Last I checked - most metro cab companies have hardwired GPS. Uber drives do not (they can simply turn their phones off). Cab drivers are held to even higher standards than Uber. Go apply to be a NYC/Philly/LA/SF cab driver.
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Uber Begins Testing Color-Coded Rider Pickup System 'SPOT' in Seattle
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Last I checked - most metro cab companies have hardwired GPS. Uber drives do not (they can simply turn their phones off). Cab drivers are held to even higher standards than Uber. Go apply to be a NYC/Philly/LA/SF cab driver.
These are good points all. However, I have an inch-long scar under my chin thanks to literally being assaulted by an NYC cab (the vehicle itself), so none of these things necessarily make cabs a safer option in the real world. I was trying to get into the cab after he stopped, but he kept the door locked, rolled down the window, and asked me where I was going. I guess he didn't want to go the roughly 7 minutes in that particular direction (very common for NYC cabs, despite being totally illegal) so he sped off, with me still holding the handle. I was dragged to the street where I hit my face, and had to go to the ER for stitches. I had no opportunity to get his medallion number or plate number, thus there is nothing I can do, at all. This entire situation never would have happened if I had just taken a darn Uber home. Ruined a REALLY nice North Face jacket with all the blood that got on it (blood smells really nasty when it dries in quantity, it turns out). At least I have this sexy scar....? (hah)
I wish people who don't understand how the insurance thing works with Uber would keep their mouth shut instead of spreading lies and rumors.
Here is how it works if you would like to educate yourself. Personal drivers HAVE personal insurance per State law that covers their vehicle and it does 365 days per year just like everyone else on the planet....
Now, whenever they turn the app on and are "working"?? Then Uber's commercial vehicle insurance policy of $1 million applies (and Lyft's policy is the same $1 million coverage too.. its required by the cities and the States you see???).....and covers the vehicle and the passengers.
When the app is off... coverage drops back to the individual drivers' personal insurance. Which is the same insurance that he/she drives around the city everyday with anyway.. No difference.. so if you are worried about a driver hitting you? They could do that quite simply without having a passenger or driving for Uber and it would be exactly the same.
NO personal insurance company is going to cover someone while driving for Uber (that part you at least got right)... however, they DON'T HAVE TO.. because Uber's commercial policy does!! Why? Because it is required by the City and State laws. So to say that Uber and Lyft drivers DO NOT have insurance? Is completely false and nothing more than a similar scare tactic and lie usually spread by butt hurt taxi drivers and/or republican types. It's nearly 2016, technology and the world evolves. Time to get over it and move on.
And for crying out loud if you've got something to say? Do your research so you at least KNOW the facts and don't sound like a complete idiot. ~CheersUber IS required to carry a $1 million dollar insurance policy just exactly like taxis. The City and State that I drive it DOES require it. So it isn't the same in all cities/states.
This is an interesting idea. If this takes off, I wonder if they'll expand to more colors. In big cities or airports you often see multiple Ubers coming to the same location at the same time.
In many cities, the majority of taxi cabs are now Priuses. It makes sense for ride-share cars, too, for the simple reason that they cost less to run (less fuel,) than other cars. If it weren't for a local law requiring that all cabs/rideshare vehicles be less than 10 years old, I'd be driving for Uber/Lyft with my 2004 Prius.
While that may be true in NYC, one of the taxi cab capitals of the world, in many cities, Uber/Lyft are cheaper than a taxi, and far more available. (A local news station just did a comparison last night - the taxi was about 50-75 cents more per ride than the rideshare services, and arrived in 7-10 minutes vs 2-5 minutes for rideshare services.)
And the rider should *ALWAYS* take precautions, in any form of ride. There have been instances of cab drivers committing crimes against their passengers, too. Lyft and Uber both stand behind their drivers, and via their apps, you can see your driver BEFORE they pick you up.
You're probably right. It's once again sickening to realize this, but human ingenuity seems to know no bounds, specifically when it comes to those individuals in society whose intentions are less than honorable.
Uhh, I was referring to drunk females using Uber being taken advantage of by someone with a similar light in their car used to make them think it was their Uber driver. At no point would it be "easy to spot a fake Uber" when someone is grossly intoxicated. And pardon me, but I don't think cops are out fishing for fake Uber drivers, nor would the fakes be any more at risk for (or all that worried about) going to jail their first outing or their tenth.
Nor can you have red anywhere but your tail and/or brake lights in most of those same places.In most places you can't have a blue light on your vehicle as that color is reserved for law enforcement. So expect blue and blue-ish colors to disappear from the available list.
Other than that, excellent idea.
It's meant to be a way to quickly pick the car out of a sea of cars. Then you still have the make, model, and license plate info in your app to verify that it is the right car. It's not a substitute for verifying you have the right car. Also the driver should know your name and if they don't you shouldn't get in.
I drive for Über X on weekends and it's fun and interesting. Thanks to those who are quashing the "Über is so scary/unsafe" hysteria. I've had so many passengers tell me how much they like Über because they know who to expect and know the car will come on time, etc. We are insured for $1 million while a passenger is in the car. A passenger can even send a link from the app to a friend so the friend can see their location/progress while they are on the ride, enhancing security further. What cab company offers that?
What I don't understand is that the app already shows you what car will arrive, the license plate number and most importantly, a photo of the driver himself! So you should already recognize your driver when he pulls up.
