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Comment by MichaelRo | Hacker News Reader

I have a strong aversion to ride sharing services after several encounters with dubious drivers (like one wanted to beat me coze I didn't have cash and also was unwilling to let me withdraw from an ATM, had to call the police to resolve the dispute). So fuck Uber / Lyft / Bolt, I'm taking regular taxi service, the one that requires a hard to get license so drivers have some incentive to behave if they are to keep it. Not that they can't switch sides and go ride sharing but these two worlds are like vampires and werewolves, don't usually mix.

And yes, I tip drivers, regardless if regular taxi or ride sharing, that's the decent way to behave. Otherwise get a f** bus.

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>dubious drivers (like one wanted to beat me coze I didn't have cash and also was unwilling to let me withdraw from an ATM, had to call the police to resolve the dispute).

Weird, usually the anecdotes to this effect are for taxis, not rideshare services.

I'm curious about the anecdote you shared -

1. You don't pay cash on those apps you mentioned - afaik all save a card number on file. It wouldn't make sense that you could climb into an Uber and then complain that you forgot to bring cash?

2. On ride-sharing apps, typically you as the passenger can very easily change the destination mid-ride. If you decide to swing by an ATM, you can do that in the app, and the driver's GPS is seamlessly updated. Typically you dont verbally ask the driver to take you somewhere off-route.

It sounds like you were really unreasonable in this scenario, but perhaps the cash/card situation is different where you live?

> It sounds like you were really unreasonable in this scenario

Given your unresolved questions, how can you come to this conclusion?

Because in the absence of any exculpatory information, the user described climbing into a rideshare (whose driver has every reason to expect digital payment) - and then telling the driver the ride won't actually be paid, unless the driver deviates from the app GPS. And, furthermore, not leaving the person's vehicle without police intervention.

It really doesn't even matter about the card and ATM and whatnot - if the user felt they were entitled to a free ride to the ATM, against the driver's will, to the extent that the cops needed to get involved - then the passenger is totally out of order.

> You don't pay cash on those apps you mentioned

IIRC in some countries cash is/was an option.

Well I use a local app which summons both taxis and ride sharing, I can choose which one. I also have the option to choose the payment method upfront, cash or card and I must have accidentally pressed cash although I meant card. Accidents happen, right, that's the way of life.

Anyhow upon arriving at the destination, the driver had no card reader whatsoever and I had no cash whatsoever (although I usually do precisely because money in the bank and money in the hand do make a difference here). The ATM machine was like 50 meters away and I didn't request the driver to drive me there, although I would have paid for that too. Just walk there, he can wait for me and I'll compensate his time anyway. He started yelling, threatened to beat me, wouldn't let me go get money so I started evaluating my options of smacking him. Fortunately it was HIM who said he'll call the police, which gave me relief and wholeheartedly said "please do!". Which police, upon arrival did nothing but get my ID card and wait until I walked to the ATM, withdraw money, pay the nutbag, tip him even (!!!!) and then return my ID. Which is precisely how the whole thing should have went were not for the weirdo.

Bonus, next day I discovered I was banned from the taxi application. Getting in touch with a human operator was a pain in the ass, found the asshole driver reported me as "not having paid". Which was a gross lie, unfortunately it didn't occur to me to get the police car number or officer's IDs so I have a witness. And apparently that was all it took, one driver reporting me, doesn't matter the long history of using the app (and paying), suspended without any investigation, confirmation or at least notifying me why the fuck I suddenly I can't log in. Fucking pieces of shit corporations!

Anyhow, there was some procedure apparently that if the "guilty by default without proof or warning" made a recourse, they would contact the driver. Which driver never replied so they re-instated my login credentials. I hate them deeply to this day, fortunately the corporation behind the app went bust and I've replaced it with another one.

I have no delusions anymore on the viciousness of the system, I'm only good as long as I pay and they'd fuck me without warning on the first imagined whim. But there's no alternative so I hafta use these apps.

Oh, and thank you fellow HNers for screwing (downvoting) me a second time for sharing a story on how getting screwed by Kafkian corporations made me reconsider my options of using their services. You see, the software and systems that apply the "presumption of guiltiness" is precisely a reflection of people like you, hell is other people!

> that's the decent way to behave.

That's what a multi-billionaire companies like Uber want you to think. The world has plenty of countries where people don't tip their taxi drivers and it doesn't make them indecent.

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