Hacker News Reader

> same rates

No problem. Cabs still suck compared to ride apps. It's not even a comparison that's fair to make under your stated conditions. That I can summon a ride at any time, any place and have a near accurate estimate of the cost so I can plan ahead and not have to negotiate with the driver (happens sometimes) is way better anyway.

View on HN

If your cab can’t be hailed with an app, tracked to arrival, provide an estimate, pre paid etc - then the problem is that the cab regulators and cab companies in that particular city are bad. It’s certainly not something inherent to taxi, it’s just that in some cities with outdated regulation (for example most US cities it seems) the service sucks and hasn’t improved in years. Where I live there is no difference between taxi and Uber. For example, I could hail my taxis with an app ten years ago (note: before Uber even existed!).

> Where I live there is no difference between taxi and Uber.

That's one of the problems that ride apps solve - ubiquity of service. No matter where you go in the world - and I come from a very remote place so I should know this - uber is there and it sometimes even delivers food for less than a dollar and in about 1 hour!!!

Taxis on the other hand don't always have apps and can't bring you goods like food.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com