It isn't the amount of hours a driver drives but the amount of rest-time that ARV takes seriously (and rightly so). You must have 11 hours rest as in sleep or rsst without sitting in a car (except 1 or 2 times a week where 9 is allowed), so finishing at say 10pm with motor off to motor on (including way home journey) 9am. Even now when I work as a Limo driver sometimes it is a killer if I finish at say 9pm and have to start 8am...rules/law are there to protect driver and passengers.
UBER Pop, yes I believe this is a true reflection, I had a BLACK but again like here could not average more than 30SFr an hour.
But the article says (sorry it's in French) that there really is no way to check the drivers and their hours. Uber drivers aren't regulated like taxi and limo drivers.
With a taxi licence it isn't the company that has to check, the driver is freelance, the driver must prove his/her hours to the ARV inspectors (taxi pollice), in other words, the driver just like any driver who commits an offence will be the one who gets the rap should he/she break the law..
Just to complicate things Given that the drivers anyway work off the UBER app, UBER will know everything about the driver as he/she is tracked by his/her phone and that is how 'rides' prices are calculated, unless of course if he/she is offline and in that case he/she will not be working.
Yes, I used it many many times. The car was always clean, the drivers always friendly and the price is good too. (Zürich HB -> Wettingen about 45 CHF).
I'm never going to use normal Taxis again, their prices are absolutely insane.
If you want to know something about uber, ask me!
If you want to know something about old threads being dug up by a Newbie recommending something in glowing terms, ask me.
I don't really see Zürich's taxis as being overpriced. If we don't use them much, that's because Zürich is essentially a public transport based city and who takes a taxi when you can hop on a tram?
Maybe Zürich's taxis could modernise in some ways. Free WiFi for example. But having said that, I don't recall having been on a taxi in any city that offered that.
I've used the standard Uber black car service twice in the ZH oberland area. First time was great -- I think I got a BMW 700 series, very comfy, nice driver and cheaper than taxi. Second time was a disappointment, driver was quite rude and did not seem to know the procedures very well. Perhaps it was a first day, so I'm inclined to try again next time.
Could you share with us the approximate fares you payed compared to regular taxi fares for the same trips? Was it just marginally cheaper or was the saving considerable?
An Uber taxi is 30-60% cheaper depending on the service (Pop, Black Cab) you take.
I called Uber in Zuerich, and a regular taxi showed up in its place, and charged Uber rates.
How to find the Uber pop service in Zurich? The mobile app and the web didn't help me a lot on that.
It's, erm, in the mobile app on the slider before the "Uber X" option...?
at the bottom of the app, there is a bubble on the left for Uber Pop...
Ah ok, thanks a lot. And out of curiosity, it's not possible to book something in advance for let's say 8pm in the evening, bookings are always for *now*?
There was a kidnap case in the US where a woman was being held in an Air-B&B bedroom, she managed to call her mother, but Air-B&B operator refused to help at all with giving the B&B location to the girl's mother, who wanted to call the police. It only needs one very bad experience, and Uber will be really put to the test. If a passenger is raped or robbed in a Uber taxi, will the company, based in California, be willing or even able to help the police?
I applied in Bern to be a taxi driver, I did all the training and I then found that the wages for a normal 50 hour week, wouldn't reach Fr 750,- so I quit. The taxi companies make a killing, but regulated drivers earn very little, and receive heavy fines when they are caught cutting corners (For instance, taking a compulsory rest break by sitting in the car). One Bern driver was fined Fr 400,- for not leaving the taxi on his break. For his second offence he received a fine of Fr 4'000,-
I am happy with the concept of Uber, but the drivers must be registered with the local town authority: criminal record checks, health check, proving their insurance cover, car papers, etc. Otherwise the concept is like hitch hiking, with no safety net at all.
Yes, it's always immediate. That's why it is so fast
Having used taxis a lot, I honestly have not felt more safe taking a taxi than an Uber.
The fact that you rate Uber drivers personally provides me with a better feeling than the rude taxi driver who won't accept to take a credit card (even if it says he does). I've actually been declined a taxi ride in the past because the distance was too short, inconvenient etc. It never happens with Uber....
There is no option for this in the app.
How long have your Uber drivers been working that day? Is the driver a secret rapist, or a thief? You cannot check this out.
You can report bad taxi drivers to the city commercial police, who will investigate. Did you?
Who do you report bad Uber drivers to? Oh yes, mark 'em down, like we do on EF, that works well, doesn't it?
I'm just basing my judgement on personal experience and understand that taxis are more regulated than Uber and that's why you pay more. I'm not bashing taxis, I just find it's not my thing and am happy that Uber is bringing some disruption to a market that seems to have been functioning like a cartel...
My personal experience is that Uber works for me. I found it was better value AND quality. I also use AirBnB though so I guess I'm living on the edge