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Tagged With "Uber"

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Re: Uber To Earmark 1 Billion Dollars for India Over Next 9 Months

Paul Heymont ·
I find myself a bit uncomfortable around Uber and its well-oiled connections in the press, which often seems to regard it as the best thing since sliced bread (and what's so good about that, by the way?). All over Europe, Uber has been in trouble for evading rules, taxes and court rulings; in New York, it operates without paying the taxes other operators must, and with insufficient insurance in some cases—and they have a nasty habit of raising its rates whenever demand is high (double or...
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Re: Uber To Earmark 1 Billion Dollars for India Over Next 9 Months

Travel Rob ·
I think some of the reasons Uber has been so successful is users know what they are going to pay in advance and don't have to worry about getting an over charged from a taxi driver, which happens. Also, the passenger can see what time they will be picked up . Whether Uber can continue as successful as regulations catch up with the their industry, I don't know.
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Re: New York Taxis Debut App to Compete with Uber

Paul Heymont ·
Anything that pushes back at Uber is generally fine with me, but there are a few side issues here...starting with the "aging taxi fleet," which is actually newer than it's been in many years. The NV2000 boondoggle (and that's what it is) started with the previous mayor, Bloomberg, who decided that all owners should be forced to use the same cab..and then chose the NV2000, which does not, and cannot, meet ADA standards. For it to be wheelchair accessible requires an aftermarket conversion...
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Re: New York Taxis Debut App to Compete with Uber

Travel Rob ·
I seem to remember you posting something about the Nissan Minivan before on TG but I couldn't find it. I'll link to it here if I can come across it I do like the idea of finding out the fare ahead of time with the app. No arguing about what route to take or worrying you'll be over-charged
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Re: New York Taxis Debut App to Compete with Uber

Paul Heymont ·
Well, even without the app, it's not like the fa e is a blind guess, either. There's a meter, and a rate based on miles and time...just like almost every other big city. And there are online calculators such as WorldTaxi which will tell you about what a specific trip should cost, It's not that there aren't things that could improve, but Uber is no improvement, with its cavalier attitudes (surge pricing, drivers stiffed on rates, lack of or inadequate insurance) and its not paying its share...
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Re: Travel tips for Mexico City

Marilyn Jones ·
Your information is great; your photos exceptional!!
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Re: Paris to set flat-rate airport cab fares

DrFumblefinger ·
I like these set taxi prices because there are so many dishonest cabbies in the world. I don't mind taking train or bus if I'm not to tired, but sometimes at the end of a long journey I like to splurge on a cab to get us directly to our hotel. Much more pleasant that way and to me often worth the extra few Euros.
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Google vs. Uber? With no one in driver's seat?

Paul Heymont ·
Wait for it...Google is on the verge, apparently, of offering a ride-share app that would compete with Uber (a company it previously invested in). In the long run, Google hopes to pair it up with its longstanding driverless car research, which company...
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Uber loses another UberPop round in Italy

Paul Heymont ·
An Italian court has ordered Uber to shut down its UberPop service which uses non-professional drivers in their own cars, within two weeks. The company may appeal, but even if it does, the service will be shut down until (and unless) it wins the...
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That cute little Airbnb? Worth $20 Billion!

Paul Heymont ·
Despite picturing itself as the cozy heart of a "sharing economy," Airbnb is really serious Big Business. Right now, it's in the capital markets raising an additional $1 billion in funding—and according to BloombergBusiness, that means its...
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Paris to set flat-rate airport cab fares

Paul Heymont ·
A plan for fixed-rate taxi fares to and from Paris's two airports has been announced by the government, and it's already drawing cheers from travelers and big jeers from cabbies who believe the proposed rates are wrong and don't impose similar rules...
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Los Angeles Airport to allow Uber to pick up passengers

Travel Rob ·
Los Angeles International Airport will become the largest airport in the country to allow ride hailing companies to pick up passengers. Fares to Downtown Los Angeles are expected to be $30 instead of the $50. The LA City Council approved it...
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New York Taxis Debut App to Compete with Uber

Travel Rob ·
In July, Uber said it had 26,000 Uber driver-partners in New York City, almost double the city's 13,587 yellow taxis. To be more competitive, the New York taxis started using the luxurious Nissan NV200 minivan...
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The last word: Uberpop banned in France

Paul Heymont ·
The French ban on Uberpop, the version of Uber that allows riders to connect with amateur drivers in private cars for a paid ride, It's been banned since January, and France's highest court has now confirmed the ban.   As in a number of other...
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Uber To Earmark 1 Billion Dollars for India Over Next 9 Months

Travel Rob ·
Uber , the ride hailing company, business growth rate is at 40% every month in India. It's the second largest market for them after the US. They hope this investment of one billion dollars will lead to over one million trips a day....
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France's new taxi app aims to out-Uber Uber

