who, if anyone, is being hit by the surge in Uber popularity. The Hackney's trade had been reducing in recent years due to the sheer cost of using them! Take Uber away, usage of Hackney cabs will not increase anywhere near significantly enough to count, trust me. An example, 4 of us disembark at Clapham Junction late & a bit ****ed after the match and have up to a half hour wait for trains to our various ends of South London. Our choices are to either wait then tap-in our oysters and pay a couple of quid each or request an uber, spending pretty much the same each. Chuck-in a cold wet Wednesday in January & it's a no-brainer. Yet, faced with a choice of a Hackney or a nightbus, the decision every time is to grab some fast food & wait for the trains.

 

Besides, Uber's market share has pretty much plateaued now. There's still a demographic who will always flag down a Hackney, so that trade won't die any time soon. Even if it did, another company (Addisson Lee for example) would compete with them more closely in order to bring the fares back down.

 

So Uber is in Southampton now? F-ing marvelous! Anyone who has ever tried to get a cab during peak kicking out hours to, say, the Pilands or any other outer-lying area of the city will know that the cabbies won't want to take you. With Uber, the driver cannot tell where they're taking you until you're sat in the cab and they're obliged to accept it, so great news for anyone in that boat specifically.

 

Lastly, the done thing in London is to not leave the Uber car until you've seen the driver swipe the "completed job" tab at the bottom of his app. It registers instantly on your own app so you know then that you can leave the car and are at no risk of being ripped off. They're all used to being asked that now.

[Essruu]

 

So Uber is in Southampton now? /QUOTE]

 

No, it isn't.

It's now in The Hamptons (including Southampton) Long Island, though!

[Deano6]

 

So Uber is in Southampton now? /QUOTE]

 

No, it isn't.

It's now in The Hamptons (including Southampton) Long Island, though!

 

Well, that's ruined a bloody good discussion. Can we pretend that didn't just happen...

 

Personally I think Uber is a great thing and along with other disruptors like Airbnb gives many more people the opportunity to provide a service that, frankly, anyone could do.

 

We all live in fear that our nice cushy jobs may be made obsolete by new technology, and so I'm sure the old guard taxi drivers are going to fight tooth and nail against it. What they should be doing is focusing on what makes them superior to the new upstarts, stay current with the latest innovations offered by the disruptors and then if they do that they will be offering a better package to the consumer. If they can't do that, then they'll find themselves going the way of the miners.

[Highfield Saint]

If you want to use a shambolic service, driven around by fresh of the boat immigrants in clapped out motors, then good luck to you.

 

I don't buy all this vetting nonsense, my friends that use it in London always have a story about the last car hey got in, always dodgy.

 

Personally, I prefer to use proper Hackney taxis or established local firms who employ salt of the earth Brits. I don't mind if it costs a little bit more than these über pikeys, safety first and all that!

 

Hahaha! You obviously haven't used a local taxi for some time. They are all clapped out motors driven by people who can barely speak english!

[Baj]

I've used Uber in about 7 or 8 different countries.

 

It has its positives, mainly I can be totally wasted and be able to get a cab back to my hotel/apartment in a country where I don't speak the language. It's generally cheaper, but not always, and certainly not "Half the price" that some quote.

 

I have also had negative experiences, including

1. Being shouted at over the phone to come to a different part of the airport to be picked up because he can't find me (it was ****ing down with rain and had to be walked to outside). I'd actually watched the guy on the map get totally lost. (Berlin)

2. See a driver completely miss his turning and have to take a 15 minute detour. I did get my money back from Uber, but I shouldnt have to ask.... (Boston)

3. Have a guy light a cigarette in the car, seriously. (Moscow)

 

For me, the convenience is the main thing, not the price. As such I'll continue to use Uber only in situations where it's easier than getting a cab. If I'm central in a city and there are as many cabs passing as ubers on a map, I'll always take a cab.

 

Also, in terms of quality of car, Essruu said once (and I've always remembered) that Southampton Taxis have a much higher standard of quality/checks that Eastleigh (where I live), so when I'm getting a cab from home, I always order a Southampton one.

 

As a footnote, Radio Taxis have an app too that works similar to Uber, I've used it a few times. Get the convenience of Uber whilst knowing you are supporting proper taxi drivers. (Sorry, Essruu, pretty sure you don't drive for Radio Taxis? )

 

 

 

ps. Nice to be back

[hypochondriac]

Where have you been?

[Baj]

Where have you been?

Waiting for a taxi.

[Saint-scooby]

Ok so a mixed response, there is good and bad wherever you go .

 

Nice to see some old names pop up

 

ps Essruu their office is 1st floor Salisbury house business centre, near orange rooms SO152EJ

 

I wont be part of the Uber Soton .

[Essruu]

They launch today , 4pm.

 

It will certainly be interesting to see how any driver who joins them fares. Especially when their licensing fees, running costs, and 25% commission to Uber is deducted from their cut-price fares.

 

Hilariously, they will only have themselves to blame when they struggle to pay their bills and feed their families; because any driver that leave the major local companies to drive for Uber will not be allowed to rejoin, so will be stuck as driver slaves in Southampton [emoji1]

[Deano6]

What about those who stay with major local companies AND start driving with Uber, Essruu? Surely they will do the best.

