Wow! Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"?
25
These rating systems are nuts! If anything less than perfect is failure, nuance is nono, so why bother with scaling up 1 to 5? Didja like the ride? Answer yes or no. But for me, car service. Real cabs. Black cabs … unless you're not on Charleston SC or London UK.
20
I am legally blind and yet have braved a New Delhi train station on my own. If you have not done this its something like climbing Das Capital in Yosemite with one arm. I must admit a certain excitement in this , a thrill of doing something without the aids of modern technology which we believe gives us uber safety.
But this safety is often an illusion and if you depend on it too much it is really a shock when it lets you down.
But this safety is often an illusion and if you depend on it too much it is really a shock when it lets you down.
18
A scam finally on the upwardly mobile who hate the rabble. Well, guess what folks, you're a slave of the iPhone and its 'amenities' aka traps. Shame on you and a pox on your "smart" (?) phones. Suckers.
41
Come on Maureen, you disappoint me. Why the surprise? I had thought you were very, tech savvy. This is business as usual in the 21st digital age. You should know that every breath you take, every move you make, some one's watching you. You are just part of a demographic. Your life is an open book.
Get used to it!
Get used to it!
25
Very entertaining--Dowd never fails. But yuck, take me back home to my country roads, Uber!
6
I have never taken an Uber car, nor will I. The whole idea of rating is repugnant. Dowd mentions paying an EXTRA tip! Why tip at all? Uber and the driver offer a service at a set price to which they determined and agreed. Waiting for a client is part of the service otherwise you hail a taxi. Tipping culture in the US is outrageous.
81
This article is amazingly tone-deaf. When you summon a car, you are saying you are ready to leave, now. So they come, now. When the arrive and you have already breached the agreement by not being ready, your reputation should be affected and you should be known as one who does not honor one's word. Maureen is irked that she is not shown indulgence by people who don't make a twentieth as much as she does.
Gross.
Gross.
228
Soon there will be just a straight-up human ranking site. People will anonymously fill out a form that ranks your patience, sense of humor, intelligence, honesty...all of it. We will all be rated, and all be able to rate. Rate-a-Human.com, something like that.
94
I have friends who drive for Uber. They do not do it for fun; they do it to put kids through college, pay medical bills or boost savings before retirement. I can tell Ms. Dowd unequivocally that she does not need to dazzle or tip her driver to boost her rating.
She simply needs to extend the common human courtesy of showing up on time.
Every minute she keeps a driver waiting, that driver loses money. Those extra minutes might make her feel as if she lives in the Downton Abbey-esque "concierge economy" of her dreams, but she is directly affecting a working person's income, which he or she needs. (Would you drive strangers around in your personal car until the wee hours unless your family really needed the money?)
No need to agonize about the pressure imposed by Uber metrics, Ms. Dowd. Your driver will treat you with the same respect with which you treat them.
She simply needs to extend the common human courtesy of showing up on time.
Every minute she keeps a driver waiting, that driver loses money. Those extra minutes might make her feel as if she lives in the Downton Abbey-esque "concierge economy" of her dreams, but she is directly affecting a working person's income, which he or she needs. (Would you drive strangers around in your personal car until the wee hours unless your family really needed the money?)
No need to agonize about the pressure imposed by Uber metrics, Ms. Dowd. Your driver will treat you with the same respect with which you treat them.
331
Ahh, the return of the guilded age. The Sweels are back. And the rest of us can eat cake.
16
San Francisco has Flywheel which accesses regular cabs and works with an app the same as with Uber.It is usually 1/2 to 1/3 the price.I believe they are also in Los Angeles.I just hope Uber can't find out who wrote this post and lowers my grade(rating).I do use Uber for larger groups.We are becoming a herd of corporate controlled sheep and rating our consumer performance makes sense in this context.
32
Tip your driver uber continues to cut what the driver earns the tip is not included.
13
Rating one another during a taxi ride? This is what we have gotten down to?
Think about who really benefits from people judging each other constantly through life. You people are in trouble.
Think about who really benefits from people judging each other constantly through life. You people are in trouble.
55
Uber is smart to limit their service to people with a credit card and smart phone. The money is in the cream.
11
I assume Uber has some type of verification system --- but my daddy was a cab driver --- why not take a cab?
40
I treat service people I interact with in a courteous and civil manner. Having said that, I could care less what a taxi driver I hire thinks of me. If Uber cars avoid me I will hire someone else.
41
I have never used Uber and frankly I don't want to support a company whose CEO is so greedy and venal. I don't like how they're exploiting their drivers, either. I think they could have a more equitable peer-based business model and still make money, and still charge a fair price (hopefully not hyper-inflated in times of widespread emergency).
73
"More and more, life in the United States is taking on the Orwellian qualities of Disneyworld, where you must pretend to be happy or risk being harassed by fascists in bunny costumes."
Benton, T. "Don't Call Me Thomas." Chronicle of Higher Education. January 16, 2006.
Benton, T. "Don't Call Me Thomas." Chronicle of Higher Education. January 16, 2006.
74
So what happens if an Uber driver gets lots of 5-star ratings?
I always feel a little embarrassed for an employee who hands me my much too lengthy sales slip and asks/begs/insists that I go to some website to rate his/her service. I feel a pressure for grade inflation--what if to me "good" means did a nice job, but to the employee, "good" means mediocre, and only "excellent" would be acceptable to her/him?
Also, I imagine "corporate" sitting in their suites on the top floor of some large city congratulating themselves for coming up with this "motivational" tactic to keep employees hungry, insecure, and hopeful for a promotion or reward, when corporate couldn't care less who this employee person is and really isn't the least curious to find out.
I worked in a department store in D.C. when I was in college, and if a customer voluntarily went to Personnel on the 9th floor and said she/he had received especially fine service from a sales clerk, that sales clerk would receive an extra dollar in his/her paycheck for each unsolicited customer recommendation. I actually got one one time, with a little note telling me why I had received an extra dollar in the check.
Way too much social pressure and likelihood of grade inflation, and all to what end?
I always feel a little embarrassed for an employee who hands me my much too lengthy sales slip and asks/begs/insists that I go to some website to rate his/her service. I feel a pressure for grade inflation--what if to me "good" means did a nice job, but to the employee, "good" means mediocre, and only "excellent" would be acceptable to her/him?
Also, I imagine "corporate" sitting in their suites on the top floor of some large city congratulating themselves for coming up with this "motivational" tactic to keep employees hungry, insecure, and hopeful for a promotion or reward, when corporate couldn't care less who this employee person is and really isn't the least curious to find out.
I worked in a department store in D.C. when I was in college, and if a customer voluntarily went to Personnel on the 9th floor and said she/he had received especially fine service from a sales clerk, that sales clerk would receive an extra dollar in his/her paycheck for each unsolicited customer recommendation. I actually got one one time, with a little note telling me why I had received an extra dollar in the check.
Way too much social pressure and likelihood of grade inflation, and all to what end?
123
"Five for Five" ... so you don't have to earn your rating, you just have to SAY it. Isn't that putting your mouth where your mouth is?
14
Uber is like a boy band. Just annoying, a complete waste of money, and thin they're god's gift to the world. Rake it in now, boys, cause in ten years you're gone.
39
Driving for Uber is not that easy nor does it pay well. Good passengers - get their pick up location right. They know the car will be there quickly and request a ride when they're ready to go. They're not obnoxious in the car - they act like a guest, pleasant. No matter what Uber says, tipping is great. When you factor in the costs, wear and tear, and liability, this gig does not pay well at all. $3-5 is good. As you pointed out, it is cheaper, easier, and better than having your own car.
18
Maureen, Uber drivers are only paid if the car is moving. So, they are losing money when they have to wait for you. I always give a cash tip if the driver has to wait more than five minutes.
Uber definitely needs improvement but the service has disrupted the taxi industry for the better. Calling a cab for pickup in Boston was hit or miss. Sometimes a cab would show up, most often, they would no-show after repeated calls, promises that it would only be "another 10 minutes" and an hour's wait. Forget about relying on them for an 8am pick up for the airport. Suddenly, post-Uber, cab companies have decided to update their dispatch services and join the 21st century. That's great, but it may be a bit too late.
Uber definitely needs improvement but the service has disrupted the taxi industry for the better. Calling a cab for pickup in Boston was hit or miss. Sometimes a cab would show up, most often, they would no-show after repeated calls, promises that it would only be "another 10 minutes" and an hour's wait. Forget about relying on them for an 8am pick up for the airport. Suddenly, post-Uber, cab companies have decided to update their dispatch services and join the 21st century. That's great, but it may be a bit too late.
149
Hard to believe the Sunset Tower Hotel doesn't have a taxi queue waiting to provide rides for it's guest. Judgement free, licensed and insured rides for a posted fare.
79
Of course, the "five for five" system makes the ratings meaningless. I've noticed on AirBnB (have yet to use Uber) that it's hard to find a rating that isn't positive. But if you consider that the host rates the guest after the guest rates the host, it's not hard to see why. I prefer hotels and tripadvisor, where it's pretty easy to spot the fake reviews.
18
This is a world I want no part of. It gives me an anxiety attack just reading about it. Give me a rental car where I can be independent. I'll drive, I'll park the car, I won't rate anything.
34
Social workers and marketing directors at nursing homes, and similar facilities, have a secret rating system for assertive advocates of patient/residents. Help is hard to get for those with a low rating and that is a real problem in the maze that is our medical system.
8
We Americans could choose to invest in a real public transportation system and we would no longer need these services that only the wealthy can afford.
