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Comment by onion2k | Hacker News Reader

I have had quotes of 400 GBP for a cab (and multiple companies) vs < 100 GBP for Uber for long distance.

Is this because the cost of the taxi includes milage for the return to a base location? Taxis have been doing this sort of thing for a long time, so they include all the costs in their pricing models. Uber is designed for short hops around a city where there are rides to pick up in lots of locations. I strongly suspect that means the cost of the Uber doesn't include anything for the return trip so the driver will just have to suck up that cost. If taking long trips in an Uber gets popular you'll either see the cost go up or you'll never get a driver to accept the ride.

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This is definitely wrong. In multiple conversations with Uber drivers, they prefer the longer trips as it makes them more money. They are able to not take long trips if they prefer (although they don't know the exact destination before accepting a trip, they are told if it is long one), and choose to do so.

Also Uber allows the drivers to get customers wherever they are. After a long trip they can work that area for a while and maybe make their way back home. With a local taxi company if a driver is out of the area they serve then they have no customers.

Yep, this is very nice of Uber actually; I usually have to travel (for work) to a remote area where there is no Uber (and normal cabs are always full); if you pay attention, you will find an Uber driving back to London passing by and just take that one.

When traveling in Dominican Republic, I asked an Uber driver on a 10 minute trip about my planned 30 minute trip to the airport on the following day, and he told me no drivers like to accept those due to the unpaid drive back. The next day, I made sure to tip my driver and mention this fact and he really appreciated it.

Not sure if Uber pricing never includes the trip back, or if it's country-specific.

I assumed it is country specific; in some countries they prefer long trips, in others they try to get rid of them. Like call upfront to ask where you're going and if it's too far they cancel. But I am indeed not sure. I always tip on long distance anyway unless they were really rude.

> ...or you'll never get a driver to accept the ride.

Uber drivers don't see your destination before they accept the ride. They see the pickup address, customer rating, and the type of the ride (UberX, UberPOOL, UberSELECT).

Yeah they try to get your destination upfront by calling which they are not supposed to and then cancel if too long or too short.

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