 

Also a lot of people on Uber don't do it full time, but do it in their spare time to earn a little extra mullah.

[Essruu]

Any driver who is found to have signed up with Uber will have their service agreement with Radio Taxis terminated. And rightly so. I believe other local companies are taking the same stance.

 

Anybody who isn't currently a Hackney or PHV driver, would have to pass the council rest s d checks before being licensed to work with Uber. Add that to the cost of buying a vehicle and making it compliant with SCC rules, having an expensive camera fitted and purchasing the correct insurance and it doesn't make driving part time for them for their low fares viable. It is different here to many cities around the world, thanks to the council regulations. You can't just use your family car and lie about your insurance cover.

[stevegrant]

Anybody who isn't currently a Hackney or PHV driver, would have to pass the council rest s d checks before being licensed to work with Uber.

Which rather ****es on your claim on Twitter that "anyone can be an Uber driver", doesn't it?

 

Ultimately, from my perspective, competition is no bad thing, and if a slightly more expensive service provides a better experience then I'm still more inclined to use that - cheap isn't necessarily better.

[Essruu]

Which rather ****es on your claim on Twitter that "anyone can be an Uber driver", doesn't it?

 

Ultimately, from my perspective, competition is no bad thing, and if a slightly more expensive service provides a better experience then I'm still more inclined to use that - cheap isn't necessarily better.

 

Are you going to show me where I said that?

[stevegrant]

This pretty much covers it

 

Shame they don’t spend as long checking their drivers history, driving, topography and non-rapey skills #ubered

[The9]

Where have you been?

 

He literally just told you where he's been in his description of Uber journeys.

[The9]

Oh and incidentally, I'm fairly sure the 6th screengrab from Essruu is a triangulation glitch as opposed to a route diversion. I get that kind of weirdness any time there's a weak GPS signal when I stalk my past movements on Google.

[Huffton]

Can see Radio and West Quay taking a massive hit here. streamline won't be affected as much as most of there work is long term contract stuff. Door 2 door live off the NHS contract so doubt much will change there. Are ATS still going? Probably won't be for much longer. Very glad I'm out of the trade...

[JackanorySFC]

Anyone know if Uber Black/ Exec are operating in Soton? Still cheaper than a normal cab and 100x easier to expense for a business but get to float around in a brand new E-Class or 7-Series. Just coming back from Frankfurt, drivers all foreign, moody and cost a fortune. No Uber here (yet), got to take time thumbing though crumpled recipes when I get into the office and do expenses on Monday working out which corresponds with which journey. If they had Uber here I'd 100% use it. Only when you go places that don't have it you realise the alternative really ain't all that.

 

Just IMO etc etc (still getting a local firm to pick me up from LHR and take me home in a bit), can only go from personal experience, which in my case based on 100+ journeys is at least 90% positive (as opposed to about the same with various local firms/ black cabs that charge a lot more and make payment more difficult).

 

Personally think with driverless vehicle tech coming in soon Uber, Google and Apple will be the main car "manufacturers" in 10-15 years time. Bit that's another thread.

[Picard]

They launch today , 4pm.

 

It will certainly be interesting to see how any driver who joins them fares. Especially when their licensing fees, running costs, and 25% commission to Uber is deducted from their cut-price fares.

 

Hilariously, they will only have themselves to blame when they struggle to pay their bills and feed their families; because any driver that leave the major local companies to drive for Uber will not be allowed to rejoin, so will be stuck as driver slaves in Southampton [emoji1]

 

Anyway problems for drivers will soon be over. As soon as they can Uber will use driverless cars.

[stevegrant]

Anyone know if Uber Black/ Exec are operating in Soton?

Only uberX initially.

[Baj]

And... it's live. What a time to be alive...

[Mattio]

I'll be trying it out tonight, I bet they don't give you chocolate and drinks like in London!

[JakkoUK]

You can see why people will use this service when the price difference is so drastic, it is a shame that traditional firms will be out competed as money talks when it comes to it. Only £6 using Uber to get to Bedford place from mine, where as before it was £20.. massive difference.

[Batman]

the thing I hate about Taxi's is when they are late. Anything more than 5 mins is not acceptable for me. More so when you book in good time

 

unless Uber can over-come that, I doubt I will bother.

[Wade Garrett]

Quite happy with the taxi service in Southampton. Use West Quay all the time. Reasonably priced and reliable, never let me down.

 

Will continue using them.

[stevegrant]

the thing I hate about Taxi's is when they are late. Anything more than 5 mins is not acceptable for me. More so when you book in good time

 

unless Uber can over-come that, I doubt I will bother.

The app tells you how long it'll take for them to arrive before you book. Radio Taxis' app does the same.

[JRM]

You can see why people will use this service when the price difference is so drastic, it is a shame that traditional firms will be out competed as money talks when it comes to it. Only £6 using Uber to get to Bedford place from mine, where as before it was £20.. massive difference.

 

how do you know how much it is going to cost? does the app give you an agreed price up front or is it an estimate?