80
Our mothers warned us not to get into cars with strangers. But isn't that what we do with Uber? When I get into a medallionedtaxi I can see a picture of the driver and a copy of his chauffeur's license. There's a phone number prominently posted that I can call if there's any problem. When the driver starts the meter I know that the fare rate will be what's posted and won't vary even when there's a higher demand for cabs. The cab license issued by the city insures me that the car is regularly inspected and that the car and driver carry sufficient liability insurance in case of accident.
84
Interesting. A 4.2 rating is 'low.' If a five point scale is translated to the letter grades of A to E, it's clear that grade inflation has moved from universities to Uber.
16
Concern about your uber rating = RPP (rich people problems).
Think how many people in the world would be thrilled to have this as their biggest problem. Worthy of space on the oped section of the nations newspaper of record? I don't think so.
Think how many people in the world would be thrilled to have this as their biggest problem. Worthy of space on the oped section of the nations newspaper of record? I don't think so.
49
My Grandfather was a taxi cab driver in Baltimore for many decades and got robbed way to many times, so I do think there are some benefits that the rider is not anonymous. One Uber driver in San Diego told me about an incident of a drunk guy who was sexually aggressive with her and she was able to flag him to never pick him up again (she did not mention giving him ranking). So for safety of driver, good goes both ways.
58
The rating system, while initially irritating because of the incessant surveillance we live in, also embeds a range of biases.
In this forum an Uber driver commented that one should not "1- don't be obnoxious, more females than males are." I doubt this is an objective, science-backed opinion, but rather personal bias expressed by a defensive man. Then consider minorities, particularly African-American or Hispanic, but also Asian. Does anyone really think that there would be no ethnic bias expressed by drivers, conscious or not?
In this forum an Uber driver commented that one should not "1- don't be obnoxious, more females than males are." I doubt this is an objective, science-backed opinion, but rather personal bias expressed by a defensive man. Then consider minorities, particularly African-American or Hispanic, but also Asian. Does anyone really think that there would be no ethnic bias expressed by drivers, conscious or not?
14
Love the title Ms. Dowd as well as the hilarious antics. Navigating these tech savvy ratings remind me of being in "Romancing the Stone" or "Chasing the Dragon." For the people who never grow tired of being evaluated in grade school, what is better than constantly tagging someone with a Luxe numerical score or an Über thumbs down for bad breath or public boringness. Also the added drama of "the wait" is a chilling reminder of the lonely girl desperately clutching her iPhone while being dissed by the google mapped & omnipresent circling Über drivers. For these young, single tech savvy professionals living in gentrified neighborhoods where they've displaced the working class, pizza delivery is no longer satisfactory. They require Über service with a name like "Délicieux" delivered to their condo door under 8 mins. & priced like Chipotle to receive a 5 star sweetie tweetie.
All of these apps seems to be the infinity loop or Über die Diotima for the time & approval conscious. Like hamsters on a perpetual wheel, the only behavioral rewards for their vigorous strivings are the timely food pellets or water in their Luxe cages delivered on time by their subservient lowers. The hamster brain doesn't seem to realize that its race to the top is merely an allusion. Rather than a linear line revealing godly perfection on a 3D software program in Silicon Valley, the hamster is in reality just another little furby trapped in a gilded cage peddling for the next electronic adrenaline rush.
All of these apps seems to be the infinity loop or Über die Diotima for the time & approval conscious. Like hamsters on a perpetual wheel, the only behavioral rewards for their vigorous strivings are the timely food pellets or water in their Luxe cages delivered on time by their subservient lowers. The hamster brain doesn't seem to realize that its race to the top is merely an allusion. Rather than a linear line revealing godly perfection on a 3D software program in Silicon Valley, the hamster is in reality just another little furby trapped in a gilded cage peddling for the next electronic adrenaline rush.
26
What's disgusting about this "shared economy," a term made up by so-called libertarians who don't want to pay taxes, is that all the sharing goes to the Boob-ers.
Finally this week in LA, we raised the minimum wage, but along with it, the City Council is making public any company who employs more than 100 employees, but where those employees receive Medicaid or any other type of Federal or State assistance. It turns out that maybe we shouldn't be subsidizing the Walmarts of the world?
Time for the employees of the world to unite (yes, that's an old saying) and to claw back money from the Boob-ers of the world so that we really do start sharing this economy and all the wealth we all have created.
Finally this week in LA, we raised the minimum wage, but along with it, the City Council is making public any company who employs more than 100 employees, but where those employees receive Medicaid or any other type of Federal or State assistance. It turns out that maybe we shouldn't be subsidizing the Walmarts of the world?
Time for the employees of the world to unite (yes, that's an old saying) and to claw back money from the Boob-ers of the world so that we really do start sharing this economy and all the wealth we all have created.
75
The only thing that bothers me is who is to say how long being kept waiting is that deserves punishment by rating and was the offence a single incident and for good cause or a regular thing? This demands that drivers and passengers have an agreed upon set of standards that by definition they not only do not but it is not in each side's interest. The scoring system is said to do this in it's place but does it.? This incident whos the system as less than honest. While both sides are "armed" with equal ability to score drivers can manipulate their scores by being more harsh on riders while evading the hazard of "marked" riders while riders do not share the same ability to manipulate the scoring system. Whoa up all those who leap on me to say so, think about it a moment. Do passengers scatter in the area knowing a driver with a 4.5 is in their midst like all the cars disappeared for a 4.5 rider? Probably not. And how can either side, driver or rider prevent discrimination by another name? Considering the same wait time acceptable in a well heeled, beautiful, or some other trait that would result in a poor score of someone who has the gall to be old, lacking in taste in attire or hairstyle--or denoting a religion, have skin of an unpreferred color? NO, it does not.
Uber's social media honesty and fairness is a small but powerful example of tribalism infiltrating our culture making all of us more like cultures that are having a great difficulty letting the past go.
Uber's social media honesty and fairness is a small but powerful example of tribalism infiltrating our culture making all of us more like cultures that are having a great difficulty letting the past go.
8
Uber is only beginning. It's partly owned by Google. In the future, the 'contractors' will no longer be needed as the vehicles will drive themselves. Every person who uses the service will have to log into an account that will track your their every move in one of their vehicles, no doubt with cameras inside and out.
14
You are the product.
5
Hilarious, absolutely hilarious. What a country!!
22
What strikes me about Uber (and Airbnb) is that they both are demonstrate Americans have too much. Airbnb hosts have too much house (I'm not talking about the de facto hoteliers), and reasonably are trying to put extra space to work. The rise of Uber demonstrates that it is no longer reasonable to buy, maintain, and house a car that gets used only a few hours a day -- a boon to both Uber drivers and riders. (That we even have taxis and Uber demonstrates what a pathetic mass transit system we have.) The regulatory issues mentioned elsewhere in these comments we probably can figure out. I'll never be rich enough to have any idle transportation or dwelling capacity, but I'm glad that the people who do can sell it to me when I need it.
17
In England in the '70s I stayed at homes that had signs advertising bed and breakfast. They were owned by people who had an extra room because their kids were grown, and they were glad to meet someone and have company at breakfast. Not everyone who offers B&B "has too much."
7
Yes indeed Americans have too much, while at the same time having too little. Free Mochas from Starbucks occasionally for the homeless. Uber. No real daily reliable transit system. Now you see it, now you dont. And ketchup is a vegetable.
7
Big consideration, Uber drivers charge less than Limo service, not sure about taxi's. Our family has occasion to require, a Limo service or Uber quite often. Especially after evenings out. Drinking and driving to and from home to a compound several miles from downtown, Uber is a lot less expensive.
4
Here in Louisville UberX costs less than half what a taxi costs. I estimate the Uber fare by dividing the taxi fare in half and then subtracting 20%. And Uber tells riders not to tip. So there's another 20% of savings.
All you have to do to get a good rating on Uber is to be polite. You don't have to chat or tip or even rate, although it is the nice thing to do. You have to be outside when you call, respond to the driver when he/she cannot find you, and otherwise be respectful. Uber drivers are not one's private limo or driver; they are people trying to make ends meet, just like the 99%. Sorry Maureen, putting up with attitude is not part of the price.
63
Agreed!! I would add...a number of Uber drivers have told me how surprised they were to arrive to see me outside and waiting for them because most of the time, they are stuck waiting.
2
Uber. It seems the drivers are punishing the riders for the anger they feel for the "owners". Of course the "owners" are only brokers we know and its a "sharing" economy where the brokers get the billions and the workers get .... But then its so different, not.
21
I don't get any of this but it somehow makes me appreciate living in a small town in the South.
56
The shared economy is just so much cost shifting disguised as the Wonderful Future.
You can't use Uber if you don't have an expensive smart phone you had to pay for, not to mention paying for whichever data plan you are carrying. An Uber driver has to buy his own car, make his own insurance payments, pay for upkeep of the car and assume a shifting sands share of the liability when things go wrong.
Who do you think is richer, the guy on the bottom of the ladder who isn't supposed to get tipped or the billionaire at the top whose "company" has a market valuation invented by speculators who are also going to cash in big time.
The same thing cost shifting thing happens on a much smaller scale when a company urges you to "go green" and receive e-statements. They no longer have to print statements, but in order to access your account, you have to have paid for a computer and an internet service provider to feed your habit.
Yes, the internet is wonderful but it isn't free and is Uber really "cheaper" when you factor in the number of times you ride against the cost of your equipment and the annual service plan for your device, outlays you have to make before you are even able to perform that "click" for (pseudo) "convenience."
Cost shifting über alles in der Welt!
