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Comment by whitepaint | Hacker News Reader

You click a button, someone comes to pick you up in a few minutes. You know exactly how much you are gonna pay. Even if you are just a tourist. Uber (and other applications like it) is so much more superior to taxis that you cannot even compare them (unless you want to frivolously whine). They brought insane amount of innovation and I am so thankful for that.

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I already had access to this exact experience with a taxi firm in Newcastle where I used to live pre Uber - so yeh, I don’t see what benefit Uber brought. Also, the firm that had that app had clean cars, with driver in clean clothes and they knew the roads well.

>I already had access to this exact experience with a taxi firm in Newcastle where I used to live pre Uber - so yeh, I don’t see what benefit Uber brought.

It seems like the benefit of Uber was that it provided better service for many who didn't have the superior taxis in Newcastle.

If all the other replies (including some UK ones) in this thread contradicting your personal experience don't convince you, would that be a form of solipsism? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsism)

The same can be said about people complaining how taxis in their cities were dirty, inconvenient etc.

Now instead of having this patchwork, we have one giant monolithic taxi provider (Uber) that threatens both the good and bad taxi services of old. And because Uber is more than happy to subsidize rides thanks to VC funding having an equal/superior experience is often not enough to compete.

Oh, you had exact experience with one taxi firm in Newcastle. Superb. I had this exact same experience with Uber in different countries and different cities. "I’ve never seen the need for Uber.". Well, you are one of very few, pal. I can tell you that for sure.

Alright chill your beans “pal”. It wasn’t just one company in Newcastle, growing up I never had an issues with taxis

And as far as I know you still can’t book an Uber for the next day or whatever.

We had Blueline in Harrogate too. And there was Apple Taxis in Exeter with an app. Ideally Uber should just be an interface that ties these different companies together.

At least here in Berlin, when I book via Uber, I'm told more often than not that it won't be an Uber picking me up but a normal taxi.

You were lucky. Before Uber it was almost impossible to get a taxi in San Francisco and Paris for me. Now it just works the same on both cities.

let's all move to newcastle!

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