Happy New Years! (eve)

[Susquehanna Birder]

Technically they can't operate as a taxi (where they wait for you to jump in and then charge you for the trip). They are a ride sharing platform, and they must be called via the app using an "agreed upon" price. The way Sarge did it is illegal for an Uber driver to do.

BTW...my son and his friends took one on Halloween from Fishtown to Essington. I think the fare was $120. They saw the warning on the app about surge pricing (moe concert in town and Army/Navy folks everywhere)...and they were too drunk to realize what it meant. The same ride in a price-controlled cab would have been maybe half that much. With tip.

[Sgt PSN]

Ok, I had no idea that they couldn't operate as a regular taxi. I knew I was getting ripped, so I guess it doesn't really matter if dude was operating illegal or not. At least now I know not to just hop in an Uber unless I've gone through the app.

[Rome]

if they're picking people up outside the app just report them to uber.  bye bye douchebag. 

[Sgt PSN]

This happened in July so....

[ice grillin you]

nothing wrong with going outside the app....everyone wins....most times your ride is cheaper....you just gotta make sure they tell you ahead of time how much its gonna be...if you had asked the dood how much theres no way he says 25 bucks

my question is why would you ever take a cab six blocks in nyc...that might be a five minute walk

[Sgt PSN]

It was late....around midnight and we walked pretty much the entire day. My back/knees/feet were shot, kids were beat.  We hadn't taken a cab all day and I just wanted to get to the hotel as quick as possible. In that regard, it was well worth the money even if it was a total rip off.

[Rome]

Blocks in New York are 1/10th mile each.  That means Sassy would have to walk hammered at a pace that is better than a 10 minute mile.

I'm thinking probably not, but he is an ex-Marine, so...

[rjs246]

Even if it's a ten minute walk, taking a cab makes you a lazy motherfarger.

[QB Eagles]

The rating system in the app is pretty important to Uber functioning, it's what keeps the quality high and singlehandedly replaces all the normal taxi regulation. You can use Uber guys outside of the app, but they could be fake Uber drivers or guys who were banned from driving for them for one reason or another. It's fine to use them as a gypsy cab but expect gypsy cab service, safety, and prices... it's not really Uber when you use it like that.

[Susquehanna Birder]

Using somebody outside of the app could be Bad News if there is an accident. Uber covers their drivers and passengers fairly well. I'm going to go ahead and assume that the gypsy drivers don't have the best coverage.

[ice grillin you]

farg uber....they could give a rats ass about their "employees"....id rather take an off app ride and hook the driver up with the fare and a fat tip

this cat me and sunny know literally won the east coast uber driver of the year a couple of years ago and he says people go off the app all the time (even he does it) and that your chances of a bad ride are no lower or higher than riding in a cab...yeah you might not get sucked up to like a driver who wants a good review but you also might get sucked up to more because they want a tip which normal uber drivers arent supposed to get...but the ride itself is no different...the key he says is to make sure you get your price quoted before hand

i cant deny the convienance of uber outside the cities...its soooo much easier than having to call a cab company but in a city i would always take a cab over uber

[phattymatty]

an uber costs me between 6-8 bucks to get from my house to my girl's in cap hill, a cab costs $20+. so i don't take cabs anymore.

[ice grillin you]

Even if it's a ten minute walk, taking a cab makes you a lazy motherfarger.

theres certain areas where the blocks are larger like in the LES and downtown...but its just as quick to walk six blocks than to take a cab in 90% of manhattan...and where it isnt like you said it might be ten minutes instead of five....if sarge physically couldnt walk or you are a 105 year old women i get it but otherwise i would be validly embarrassed to even hail a cab to go six blocks

[Sgt PSN]

Yeah, I was mostly dead. My back, knees, and feet are pretty farged from the military and  12+ hrs on my feet just isn't something I really do any more.