You can't use Uber if you don't have an expensive smart phone you had to pay for, not to mention paying for whichever data plan you are carrying. An Uber driver has to buy his own car, make his own insurance payments, pay for upkeep of the car and assume a shifting sands share of the liability when things go wrong.
Who do you think is richer, the guy on the bottom of the ladder who isn't supposed to get tipped or the billionaire at the top whose "company" has a market valuation invented by speculators who are also going to cash in big time.
The same thing cost shifting thing happens on a much smaller scale when a company urges you to "go green" and receive e-statements. They no longer have to print statements, but in order to access your account, you have to have paid for a computer and an internet service provider to feed your habit.
Yes, the internet is wonderful but it isn't free and is Uber really "cheaper" when you factor in the number of times you ride against the cost of your equipment and the annual service plan for your device, outlays you have to make before you are even able to perform that "click" for (pseudo) "convenience."
Cost shifting über alles in der Welt!
110
The model has rough edges to be very sure. But the trust-sharing at work in uber and eBay has a future. Public libraries provide free computers and bandwidth for most, though there's problems with selfishness based on locality there too.
Plus the privately owned internet access over public (our, yours and my) air waves is a problem too. Don't mention the education you need to "just-click-on-it" like you hear.
Plus the privately owned internet access over public (our, yours and my) air waves is a problem too. Don't mention the education you need to "just-click-on-it" like you hear.
This column is a testament to the decline in the American economy. Many of the millions of unemployed and millions more of the underemployed have found Uber and its ilk as a way to survive.
36
Ms. Dowd points out everything that is wrong with where our society has gotten to. Call me retro, or last century, or even a curmudgeon if you like, but I am so sick of the over sharing and over curating and celebration of self-obsession at which we have arrived.
155
Amen, brother!
Speaking of trending, Uber should have in their passenger rating system some indication for the driver of whether the hopeful passenger’s rating is trending up or down. A passenger with a low rating trending up is probably a better bet for the driver than one with a high rating trending down. Who knows the lengths to which the passenger may go to keep that rating on the rise?
If Maureen Dowd has misgivings about Uber in this digital age, imagine a New York taxi owner with his medallion for sale on eBay.
If Maureen Dowd has misgivings about Uber in this digital age, imagine a New York taxi owner with his medallion for sale on eBay.
3
I hate, hate, hate taxis and here is the reason why.......drivers constantly talking on a bluetooth phone, to who knows who about who knows what, and not paying attention to anything else like where they are driving me or my safety. This happens all too frequently especially in large cities with airport pick-up.s When it does happen I have actually had taxi's pull over to the side of the street and have gotten out, without paying, and hailed another taxi. Sometimes I just ask them to end their phone call and pay attention to their job-ME. Yes, when riding in a taxi it is all about ME! I tip handsomely when the service is good and not so much when is it not good. I imagine I would a negative Uber rating!
15
Just call a car service, which is likely cheaper than Uber, and you won't have to concerned about being judged. Yes, you still have to behave like a civilized human being, but you won't have to live in a world of continual surveillance. You can relax and not care how you will be judged.
17
I haven't yet used Uber, but the private car services where I live are quite terrible - the cars are old and usually reek of cigarette smoke and the drivers never show up on time. Making a reservation seems to mean nothing unless they happen to have cars available at the time you actually need it. The price seems to change every time I take the exact same trip (my house to the airport). On the way back, I almost always take a regular yellow Taxi.
I avoided Uber originally because I was under the apparently misguided impression that their drivers didn't have hack licenses and the cars weren't registered with the Taxi & Limousine Commission. All of the Uber cars that I've seen have been quite nice looking and the cars do have "T" license plates. I would prefer if Uber didn't have a socialization and rating component, but I do plan to give it a try. It will be interesting to see what happens the first time I try to use it as I'll have no history.
I avoided Uber originally because I was under the apparently misguided impression that their drivers didn't have hack licenses and the cars weren't registered with the Taxi & Limousine Commission. All of the Uber cars that I've seen have been quite nice looking and the cars do have "T" license plates. I would prefer if Uber didn't have a socialization and rating component, but I do plan to give it a try. It will be interesting to see what happens the first time I try to use it as I'll have no history.
In outlying areas with no or few cabs, Uber has an appeal. Rides to train stations, airports, ferry landings, etc make excellent sense, particularly when parking is always full by 6AM. I can see this becoming a meet up for car pooling. The rating for the consumer has value if it measures exciting aspects like throwing up in the back seat.
2
Actually, you don't have to charm anyone. Just be respectful of drivers time, understand that "rideshare" means it's the driver's car and he/she is nice enough to share.
Furthermore, passengers will vote less than 5 stars for any apparent reason, so learn to be generous with the ratings. Drivers are kind of being vindictive for all the undeserved 4 stars.
Sorry, the whole rating system sucks.
Furthermore, passengers will vote less than 5 stars for any apparent reason, so learn to be generous with the ratings. Drivers are kind of being vindictive for all the undeserved 4 stars.
Sorry, the whole rating system sucks.
6
To increase that 4.2 rating for not coming out right away, you change your behavior and talk up the driver. But what if I have cerebral palsy and take a longer time to get to the car? What if am older and need assistance getting into the car? And goodness, what if I use a wheel chair? Do I get left behind? Yes. A system that rates customers and allows those who offer services to the public to refuse service to certain people is inherently discriminatory. I'll pass on taking Über. They won't get one over me.
37
To M. Gamel-McCormick:
As a driver, I have had passengers who have been blind, deaf, using a walker, and even a couple in a wheelchair. I have accommodated all of them except one of the wheelchair passengers, because it was just physically too big to fit in my car and I showed them how they could order UberXL, and then they could email Uber and explain so they wouldn't be charged extra. I gave every one of those riders a 5, and their ratings were all very close to 5 (if not a perfect 5) before my trip. Trust me, those are not the people that are given poor ratings on the Uber service by a vast majority of drivers.
Would you like to know to whom we give poor ratings?
It's usually young millennials who say things like:
"Hey we'll be out in a couple minutes, just wait there (double parked)"
"Yo Caden is running late can you just circle the block a few times?"
"Hey brah, it's all good if we bring our beers right? You won't tell the cops?"
"Dude can we squeeze five people in here, I know it's against the rules but we are going to meet these hot chicks!"
"Brittany feels sick I knew she was a light-weight, oh man she puked all over back here!"
Drive for Uber for a couple of weeks and you will be begging for the "certain" people that you think Drivers would rate poorly.
If you want 5 stars, just be READY TO GO when you make the request. Just open the App when you are ready to go! Then be polite, don't damage anything, and don't break any laws. 99% of my passengers receive a 5.
As a driver, I have had passengers who have been blind, deaf, using a walker, and even a couple in a wheelchair. I have accommodated all of them except one of the wheelchair passengers, because it was just physically too big to fit in my car and I showed them how they could order UberXL, and then they could email Uber and explain so they wouldn't be charged extra. I gave every one of those riders a 5, and their ratings were all very close to 5 (if not a perfect 5) before my trip. Trust me, those are not the people that are given poor ratings on the Uber service by a vast majority of drivers.
Would you like to know to whom we give poor ratings?
It's usually young millennials who say things like:
"Hey we'll be out in a couple minutes, just wait there (double parked)"
"Yo Caden is running late can you just circle the block a few times?"
"Hey brah, it's all good if we bring our beers right? You won't tell the cops?"
"Dude can we squeeze five people in here, I know it's against the rules but we are going to meet these hot chicks!"
"Brittany feels sick I knew she was a light-weight, oh man she puked all over back here!"
Drive for Uber for a couple of weeks and you will be begging for the "certain" people that you think Drivers would rate poorly.
If you want 5 stars, just be READY TO GO when you make the request. Just open the App when you are ready to go! Then be polite, don't damage anything, and don't break any laws. 99% of my passengers receive a 5.
8
Going to LA and not driving is like going to NYC and not taking the subway. It's part of the "gestalt" of the place, part of the experience. The reference to the SNL skit is appropriate and the skit is funny because it is how people identify with LA.
2
Certainly agree with the "gestalt" approach. Visited our son a few years ago, graduate school at UCLA, and he did not have a car. So we figured with taxis and the train, we would be able to navigate fairly well, when we told him this. He was incredulous. "Rent a car, this is LA," was his response. We did, for like 12$/day. And with him living there we completely avoided the SNL skit.
1
Uber? And I used to be famous for my love affair with taxi cabs beginning in the late 70s and ending abruptly in the late 90s, of a sudden, like the best or sorriest of romances.
Blind as mole without spectacles, I could always find one, rain or shine, it became a stale joke with my friends. Now. Since I don't know how to drive and it's country life in the near future, I am beginning to reconsider how I am going to get from A to Z with the help of a loyal 'friend'. I like you, said a Pakistani cabbie the other day on my way to see someone, people don't often speak to me and it can get lonely at times.
If I bring this up, perhaps we should learn to be less shy as we mature, because the best exchanges have been with cabbies of all different nationalities and what you learn of human beings is a richness that even the League of Nations would be hard pressed to match.
When I hear the word 'Luxe' these days, my antennas go up in alarm, and then there was the time a man called Sam, the size of a water buffalo, picked me up at the train with an invisible rifle on his knees. Or I found myself lost in a small town, and it was all about 'Driving Miss Daisy'.
Somewhere out there is a 'Go-Between' and I am off to find it, while Uber is just fine for some of us, especially when we are equipped with smartphones. One doesn't have to be charming or charismatic with the person who is driving, one can ask the person if they like what they are doing, and skip one's religion.