Paul Heymont ·
  The French government is launching "Le Taxi," a new app that allows passengers to "e-hail" taxis from their computers or smartphones, and rate the service afterward, much like the private Uber service.   Because there are 57,000 cabs in...
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Uber-Like Rickshaw App Launched in Pakistan

Travel Rob ·
   Model of a Rickshaw- Wikimedia Commons/User: Pakfuture   Taxis and private cars are expensive to rent and public buses and vans are over-crowded in Lahore.  That makes rickshaw's a convenient form of getting around....
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Canberra , Australia Becomes First Capital to Regulate Uber

Travel Rob ·
Canberra, Australia will become the first capital in the world to regulate Uber and other ride-sharing services. Uber drivers will be able to legally pick up passengers from October 30 onward in Canberra but the city will require...
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Travel tips for Mexico City

Pol Gomà Deàs (Guest) ·
Pol Gomà Deàs shares many useful tips and suggestions for visitors to Mexico City
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Uber tries a new tack in Spain

Paul Heymont ·
Uber, which was banned in Spain last December and tried to overturn the ban with an appeal to the European Commission, will now try a different perspective: following the rules.   Uber's original plan used its app to connect passengers with...
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Uber causes a rethink in Danish taxi rules

Paul Heymont ·
Denmark is getting ready to revise its taxi regulations, aiming to make the rules more rider-friendly and less controlled by the industry itself, but it is not planning to legalize Uber or similar apps that compete with licensed taxis. Uber began operating in Denmark in November 2014, and was immediately reported to police by the Danish Transit Authority. Drivers have been receiving tickets, but the status of enforcement is not clear. Danish politicians don't want to legalize Uber,...
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Summon a helicopter with your Uber smartphone app?

Travel Rob ·
Airbus will be teaming up with Uber to test on-demand helicopter rides.
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Traveling in France? Strikes forecast

Paul Heymont ·
Tomorrow (Tuesday) could be a tough day for travelers and others, as protests by taxi drivers, air traffic controllers and farmers promise disruptions.
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Could a mini-hovercraft be the new Paris taxi?

Paul Heymont ·
A French inventor believes his 'SeaBubble' can take traffic off the street and route it down the Seine to give Paris a new taxi alternative.
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Uber, Lyft gaining ground at airports

Paul Heymont ·
Phoenix comes to terms with Uber and Lyft, giving them a separate pickup area from licensed services. Atlanta is now the only top 10 airport without.
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Re: Traveling in France? Strikes forecast

DrFumblefinger ·
Ahhh. France's national pass-time seems to have become rioting in the streets and damaging private property -- usually with police in riot gear standing by and watching. Nothing quite like mob rule. Am I reading more into your photo than intended, or is there a certain ethnic group over represented in this image?
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Re: Traveling in France? Strikes forecast

Paul Heymont ·
Not wanting to extend this too far, but no, no particular ethnic group is represented; it's actually got a mix...and both the licensed and unlicensed drivers in Paris do include, as in many other cities including New York, a fair percentage of recent immigrants. I think your characterization of France in general is a bit unfair; direct action is not always pretty, but is sometimes the only way to get government attention. We've see that in many countries; whether a specific one gets labeled...
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Re: Traveling in France? Strikes forecast

DrFumblefinger ·
Also not wanting to take this too far, but during our last visit to Paris the city was locked down two nights as the "rowdy youth" took to the streets and rioted. The reason had nothing to do with gaining government attention or making a political statement. Paris had won the French soccer division. That's all. Not a World Cup or even a European Union win. Paris had the best soccer team in France -- my, what a surprise. But the action cost the city millions in property damage and lost...
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Re: Traveling in France? Strikes forecast

GarryRF ·
Whenever France has a "day of action" they block the ports and air traffic controllers block the air space over their country. This effectively puts a blockade on all traffic to Europe and beyond from the UK. Trucks are set ablaze. Miles of traffic bound for the UK is trapped. Families held to ransom in the ice cold winter. Stuck on freeways. Britons held in faraway airports because their flights coming home cut across French airspace. And the Riot Police stand by and watch as the Mob Rules.
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Re: Traveling in France? Strikes forecast

TravelGirlJenn ·
Hmmm. Drfumblefinger, are you sure you weren't in LA? ;-) Don't they seem to do the same thing...Dodgers win a Division...riots. Lakers win a major series...riots again. Now that they got the Rams back, yipes. I'm being a bit tongue in cheek, of course. But I have to wonder if Paris' and France's protests or strikes ever really yield results. Granted, the only thing I can compare it to are the social and political protests of late in the Bay Area; which, I fail to see how blocking traffic on...
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