Companies that capitalize on the inconveniences we face have always fascinated me, mostly because the services they offer are often brilliantly obvious. How many times have you complained about taking a cab? We did it because there didn't seem to be another option, until Uber came around. With the touch of a button on your phone, you can get a ride in minutes and track its progress. Besides the fact that you can see their name, number, and performance base through the app, the money transaction is all done digitally. Sorry, what's a cab again?
Yet, revolutionizing car travel doesn't come without some surrounding controversy. Every day there is a new story, and very rarely do they make for good PR: "Sao Paulo Bans Uber," "Paris Cab Drivers Protest In Streets," "Oregon Sues Uber." Uber's global presence has seriously ticked off cab drivers everywhere, who are collectively lobbying for Uber drivers to have to pay the same taxes that they do. Since Uber presides in the limbo between chauffeur service and tech company, they are able to forego the taxi licenses for many of their drivers. But the legality of this is often in question when they enter heavily regulated new markets. Cab drivers are using this as the backbone of their protests in order to rid the streets of Uber and restore their monopolistic place in the ride-sharing spectrum once again. Joy...
Uber's skyrocketing popularity may be putting a monkey wrench in a cabbie's business, but its allocation of ride-sharing services makes for a more equal playing field for consumers. Prior to the birth of Uber in 2009, there was only one option to look to if you wanted a ride, and god forbid it be an option you can count on! I've had a taxi driver who dropped his friend off at home on the other side of town, and then try to charge me for the time spent running his errands when we finally pulled up my destination. Many of us have listened to the impassioned rants about Uber from local taxi drivers around Athens, but the fact remains that their often arbitrary rates, generally poor service, and lack of accountability hardly warrant their angry tangents.
I won't generalize and say all cabs are bad, it's just that taking an Uber will always be inherently better. It's the difference between making a call in the telephone booth versus on the iPhone; one is outdated and inconvenient, the other is just...better. Don't get me wrong, Uber's less than squeaky clean reputation suggests they could do more to engage in better business practices (hint: someone should tell their CEO that shaming women is never a good call...). But the truth is that nine times out of ten (looking at you, surcharges), I am going to take an Uber. Simply because their business model is equipped with an accountability factor that ultimately makes me feel more secure as a consumer.
I truly sympathize with the cab drivers who are trying to make an honest day's living, because I know there are plenty of respectable ones. However, the fact remains that their service, on the whole, no longer aligns with the millennial agenda. This tends to be the kiss of death for antiquated products...let's face it, do any of you use a pay phone anymore?