Blind as mole without spectacles, I could always find one, rain or shine, it became a stale joke with my friends. Now. Since I don't know how to drive and it's country life in the near future, I am beginning to reconsider how I am going to get from A to Z with the help of a loyal 'friend'. I like you, said a Pakistani cabbie the other day on my way to see someone, people don't often speak to me and it can get lonely at times.
If I bring this up, perhaps we should learn to be less shy as we mature, because the best exchanges have been with cabbies of all different nationalities and what you learn of human beings is a richness that even the League of Nations would be hard pressed to match.
When I hear the word 'Luxe' these days, my antennas go up in alarm, and then there was the time a man called Sam, the size of a water buffalo, picked me up at the train with an invisible rifle on his knees. Or I found myself lost in a small town, and it was all about 'Driving Miss Daisy'.
Somewhere out there is a 'Go-Between' and I am off to find it, while Uber is just fine for some of us, especially when we are equipped with smartphones. One doesn't have to be charming or charismatic with the person who is driving, one can ask the person if they like what they are doing, and skip one's religion.
4
When I buy a service it is just a service.I really don't want to be judged by who I pay for the service.I also have been asking myself what kind of insurance covers my ride if something goes wrong? Also was asking myself why you have two different rules for people doing the same thing?As much as I like the Uber idea and it breaks the old economy why the usual cabs pay so much taxes then myself driving someone under the Uber banner?
5
MUHAMMAD, UBERX DRIVER IN PHILLY
"Uber, the concept is very, very good. But the people who are running the show is very greedy. (Laughs.) If you really analyze what Uber has done in last six months, to make more and more profit, they have killed the drivers. I give you a practical example:
If there's a $10 ride, $1 Uber will keep it, for insurance or safety or whatever they want to call it. [This dollar is technically called the "safe rides fee," but yeah.] And then from $9, they will take 20 percent, that would be $1.80. So after, the driver will take home $7.20.
If they cut the rate in half, the same ride is now $5. Just example, OK? So Uber takes $1, and then out of $4, Uber takes 80 cents, so the driver will make $3.20. And if the demand is double, then another driver will also make $3.20. So the total driver pay is $6.40 vs. $7.20 before, but customer paid same $10 — means Uber's taking extra money.
Overall, demand has increased. But as a human being, we can only drive maybe three trips in one hour. If you give me 300 trips, that won't do me any good. That demand is for other people, not for me. So cutting the rate is increasing the total business, but the driver is worse off than before."
http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
"Uber, the concept is very, very good. But the people who are running the show is very greedy. (Laughs.) If you really analyze what Uber has done in last six months, to make more and more profit, they have killed the drivers. I give you a practical example:
If there's a $10 ride, $1 Uber will keep it, for insurance or safety or whatever they want to call it. [This dollar is technically called the "safe rides fee," but yeah.] And then from $9, they will take 20 percent, that would be $1.80. So after, the driver will take home $7.20.
If they cut the rate in half, the same ride is now $5. Just example, OK? So Uber takes $1, and then out of $4, Uber takes 80 cents, so the driver will make $3.20. And if the demand is double, then another driver will also make $3.20. So the total driver pay is $6.40 vs. $7.20 before, but customer paid same $10 — means Uber's taking extra money.
Overall, demand has increased. But as a human being, we can only drive maybe three trips in one hour. If you give me 300 trips, that won't do me any good. That demand is for other people, not for me. So cutting the rate is increasing the total business, but the driver is worse off than before."
http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/
20
So getting your drivers' permit will no longer be "a rite of passage" for young people- now it will be using Uber for the first time. Of course if Uber keeps one, dangerous to himself and others, intoxicated person off the roads I'm all for it. A hefty fine for throwing up is better than killing yourself and/or others.
4
I have a friend from the East Coast who observed - people in San Francisco love Uber but they're slightly embarrassed about it. Here's the deal. The cab drivers could have and should have tried some modernity. What they are the absolute worst at is dispatch (getting someone to even route a cab to you) and service (nah, I don't feel like going to that neighborhood). When you do get a cab, sometimes after more than an hour (thinking all the time - I could have walked there by now), the cab drivers play their music or sports loudly on the radio or talk on their cell phones the entire time. And don't get me started on the whole medallion system with its mafia undertones. So, the cab drivers were done in by themselves and their awful service. Compare that to Uber's - Your driver will be arriving in 2 minutes - 2 minutes! Arriving in a clean car, will offer you water or ask you if you prefer another route. I gotta say I love Uber and I'm not even embarrassed about it
24
I recently returned from a trip to NYC. I arrived by train from Boston. I thought taxi's would be waiting in long lines. There was a "taxi" line which was quite long. Very few taxi's came by. The wait with my suitcases was about 30 minutes before I got into a cab. Although I was fairly close to my Times Square hotel, the taxi driver did not know where it was and spoke very little English. After dining with friends at a midtown restaurant the host tried to hail a taxi. After 15 minutes we walked to the corner and that was a wait as well. They asked the taxi driver to drop me at my hotel. He let me off a block away on the traffic side of the street.
I decided to use Uber for a few excursions around Manhattan. Picked me up exactly where I was and dropped me off in the closest and safest location near my destination. Knew exactly how to find my location and also had a mounted GPS. I ordered Dial 7 to take me to LaGuardia when my trip was over. Never showed up.
I decided to use Uber for a few excursions around Manhattan. Picked me up exactly where I was and dropped me off in the closest and safest location near my destination. Knew exactly how to find my location and also had a mounted GPS. I ordered Dial 7 to take me to LaGuardia when my trip was over. Never showed up.
18
Reading articles about the joys and frustrations of riding Uber or other ride sharing services causes sadness for some of us. Uber and other services have made it clear that if you are in a wheelchair, you are not even worth an opportunity to complain. We have been again isolated and relegated to being a second class citizen. It must be nice to even have a choice, something that we have only received in the last few years. Now ride sharing services are trying to take that away.
30
I don't think Uber allows van use as part of their service. Your letter sounds like a clarion call for handicapped-equipped van owners or those willing to install the equipment, in reasonably large markets, to apply to Uber to offer their services and Uber would be smart enough to agree. It would seem to me that if one had the only handicapped equipped vehicle, or one of a very few in a market. they could do very well. Wheelchair bound people actually have a need for a service like Uber.
2
In my experience, all you need to do is simply be nice. And as for the suggestion to simply call a taxi, waiting twenty minutes for a cab that may or may not show up is not a viable option - and thankfully, no longer one I need to consider. Here in San Francisco, there was an effort several years ago to put more cabs on the streets. It was blocked by the taxi lobby. Frankly they got what they deserved.
16
Call me crazy, but I don't find the idea of having some random unlicensed stranger driving me around. It's not safe. I would never, ever let my daughter take an Uber ride. I want public drivers like taxi drivers, bus drivers, and the like, to be tested and heavily regulated. I really do, and I don't care how much it costs. Look how well deregulation has worked in other areas.
59
Goodness! Uber tells the driver if there's no problem, give them their five stars.
Get in, give the address, or have it entered in the app. If the driver doesn't know (a frequent problem with Uber X, not so much with Uber Black or Uber Taxi (where they have Uber Taxi), help him out, if you know. If you do not know, have it entered in the app so the driver can use his GPS.
Answer your phone. Watch the driver on your GPS and come out as he pulls up. Be aware where you are. If you call Uber to a No Standing in rush hour zone, be out there waiting because the driver can't sit there and wait until you decide you're good and ready to come out. Be aware if there's a lot of traffic and no place to pull over, even if it's not rush hour. The driver can't sit there and block traffic. Your Uber driver doesn't have 'UPS' or 'Miller Lite' on his vehicle, so he can't block traffic. Time is money, here, too.
The drivers get to rate you, but there's no place for them to put a comment why they rate you high, low or average.
Get in, give the address, or have it entered in the app. If the driver doesn't know (a frequent problem with Uber X, not so much with Uber Black or Uber Taxi (where they have Uber Taxi), help him out, if you know. If you do not know, have it entered in the app so the driver can use his GPS.
Answer your phone. Watch the driver on your GPS and come out as he pulls up. Be aware where you are. If you call Uber to a No Standing in rush hour zone, be out there waiting because the driver can't sit there and wait until you decide you're good and ready to come out. Be aware if there's a lot of traffic and no place to pull over, even if it's not rush hour. The driver can't sit there and block traffic. Your Uber driver doesn't have 'UPS' or 'Miller Lite' on his vehicle, so he can't block traffic. Time is money, here, too.
The drivers get to rate you, but there's no place for them to put a comment why they rate you high, low or average.
9
I don't understand your frustration over Uber's ranking system. Riders rank drivers, which helps Uber ensure that riders get the best possible experience. Drivers rate riders as well, which makes it (slightly) more difficult for riders with a bad reputation to get a ride.
If you request an Uber car, you can see it as it approaches you on a map. There's no good reason not to be ready when the driver arrives. If you have a low rating because you inconvenience your drivers, other drivers are less likely to want to pick you up. If you're rude to your drivers, other drivers might not want to deal with you. What's the problem with this?
Treat your drivers with respect, and treat their vehicles as if they belong to a friend. If you do this, you'll have no trouble. If you don't, I probably wouldn't want you in my car. If you're not comfortable doing this, call a cab. In some markets, they're just as reliable, but in most markets, they're not. If you're not willing to treat your drivers with respect, I guess that's just a cost of doing business for you.
If you request an Uber car, you can see it as it approaches you on a map. There's no good reason not to be ready when the driver arrives. If you have a low rating because you inconvenience your drivers, other drivers are less likely to want to pick you up. If you're rude to your drivers, other drivers might not want to deal with you. What's the problem with this?