Not to mention they will have Uber on their device with your information/destination already pulled up on it, provided they are legitimately your driver.
Therefore how is sticking these LED strips in the windshield any more secure?
Not to mention they will have Uber on their device with your information/destination already pulled up on it, provided they are legitimately your driver.
Therefore how is sticking these LED strips in the windshield any more secure?
Seems like this is more related to simplicity and speed of identifying the car initially than security which would be more along the lines of all those other things you mention.
It shouldn't be a problem for two individuals wielding smartphones to identify each other without the aid of this gimmick, which by the way discriminates against the color blind, and possibly others.
It's as easy as the Uber servers alerting the customer as soon as the driver arrives at the pick up location, based on GPS, possibly opening an audio link between them so the Uber driver is able to guide the customer to the vehicle.
Since it is usually the driver who struggles to find his/her client, some means of reverse identification could have been incorporated into the Uber app --clothing, colors, accessories, precise location,... you name it.
Then, before boarding, a simple, mandatory, "Uber service for Ms. Jane Doe" dissipates any doubt you may have on whether this is your ride or a fake.
A test of one thing doesn't mean that other things couldn't be designed and tried as well. As for "discrimination", aside from this being a completely optional thing, as I recall most of colorblindness is based on certain different colors for different people, and given that there is a choice of colors people can choose ones that work for them if they choose to. Now those who are blind won't be able to use this directly, but it's likely there are other means there for them to help with all of this (and there aren't there certainly should be, but that doesn't mean that this is somehow bad because of that).
I have been wondering why this is not the case for years.
Honestly, a contrary to popular belief a flagged background check doesn't not mean that your driver is going to murder/rape you AND a clean check doesn't mean he's not.
I'be lived in Boston for over almost 7 years. I've taken plenty of taxis, especially when I didn't have a car in the pre-uber era. I have to say 80% of Taxi drivers here are terrible- usually they don't speak English, don't know where they're going, granted Boston is tricky driving but of course they don't have a $99 GPS, I'm sitting in the back of dirty retired Ford Police Interceptor with 500k miles (likely sitting is in the same place those murders, rapists, and vomiting drunks sat).
With Uber I can also dispute routes if they do something ridiculous which would never happen with a taxi. Honestly, the cab companies have lost because themselves in Boston.
I used to take a cab to a weekly appointment. I would always request the same driver if possible, apparently one of the two female taxi drivers in the Boston Metro Area. There used to be a third but she died in a car accident. Her name is Ray(chel?).
It should be about preventing something to happen and not some stupid claim or whatever people seem to go for nowadays, after something has happen!
I agree that's why it's comical for you to get your "facts" wrong.
The scariest part about Uber and their insurance is that they actually have the choice of whether or not to apply their insurance on a case by case review basis. If Uber wants to leave the driver hanging after an accident, well, Uber can leave a driver hanging and require their driver to utilize their own insurance. I don't know where you get the idea that these drivers will never utilize their personal insurance policies when driving for Uber.
Here's what would probably happen: if the Uber driver has an accident-- and they're afraid of losing their job which could quickly and easily happen with Uber-- the Uber driver will pretend that when he had the accident that he was just a private citizen. He'll do his best to cover up the fact that he was driving Uber at the time. That way his private insurance will work and he won't lose his job. Basically the whole situation is encouraging fraud on the part of Uber drivers.
But you get the facts just so completely wrong. The "solutions" that have been worked out by Uber vary widely from state to state and even from city to city.
For example, in Portland, Uber is allowed to offer two-tiered insurance. Your version paints an inaccurate version of events: driver turns on app and *bam* driver is 100% covered by Uber's super great insurance. (Not so, firstly, because of the point I made above: Uber can veto their coverage on a case-by-case basis and drivers are highly motivated to commit fraud.) But in Portland, if the driver signs into the app but doesn't yet have a customer in, they are covered only up to $50,000, not a penny more. The Portland city council recently voted to allow Uber to have a two-tiered insurance. If the Uber driver has a passenger in, then, yes, they are 100% covered by Uber. If not, then the much lower amount kicks in.
Not let me ask you, what business do you know of that is allowed to have lower insurance levels simply because they don't have a passenger in or aren't carrying any freight (assuming we're also talking delivery vehicles)?? How is that good for the public? Uber driver gets a call, chases for it, hits someone and sends them to the hospital. Assuming the driver doesn't quickly sign out of the app and just do everything on his own private insurance, $50,000 wouldn't even cover all of surgery from a serious accident. No other business in Portland is allowed to skirt the regular insurance rules and requirements. All of this is partly because city officials in Portland were in the pockets of Uber.
The state I live in doesn't even have a minimum requirement for Uber insurance. Do you think Uber is really going to pony up big money and make sure all drivers are 100% covered whenever they are signed into the app with great insurance? Portland is just one example. Unless your state or local municipality actually requires Uber to have great insurance all the time, it just isn't there.
Right, because how would anyone ever "trace" a taxi cab, except for the huge distinctive colors, signs, phone numbers, and cab numbers posted all over the vehicle..... I mean it must be hard not being able to see all that. Are you visually impaired?
Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world. Most companies and people aren't proactive. You just have to take calculated risks.
Do you want to ask the driver to wait while you perform a more current criminal background check before you get into the cab?
I think many incidents are result of people not being cautious. Being drunk and jumping at any car that stops at their feet.