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Comment by GeorgeOrr | Hacker News Reader

I particularly like that I don't have to deal with cash while tipsy and in the dark of night.

I've never used Lyft, but I have used Uber and usually find them them be quick and very service oriented. From what I've heard Lyft is given them competition in both ways, so I look forward to trying them as well.

Far better than any cab I've ever taken.

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I have ZERO sympathy for San Francisco cabs. Even with credit card swipers in the back, the cab drivers typically pressure you to pay cash. I know there's a difference between pressuring a customer and kindly asking them to use cash if possible. It was certainly the former.

I've had cases where the cab driver told me upfront he wouldn't drive me if I paid with credit card, going so far as driving me to an ATM so I can get him cash as though I OWED them a tip.

Uber/lyft disrupted an industry infected with laziness and bad attitudes.

In New York, if the credit card reader in a cab is broken, by law the driver has to tell you before you get in. None of this "Oh, yeah, BY THE WAY, I have to drive you to an ATM now, and you guess whether the meter stays on while I do this."

Couldn't agree more. They often don't answer the phone, when you do get through to some Danny DeVito at the other end, you then have to explain where you are exactly (vs. GPS). ETAs for the drivers are normally wrong, they don't txt you are.

I lived in Marin, and a cabbie required me to tip him 100% of the ride cost coming from SFO otherwise he wouldn't take me. Frequently getting back to Marin, from SF is a pain with cabs, they often won't take you.

Yeah, so screw'em... they can work for uber/lyft, I tip them generously with cash in addition to the fare, much better that way.

> when you do get through to some Danny DeVito at the other end

What does this mean?

He's referring to this character played by Danny DeVito

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0027129/

I called a cab in SF in the middle of the day (Luxor, I think). They said it would be about 15 minutes. 20 minutes later I see the cab pull in to the parking lot I was waiting in, get flagged by someone else, and drive off with them. I waited another 15 minutes in case that wasn't my cab that just drove off, but no cab came.

I welcome the death of the SF cab companies. Long Live Uber/Lyft/Sidecar.

It's not complicated. Uber charges more, so drivers are happy. If you offerd a cabbie a big tip, he would happily accept credit. Uber gives the benefit of pre-setting the higher rate without negotiating. But many people prefer to pay less.

The cabs I've used in the last few years have all had credit card swipers in the car. I figured this would be a universal feature of any moderately populated cities' cab system in 2014.

The way Uber works is that they already have my credit card on file. I don't have to fumble with the card or my wallet either.

It seems to be fairly universal, but cabbies also drag their feet a lot on using them, in my experience. Whether this is because the remote units are fiddly and slow, or they just don't like having a paper trail on the tip & fare, I don't know.

I've been in cabs where they give you a hard time about paying with credit cards, I'm assuming because of the fees or they'd rather deal with cash maybe under the table?

Some cabs "strongly encourage" the use of cash, since there are no fees paid to the credit card company.

Using the 2013 NYC Taxi data that was posted earlier, the amount of people who pay with cash vs. amount of people who pay with credit card is about 50:50.

Here's a quick spreadsheet of the distribution: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EaP9LJ7i1MPREuypejOr...

Not all cabs want to use it because 1. it's recorded and 2. "fees" that they don't want to pay.

The strategy used in Chicago when a credit card machine isn't working is just to tell them you don't have cash and you're walking out if they won't accept a card ("for a 'broken machine'") Magically it starts working again. [The city of Chicago mandates that they must be able to accept credit cards]

Yet almost every time they discourage you from paying with a credit card. And even if they don't, there's a good chance they'll try to make you pay with Square or something (at least in SF).

Exactly my experience coming home late from the office. I call an Uber, leave my building when it arrives, get into a vehicle that at least has some trust associated with it, and I get out at my destination without my wallet ever leaving my pocket.

Psychologically, trust and safety are huge multipliers. Most of the press I see on these companies is convenience-oriented. My experience, and with extensive self-defense training, is that the whole experience is just much safer.

Unlike other modes of transportation, there are few times I'm really at-risk. I'm not standing outside trying to hail a taxi or going on the subway or walking through a park. I'm not getting into an unknown vehicle. And I'm not having to pull out my wallet.

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