Treat your drivers with respect, and treat their vehicles as if they belong to a friend. If you do this, you'll have no trouble. If you don't, I probably wouldn't want you in my car. If you're not comfortable doing this, call a cab. In some markets, they're just as reliable, but in most markets, they're not. If you're not willing to treat your drivers with respect, I guess that's just a cost of doing business for you.
22
@Graham: Wow, living in utopia, aren't you? How about if all of us ALWAYS treat each other with respect, even when a cab driver isn't involved - that would actually be progress!
I treat regular NYC cab drivers with respect. And I hope never to see an Uber car from the inside.
Uber would like us to forget who is the paying customer, but that will never happen, with or without their idiotic rank-the-passenger system.
I treat regular NYC cab drivers with respect. And I hope never to see an Uber car from the inside.
Uber would like us to forget who is the paying customer, but that will never happen, with or without their idiotic rank-the-passenger system.
Thanks to Uber and its system of rating passengers, we face the prospect of having other businesses do the same - to the point where life becomes one big popularity contest. It's as if we are stuck in high school and can never graduate. Even Rod Serling reserved this sort of fate only for his 'Twilight Zone's worst villains. This is progress?
43
Sorry to break it to you, but life has always been this way.
Mo, this is your best effort in a while...practically Hunter Thompsonesque.
10
It's entirely fair for drivers to rate passengers, some of whom are very abusive. (Not just the drunks who vomit in the back seat. I read of a driver who figured out that one passenger was using Uber to pick up and deliver drugs.)
I am astonished that Maureen Dowd's 4.2 star rating renders her so undesirable that drivers flee. Talk about grade inflation! A driver told a friend of mine what his rating was. I just Uber would let us passengers know directly what our ratings are.
I am astonished that Maureen Dowd's 4.2 star rating renders her so undesirable that drivers flee. Talk about grade inflation! A driver told a friend of mine what his rating was. I just Uber would let us passengers know directly what our ratings are.
10
Hey! How bout a service that writes NY Times comments for the reader/subscriber. Of course will call it Best_Comments.com. When you logon you have several choices:
Dement: When your a bit confused and lethargic.
Cement: When you want to stick it to the editorialist
Foment: When you want to be controversial and stir up trouble
Ament: When you're somewhat agreeable
Thanks for the inspiration, Maureen. I'll let you know when I go Public, (that is they let me out in public).
Dement: When your a bit confused and lethargic.
Cement: When you want to stick it to the editorialist
Foment: When you want to be controversial and stir up trouble
Ament: When you're somewhat agreeable
Thanks for the inspiration, Maureen. I'll let you know when I go Public, (that is they let me out in public).
18
The idea that the driver of a Uber car is rating me (the nerve!) is enough to make me never want to use that service, even though I was pretty close to never anyway. There's something kinda creepy about getting into a private car that wasn't designed to be a taxi with a guy who wasn't trained to be a taxi driver going down city streets that the driver might not know well and then, on top of all that, the driver is going to give me a grade? What be this, kindergarten?
One big exception, however. For years, I took four, five. six, or even more cabs a day around DC. Some of the drivers were there when Lincoln was president, or maybe Andrew Johnson, and they drive only slightly faster than they once drove a horse and buggy. They are good guys, mind you, but they are too old and too slow to be out there on the streets trying to make money.
I live in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is next to DC. Here, the problem is that one cab company, through whatever protracted political influence they have exerted for years, dominates the very poor taxi service. When I used to need one where I live, I could not reliably get one, which would mean I would have to plan to leave home two hours ahead of time. So, yes, I am skeptical about Uber, but I don't want to be standing on a corner looking like a lost pilgrim, either.
Bottom line: just because something uses newer technology doesn't mean it is wonderful. Uber, take a hike. 0 for 0 from me.
8
My last Uber driver got lost in Nashville and turned a 20 minute drive into an 80 minute drive. I didn't check to see how he rated me, but he could easily have exacted his revenge with a low rating. I would never know, and there's no check on this. The driver before that got into an accident inside LaGuardia. I think he might have been too flummoxed to give me a low rating, but in an anonymous system, he could have given me one star and attributed the blame for the accident to me. It's one thing to let the market shape buyer and seller preferences, but that requires some truth and honesty in market ratings. With Uber, I've learned to expect neither.
12
I drive Uber in Los Angeles. Don't worry too much about the small talk, Maureen, if you want good ratings. Just be waiting and ready to go when the car arrives. That's really what counts.
Because If a driver has to drive 6 to get to the rider's location, and the has to wait 5 minutes for the rider to appear, and then drives the rider to a location that's close by, the driver in LA only gets paid $4. Then the first dollar goes to Uber. Then 20 percent goes to Uber, which is another 80 cents. So that leaves $2.20 cents for the driver.
Even if the driver can do 3 or 4 short trips in an hour, that's only $6.60 - $8.80 an hour, minus the cost of gas, insurance, wear and tear on the car, and cell phone data. So if you are taking short trips, the driver is chaffering you around for less than minimum wage. So the most important thing for riders is to be waiting to go when the driver arrives. More than 2 minutes, you lose a star. More than 4 minutes, you lose 2 stars.
And please spare me your mild disgust with drivers "unfamiliar with the local terrain". You are not in a cab in NYC with numbered streets in a grid. LA is a huge place geographically and the driving is not easy to say the very least. Uber drivers are instructed to use the directions from the GPS on the app, which give turn by turn directions, or take directions from the rider. So if you don't like a driver's geographic literacy, feel free to give route instructions.
Because If a driver has to drive 6 to get to the rider's location, and the has to wait 5 minutes for the rider to appear, and then drives the rider to a location that's close by, the driver in LA only gets paid $4. Then the first dollar goes to Uber. Then 20 percent goes to Uber, which is another 80 cents. So that leaves $2.20 cents for the driver.
Even if the driver can do 3 or 4 short trips in an hour, that's only $6.60 - $8.80 an hour, minus the cost of gas, insurance, wear and tear on the car, and cell phone data. So if you are taking short trips, the driver is chaffering you around for less than minimum wage. So the most important thing for riders is to be waiting to go when the driver arrives. More than 2 minutes, you lose a star. More than 4 minutes, you lose 2 stars.
And please spare me your mild disgust with drivers "unfamiliar with the local terrain". You are not in a cab in NYC with numbered streets in a grid. LA is a huge place geographically and the driving is not easy to say the very least. Uber drivers are instructed to use the directions from the GPS on the app, which give turn by turn directions, or take directions from the rider. So if you don't like a driver's geographic literacy, feel free to give route instructions.
52
No need to " charm" this Uber black driver. Just be a normal person and not a racist entitled jerk and you get 5 stars.Uber corporate gets 0 stars for being a super evil greedy company. A high tech slave driver.If your driver tells you they love uber because they are worries you will tattle take on them and get them fired . Go to uberpeople.net to learn how much we hate uber . But we have no choice since they have cornered the car service market worldwide
17
No, you have plenty of choices. You can drive a taxi or work for a private car or limo service. The fact is that if Uber pays badly, a lack of drivers will force them to pay better. And a plethora of drivers, which seems to be the case right now because it's "hip" to work for Uber, will enable them to pay even less.
And in many places, I would expect other companies to come in and copy the Uber model, but perhaps with changes that make it more appealing. Maybe with driver ratings, but not with customer ratings. Maybe with a better share for the driver. And maybe it will also cause taxi fleets to get their act together and provide a better quality service.
And in many places, I would expect other companies to come in and copy the Uber model, but perhaps with changes that make it more appealing. Maybe with driver ratings, but not with customer ratings. Maybe with a better share for the driver. And maybe it will also cause taxi fleets to get their act together and provide a better quality service.
I love Maureen Dowd's political commentaries, but I have to say this was her best column ever and sooooo funny! I just loved it and learned to be on best behavior and work my charm while in Uber. I'll feel like I'm back at work again, but instead of patients rating me as their doctor, I'll now be rated as a passenger! This rating thing is getting out of hand!!
2
Welcome to the new social capital and sharing economy!
7
I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico recently and was pleased that they had an Uber-like app to call taxis. It was an actual taxi service and they came promptly and delivered me and my wife to our location.
Taxi companies should do the same thing.
Taxi companies should do the same thing.
60
Here in Budapest we have a taxi company that we regularly call by phone to order a taxi. Now they have an app so we use that sometimes but it's actually faster and easier to just call them. That they have an app doesn't suddenly make them a tech company worth $50 billion. And they don't rate us and we don't rate them. They just come to our door, take us where we want to go, we pay and it's over.
Yes, that is happening in several cities, including Palm Springs, where I live. That's why many taxi companies dislike Uber so much: they've upped the game. Taxis now have competition, so they're having to come up with technology that serves their customers and to clean up the inside of their vehicles. What a concept! And I don't mind Uber rating me -- I'm not a jerk, so I'm not worried about it. For the commenters above who think Uber is "creepy," that's easy -- don't use it!
1
They do in Chicago. It's called Curb. A well-designed app - and the drivers who use it are much more "user friendly" than the average cabbie.
1
I long for an app that would allow me to swipe left and all the extremists would disappear
29
Maybe, as you indicated, your rating was low not because of the things you fear (like not being chatty enough), but because you took too long to come down and made them wait. If you think about that, it's a perfectly reasonable reason for them to not want to come and get you. So if you think about the Uber drivers as people and think what you'd look for in a passenger (not a new friend, but someone who comes out promptly when the car arrives and doesn't puke in the back seat), you'll do just fine.
187
I agree. Just be prompt. These drivers are trying to make a living and are not on salary.....Lesson learned?
1
Five for five.
I am learning.
I am learning.
1
Ms. Dowd,
The next time you happen to be in southern Connecticut, please let me know and I will be delighted to drive you anywhere you like, at no charge.
And if you can bring Gail Collins with you, that would be quite nice also.
The next time you happen to be in southern Connecticut, please let me know and I will be delighted to drive you anywhere you like, at no charge.
And if you can bring Gail Collins with you, that would be quite nice also.
294
Someone with game-theory experience should examine strategies to keep the ratings honest. Perhaps there should be a higher reward for getting a 4 on one occasion and then getting a 5 next time than there should be for getting a 5 both times. The latter could be extorted by a threat to under-rate the passenger. The former starts with what might be an honest 4 and then leads to honest consideration of, and action upon, feedback. To what extent are the ratings NOT confidential? I do not wish to pretend to know what I'm talking about here. But I DO wish to assert that Ph.D.'s in game-theory DO know this stuff, and might be qualified to either design such a system OR, in the alternative, construct a proof that demonstrates that an ungameable mutual ratings-system CAN'T be designed.
6
Hey you know what what will get your UBER rider rating up? Tips. Just like if it was a taxi. Especially if you were troublesome. Slow to get in, bad with directions, to an out-of-the-way place, lots of groceries, or just a short, unprofitable, distance. UBER rates are already much lower than the taxi, why should the driver not get tipped?
UBER drivers are simply taken advantage of. The company insists the drivers are independent, but sets the rates, advises against tipping, demands high acceptance rates, and more.
UBER drivers are simply taken advantage of. The company insists the drivers are independent, but sets the rates, advises against tipping, demands high acceptance rates, and more.
31
I never understood why Uber takes this stance against tipping. They actually take the time to tell people that tipping is not required. How about don't worry about it Uber. If somebody wants to tip me, I'm not going to refuse it.
1
Now imagine a blind or otherwise disabled person taking what is considered "too long" getting in or out, or some other problem. And are routinely not picked up. Have the drivers and or the company "discriminated"? There is a concept known as disparate treatment, meaning it doesn't matter if it was done on purpose, discrimination still occurred because of the structure of the company, or in this case the company's software. Doesn't matter if you can prove it was on purpose or not.
77
or how about a service dog slobbering in the back seat on a hot day? I see trouble coming with this scenario.
Which brings to mind student evaluations of teachers/professors. There are instances, or so I have read, where professors give high grades to students so the students will speak well of the professors in student evaluations.
Some years ago the New York Times Magazine had a column by a journalist who had taught at a community college as an adjunct, setting out how upset he had been by an unfavorable evaluation. My advice to him, which the Magazine published, was to approach student evaluations the way the Corleone family approached machine gunning down an opposing family at the end of The Godfather: “It’s not personal. It’s just business.” Whether that would work for Ms. Dowd vis-a vis Uber, I can’t say.
Some years ago the New York Times Magazine had a column by a journalist who had taught at a community college as an adjunct, setting out how upset he had been by an unfavorable evaluation. My advice to him, which the Magazine published, was to approach student evaluations the way the Corleone family approached machine gunning down an opposing family at the end of The Godfather: “It’s not personal. It’s just business.” Whether that would work for Ms. Dowd vis-a vis Uber, I can’t say.
7
In my school, the rating system closes before finals, so the ratings are not based on grades.
I do not leave any tips, although it's a gray area - from what I understand, the official position of Uber is that there is no tipping, apparently some people leave tips and some (like me) don't.
However I still have a 5-star rating (drivers have told me). I never keep them waiting, and promptly enter the destination into the app. I've called the driver if I see they can't find where I am. I try to be as helpful as I can and make it easy for them. In a word, I don't treat them like servants. I treat them as I myself would want to be treated - with respect, as social equals.
However I still have a 5-star rating (drivers have told me). I never keep them waiting, and promptly enter the destination into the app. I've called the driver if I see they can't find where I am. I try to be as helpful as I can and make it easy for them. In a word, I don't treat them like servants. I treat them as I myself would want to be treated - with respect, as social equals.
126
Why treat anyone like a servant, apart from a rare person, who has the mentality of a sour cook? I mention this because in a journal of over 2000 pages left by my father, he only had one derogatory remark to make of an odious relative who has outlived us on sheer spite at 102. And guess who is driving up to see this person? Two rich nephews of hers in possession of a set of wheels (there is still time to call for an Uber here :)
True, perhaps I address the taxi driver, the young woman standing at the supermarket cashier, or the waiter when out on a rare outing, enough to cause a friend to wonder and blink. Never mind the scrambled eggs on the brunch platter at $$$ for the pleasure of seeing acquaintances.
Like my father, I am aware that there is a human in sight and it is a pleasure to acknowledge this even if bad form. 'The waiters are on strike', announced my mother after a dinner party at an exclusive club in Paris. Why? 'because they forgot to announce: 'Madame X, dinner is being served', causing a smile to light up on my part, and reflect whatever it takes to make one happy, and it takes a bit of everyone to live in this mysterious world.
True, perhaps I address the taxi driver, the young woman standing at the supermarket cashier, or the waiter when out on a rare outing, enough to cause a friend to wonder and blink. Never mind the scrambled eggs on the brunch platter at $$$ for the pleasure of seeing acquaintances.
Like my father, I am aware that there is a human in sight and it is a pleasure to acknowledge this even if bad form. 'The waiters are on strike', announced my mother after a dinner party at an exclusive club in Paris. Why? 'because they forgot to announce: 'Madame X, dinner is being served', causing a smile to light up on my part, and reflect whatever it takes to make one happy, and it takes a bit of everyone to live in this mysterious world.
Thanks, NYT and Ms. Dowd. An appropriate op-ed to take one's mind off anything serious in the world.
16
Dear Maureen,
I have a friend who travels almost constantly now & he endorses Uber. In this new world (which I don't feel I can call brave), all of us are constantly adjusting to a new normal. I was thinking yesterday that in terms of branding, it is well nigh impossible, now, to understand, by its name, what a company does. In the "old days" perhaps the only company that befuddled us may have been Xerox. Just about everything else was straight forward. I think the turn towards clicks, hits, likes, views, reviews, etc. came in the aftermath of Watergate when the citizenry had had enough of lies & wanted the bold honesty given to us by "Woodstein" (Woodward & Bernstein). I think back to that time as the beginning of people calling people, institutions, companies, & all manner of our lives, out. The matter of bad government gave rise to rating life. in reading the 1996 Radzinsky biography of Stalin, a saying is attributed to President Masaryk of Czechoslovakia. Masaryk stated: "What is happiness? It is the right to go out onto the main square and to shout at the top of your voice,'Lord, what a bad government we have!'" Truer words were never shouted. Some people, such as yourself, who are just doing their jobs & living their lives are going to be rated, be called out, be caught in crossfire. It is the nature of our times that 99% are 100% fed up & no longer being a silent majority. In the meantime if you visit San Francisco, call my Cousin; she drives Taxi there.
I have a friend who travels almost constantly now & he endorses Uber. In this new world (which I don't feel I can call brave), all of us are constantly adjusting to a new normal. I was thinking yesterday that in terms of branding, it is well nigh impossible, now, to understand, by its name, what a company does. In the "old days" perhaps the only company that befuddled us may have been Xerox. Just about everything else was straight forward. I think the turn towards clicks, hits, likes, views, reviews, etc. came in the aftermath of Watergate when the citizenry had had enough of lies & wanted the bold honesty given to us by "Woodstein" (Woodward & Bernstein). I think back to that time as the beginning of people calling people, institutions, companies, & all manner of our lives, out. The matter of bad government gave rise to rating life. in reading the 1996 Radzinsky biography of Stalin, a saying is attributed to President Masaryk of Czechoslovakia. Masaryk stated: "What is happiness? It is the right to go out onto the main square and to shout at the top of your voice,'Lord, what a bad government we have!'" Truer words were never shouted. Some people, such as yourself, who are just doing their jobs & living their lives are going to be rated, be called out, be caught in crossfire. It is the nature of our times that 99% are 100% fed up & no longer being a silent majority. In the meantime if you visit San Francisco, call my Cousin; she drives Taxi there.
2
You ever get the feeling that we are one big whacky science experiment that is about to go horribly wrong
162
Got to love that Sunset Tower. They treat you nicely and you don't have to chat them up. Best solution is to have a nice relative be your driver. Rather my daughter's mini cooper than a cab (always a problem with the credit card machine) or Uber, which requires an expensive digital device and, apparently, tribute.
6
No longer is it only big brother watching - now everybody's watching. And reporting back to the mothership. It's downright creepy. I'll be using taxis and paying in cash. No trail.
94
AMM
Speaking of big brothers, you reminded me of mine who for years told me he was an addled professor, and finally turned into one. Uber is familiar to my ear but never tried, but Ms. Dowd's 'Driving Mad' brought the memory of when my sibling and I were visiting a favorite aunt in the country, who was very ill at the time.
Here I used the limo service that my supervisor supported, and made a cash deal with Georges. Georges was an incessant chatterer, and it was a long long drive, while my Bro as usual was buried in an ancient Egyptian document. He's hard of hearing too unless you tell him you're inviting him for dinner.
As Georges became more vocal with each mile and my spirits drooped, he pointed out Bear Mountain 'where hunters go shooting', causing my sibling called Bear to pop in 'With that's just what we're planning to do with our aunt', having failed to follow the trail of the blazing conversation.
Be as it may, our dying aunt greeted us and sat with Georges in the front seat on the way to lunch, asking him about his life, and stunned, Georges was silent for the remainder of a day in the country, and the better for a fat tip; quiet on our return to the city.
It's alright, and even good to have exchanges with your driver and whether you wish to accept a kiss from them, well that's none of my business, and a good handshake is just fine too.
Speaking of big brothers, you reminded me of mine who for years told me he was an addled professor, and finally turned into one. Uber is familiar to my ear but never tried, but Ms. Dowd's 'Driving Mad' brought the memory of when my sibling and I were visiting a favorite aunt in the country, who was very ill at the time.
Here I used the limo service that my supervisor supported, and made a cash deal with Georges. Georges was an incessant chatterer, and it was a long long drive, while my Bro as usual was buried in an ancient Egyptian document. He's hard of hearing too unless you tell him you're inviting him for dinner.
As Georges became more vocal with each mile and my spirits drooped, he pointed out Bear Mountain 'where hunters go shooting', causing my sibling called Bear to pop in 'With that's just what we're planning to do with our aunt', having failed to follow the trail of the blazing conversation.
Be as it may, our dying aunt greeted us and sat with Georges in the front seat on the way to lunch, asking him about his life, and stunned, Georges was silent for the remainder of a day in the country, and the better for a fat tip; quiet on our return to the city.
It's alright, and even good to have exchanges with your driver and whether you wish to accept a kiss from them, well that's none of my business, and a good handshake is just fine too.
"Five for five" means why bother with a rating system in the first place? One time, I purchased a car and the salesman was very adamant that I grade him with only top grades. And when I didn't, because I didn't think everything was perfect, t received a call from that salesman, berating me. I think I'll stick with taxis over Uber, so I don't have to play games with ratings systems.
21
No no no no
You are misunderstanding something here; this is a new concept introduced by travis cartel; like any new disrupting technology they have new status and new words for instance we are part employees and part independent contractors; we got this flexibility; when travis cartel need us as employees we are employees; when travis cartel need us as independent contractors we are independent contractors
This is anew concept call hybrid contract status intruduced by travis cartel
Lol
You are misunderstanding something here; this is a new concept introduced by travis cartel; like any new disrupting technology they have new status and new words for instance we are part employees and part independent contractors; we got this flexibility; when travis cartel need us as employees we are employees; when travis cartel need us as independent contractors we are independent contractors
This is anew concept call hybrid contract status intruduced by travis cartel
Lol
4
Yeah, Jose, I was in a job like that once--till the IRS got wind that the employer was calling us "independent" so he could cut us out of benefits and renege on paying employment taxes.
Uber and the like are a return to the 19th century tyranny of piecework. The non-union "contractors" incur all of the liability whilst the billionaire owners (a multi billion capitalization with a mere 70 employees) pay no benefits, no health care, no retirement.
405
Next time take a regular taxi.
83
'You'll never guess what happened to me!' shouted a knight on the phone from Washington, whom I once worked for years ago in the corporate world (this is when you are personally wrong for someone else's decisions) and highly recommend that you take a respectful stance of concern. 'The traffic to the airport was horrendous and the chauffeur was slow, so I hopped a cab and the driver got into a fight with another one, and I could have been killed!'.
This is not the time to tell him that your cab was chased the day before by an angry driver on foot in the streets of a New York where he threw a crow-bar at the back window, which he missed by an inch.
Now before you call us dimwits, something good may have come out of this tepid if flamboyant anecdote. It was then that he probably noticed that our mass transportation system needed help and he started taking up the banner for National Infrastructure in the early 90s, not that anyone really cared, but still he made an important contribution to our City in addressing the matter.
Now, back to Ubers and Ms. Dowd's take on these chauffeurs which is being sent to a few contemporary friends who are enjoying the times we live.
This is not the time to tell him that your cab was chased the day before by an angry driver on foot in the streets of a New York where he threw a crow-bar at the back window, which he missed by an inch.
Now before you call us dimwits, something good may have come out of this tepid if flamboyant anecdote. It was then that he probably noticed that our mass transportation system needed help and he started taking up the banner for National Infrastructure in the early 90s, not that anyone really cared, but still he made an important contribution to our City in addressing the matter.
Now, back to Ubers and Ms. Dowd's take on these chauffeurs which is being sent to a few contemporary friends who are enjoying the times we live.
For over a century taxi drivers have been required to pick up anyone. Now, suddenly, Uber, with its convenient contempt for useful regulations, is creating a system where fares can be excluded. For several decades New York City cabbies were condemned for refusing to pick up African Americans. Uber's rating system could open the door for legalized refusal of service and take us back to the bad old days of JIm Crow.
281
Maureen is describing her own trend obsessed world, and her own power up/down orientation, magnified by apps. Dowd is dernier cri. I think I'll just curl up with a good book on some interesting subject.
13
Yes! Bring them on. The new sharing economy. More Jobs! Yes! Who needs Steel and manufacturing when we have Uber and Eaze? And as a bonus, you don't need education at all to enjoy the fruits of this new ushering era. Education problems solved. Now if you'd excuse me I have to answer the door. It must the happy employee from Eaze coming to stock my marijuana supply.
22
So your choice is Uber, Lyft, or thumbing it? What about taxis? They still exist. Yes, they're inconvenient, because how do you know whom to call? You either need to get a number off the side of a cab or call a hotel concierge, google them, or (shudder) look in a phone book if you can find one. I've used Beverly Hills Taxi, and always been perfectly happy with the ride. And they don't rank me. There's even an app, Flywheel, if a thing isn't real for you unless it's on your smartphone.
And they're not PAs moonlighting either. They're actual drivers. Same thing I like about Musso and Frank - the waiters are actual professional waiters.
And they're not PAs moonlighting either. They're actual drivers. Same thing I like about Musso and Frank - the waiters are actual professional waiters.
47
Unless you're kidding (and I believe you are), then it took a lot of courage to confess that your driver rating dropped to 4.2.
A rating below 4.8 means there's a problem and below 4.6 means there's a serious problem. You'll still find drivers who are willing to give you a ride with a 4.2 rating but they'll mostly be rookies who don't know better than to cancel the request. Riders with low ratings have it worst when the drivers are busy and can afford to be choosy.
Tipping works. Saying "5 for 5" does not work. Drivers can wait to rate their riders after they get out of the car and they have the good sense to know that just because someone says she'll give them a 5 doesn't mean that she actually will.
A 3 or below means you'll never see that driver again. The same is true for riders. It might feel good hitting that 1, 2, or 3, but you might regret that decision when you realize that you and the closest drivers have eliminated one another.
Otherwise, what gets riders marked down is when they waste the driver's time or come off as the sort of people likely to give them less than a 5 rating. The same is true of drivers. They get marked down when the waste the rider's time or come off as snarky or judgmental.
A rating below 4.8 means there's a problem and below 4.6 means there's a serious problem. You'll still find drivers who are willing to give you a ride with a 4.2 rating but they'll mostly be rookies who don't know better than to cancel the request. Riders with low ratings have it worst when the drivers are busy and can afford to be choosy.
Tipping works. Saying "5 for 5" does not work. Drivers can wait to rate their riders after they get out of the car and they have the good sense to know that just because someone says she'll give them a 5 doesn't mean that she actually will.
A 3 or below means you'll never see that driver again. The same is true for riders. It might feel good hitting that 1, 2, or 3, but you might regret that decision when you realize that you and the closest drivers have eliminated one another.
Otherwise, what gets riders marked down is when they waste the driver's time or come off as the sort of people likely to give them less than a 5 rating. The same is true of drivers. They get marked down when the waste the rider's time or come off as snarky or judgmental.
15
A rating below 4.6 means there's a serious problem? Really? Talk about grade inflation! Why bother 1, 2, 3 and 4?
How do you find your Uber rating? Do you have to ask a driver?
How do you find your Uber rating? Do you have to ask a driver?
Wouldn't it be funny if Uber scores were really accurate ratings of your human value? It's going to be part of the meta data that we are all assembling, sort of like credit ratings. I hope it isn't allowed as evidence in court.
18
Everything new is better, right? Well I guess you're finding out, not so much. And many of these new companies that promise to do things in new ways are just old ways of doing things with a smartphone in the middle, and an extra few dollars paid for the transaction, as opposed to a valet, a butler, a personal assistant, etc.
And who wants to be rated? Sorry, but I'd rather be told money is king and know how much I'm going to be charged for the service, rather than having a playable rating system. When everyone gets an "A" or "5" it means nothing.
And who wants to be rated? Sorry, but I'd rather be told money is king and know how much I'm going to be charged for the service, rather than having a playable rating system. When everyone gets an "A" or "5" it means nothing.
24
Up the revolution!!
Down with anything related to or depending upon an app.
I am 88 years old, and was very before I ever heard of an app, and certainly before I required one for just about everything.
AND, AND when I was dependent upon Yellow Cab.
Expensive?
Yes?
But like a lover rather than a husband the driver, paid, and thanked, went away and was not heard of again until the next time…
Uber,, much cheaper, always seems to be hanging about at breakfast… as with this column of Ms Dowd's.
Who ever heard of a taxi service demanding and receiving so damn much attention?
And rating the customer, yet?
Off with 'em.
NMB
Down with anything related to or depending upon an app.
I am 88 years old, and was very before I ever heard of an app, and certainly before I required one for just about everything.
AND, AND when I was dependent upon Yellow Cab.
Expensive?
Yes?
But like a lover rather than a husband the driver, paid, and thanked, went away and was not heard of again until the next time…
Uber,, much cheaper, always seems to be hanging about at breakfast… as with this column of Ms Dowd's.
Who ever heard of a taxi service demanding and receiving so damn much attention?
And rating the customer, yet?
Off with 'em.
NMB
68
I'm a New Yorker who stayed in DC during a week in June when Congress was not around. Most of the time, I got around by cab. It was great! I was very impressed with the availability of taxis (so much better than NYC because the taxis there are full).
Forget Uber, at least in DC. When there, I will always use the regular cab services.
Forget Uber, at least in DC. When there, I will always use the regular cab services.
3
I am reminded by the text in Jarred Diamond's last book _The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? _ in which he explains and illustrates by photographs that children in poor nations build their toys from materials "at hand", whereas the parents of children in rich nations purchase toys assembled and functioning from "toy stores". As Diamond correctly stated, in building from materials "at hand" children learn about strength of materials, statics and dynamics, structure and a range of insights about how the world "works". In rich nations the child simply opens that box and, voilà, there it is, the toy, assembled and ready to play with.
This is how the digital economy works. No critical thinking, let alone analysis, simply whip out the smart phone, launch an application, and the world is ready at your command. Of course looking back in time on human evolution, and forward toward the future in plain sight, the digital economy is doing a fine job of making a small percentage of the human population very financially rich, pauperizing the remainder to learn how to do just about anything sans a digital device, and setting the human enterprise for one hummer of a crash.
This is how the digital economy works. No critical thinking, let alone analysis, simply whip out the smart phone, launch an application, and the world is ready at your command. Of course looking back in time on human evolution, and forward toward the future in plain sight, the digital economy is doing a fine job of making a small percentage of the human population very financially rich, pauperizing the remainder to learn how to do just about anything sans a digital device, and setting the human enterprise for one hummer of a crash.
41
I tried to pick up my daughter once, after she met some college friends and didn't want to drive, and just as my daughter was about to open my car door, which I had kept locked until the last second, some other guy grabs the door, opens it up and starts to get into my car, calling me "Omar" -- which is not my name. He thought I was his Uber driver.
Uber is usurping the taxi division of our public transportation system , and short changing the public by stripping away all the intangibles that we don't know we've got until their gone, intangibles like the distinct yellow and black markings that are the universal symbol for taxi. Intangibles like courtesy and cab lines and having the bellman hailing a cab for you with a mere whistle.
All of that and more will be gone, and the multi billion dollar difference will be in the Uber founder's pocket.
Uber is usurping the taxi division of our public transportation system , and short changing the public by stripping away all the intangibles that we don't know we've got until their gone, intangibles like the distinct yellow and black markings that are the universal symbol for taxi. Intangibles like courtesy and cab lines and having the bellman hailing a cab for you with a mere whistle.
All of that and more will be gone, and the multi billion dollar difference will be in the Uber founder's pocket.
253
Instead of the pocket of a Medallion "investor"?
At least robots (driving miss Daisy) will judge you fairly...and may pass the bribing for gaining points on congeniality. If all fails while you update your Facebook, having handy a preprogrammed speech (with pauses) for 'Uber's' touchy pleasing, may just get you the points needed...so you won't get exiled.
1
I drove for Uber for a short time and almost every encounter with a passenger was very pleasant, and I gave them all 5 stars. But I notice that you didn't seem to hear what the driver was telling you: "Be outside waiting, and even looking out for the Uber car you ordered". Uber drivers are coached not to talk to customers unless the customer initiates the conversation, and no driver will give you fewer stars just because you sat quietly in your seat during the ride. But when a person orders an UBER car, especially at a crowded location, and then ignores the car when it arrives, or ignores texts from the driver trying to locate them, this could certainly lead to a lower rating.
163
Umber should Institute a waiting fee so that the driver doesn't lose money by waiting.
'Butled'? Is butled a word? If it's not it should be! This is the most enjoyable, wonderful Dowd column in a very long time. Playful with language, interesting subject (one I know nothing about), great turn of phrase, nobody getting slammed gratuitously, no politics.
Thank you!
Thank you!
15
Coincidentally I too found UBER when visiting LAX a few weeks ago. I was out of my mind with delight! I couldn't believe that someone would drive me in his own car and it would be clean, would cost less and be a happier experience than a taxi. I was instantly hooked. I will work hard at getting a good profile. That's easy to do, be waiting and give a tip. That's not difficult for me to do. I love UBER! What did surprise me was in my fantasy world I thought that the drivers were putting in a few hours every day when in fact, they were all taxi drivers who have switched to driving their own cars.
12
I really wish you hadn’t mentioned Canyon View Drive. I grew up on that street. It’s lightly traveled and it’s barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other. Now all sorts of dopey people will be driving down it just because you mentioned it. Other than that, funny column.
4
this is the key paragraph:
"Except then I learned that sitting in an Uber car was pretty much like sitting in my office: How much have you developed your audience? How much have you been shared? How much have you engaged your reader? Are you trending?"
the New Journalism, i suppose.
the new New York Times, anyway.
"Except then I learned that sitting in an Uber car was pretty much like sitting in my office: How much have you developed your audience? How much have you been shared? How much have you engaged your reader? Are you trending?"
the New Journalism, i suppose.
the new New York Times, anyway.
14
You're right; she wrote a whole article about how the Internet has disrupted travel when it's really about how her whole identify as a journalist has been turned topsy turvy.
Welcome to the 21st century, Maureen. The disruption is a big dragon and will touch every industry.
Welcome to the 21st century, Maureen. The disruption is a big dragon and will touch every industry.
2
We note the passengers who are habitually late, who like to be early, and other matters of interest. It's printed on the day's itinerary along with other notes like "Don't send this driver or that driver, prefers so and so." This is just an extension.
2
Hah! This is a great commentary about the world's largest cab company while Uber owns no cabs. As your colleague Tom Friedman pointed out:
" Uber, the world's largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world's most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory. Air BNB, the world's largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate."
It's a changing economy, Maureen. Now you should test the other three companies and strive to do the tremendous commentary you did today with Uber. It's something to think about.
" Uber, the world's largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world's most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory. Air BNB, the world's largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate."
It's a changing economy, Maureen. Now you should test the other three companies and strive to do the tremendous commentary you did today with Uber. It's something to think about.
31
JT, I think you're suggesting that "empty" wins in the new economy!
3
True enough regarding the companies that don't do anything but hook people up. They're like the old tutoring companies that charged parents thirty bucks an hour, paid tutors ten, and pocketed the rest. So the parents paid more than they could have, the tutors made a lot less than they could have, and the company that had nothing to do with tutoring, really, made out like a bandit. Most down here have folded now, though, as tutors and parents learned to make direct deals one way and another, and the sit-on-your-butt-and-grow-rich hookers-up had to move on to another "business".
1
Friedman was quoting Tom Goodwin of Havas Media:
http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/03/in-the-age-of-disintermediation-the-bat...
http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/03/in-the-age-of-disintermediation-the-bat...
Uber is ridiculous and deceitful. Also a fad. I have never used them, nor will I, particularly of the way they have treated San Franciscans.
52
I agree that it is ridiculous and deceitful but how have they "treated San Franciscans"?
This IS what progress looks like. Fewer drunk driving accidents. Many fewer. Less need for one person, one car. and a price that makes the whole thing affordable, with a driver whom one can rate as easily as the driver rates us. No muss, no fuss, and it's all done by Smartphone.
I prefer Lyft. Drivers are nicer, I've found. As for those fist-bumps, it was a nice way to start a corporate identity, but I haven't been offered one by a driver in forever. I think Lyft has evolved past it. Which is a good thing.
I prefer Lyft. Drivers are nicer, I've found. As for those fist-bumps, it was a nice way to start a corporate identity, but I haven't been offered one by a driver in forever. I think Lyft has evolved past it. Which is a good thing.
14
The only reason these days why I would even bother going to LA apart from a work-related requirement would be to “brave the L.A. freeway behind the wheel”. If you can still survive eighty-miles-an-hour-bumper-to-bumper, you remain young enough to be relevant. It’s like driving in London, for an American: what is life worth if you can’t give a Brit a stroke?
Maureen Dowd giving some cab driver fist-bumps in the front seat. Now you see what you get for going to L.A. without me.
I have this image of some morbidly obese person, muscles withered and useless, laying in a filled tub to buoy up all the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, but with a smartphone with every convenience app on it, ringing for every service from thrice-daily triple-rations of rare entrecôte steaks to nurses to turn the body frequently to spare the skin from perpetual water-wrinkling. Oh, and to cleanse the water of steak-remnants and other solids.
Is this the fate of humanity outside of Iran and Nigeria? Maybe North Korea?
Remember Frank Herbert’s vision of a fighting force made invincible by how severe the conditions for survival were on its planet? Then, remember that morbidly obese person and that bathtub, surrounded by servitors and bobbing steak-remnants.
Instead of yelling “five-for-five!”, yell “get behind me, Satan!”
Maureen Dowd giving some cab driver fist-bumps in the front seat. Now you see what you get for going to L.A. without me.
I have this image of some morbidly obese person, muscles withered and useless, laying in a filled tub to buoy up all the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, but with a smartphone with every convenience app on it, ringing for every service from thrice-daily triple-rations of rare entrecôte steaks to nurses to turn the body frequently to spare the skin from perpetual water-wrinkling. Oh, and to cleanse the water of steak-remnants and other solids.
Is this the fate of humanity outside of Iran and Nigeria? Maybe North Korea?
Remember Frank Herbert’s vision of a fighting force made invincible by how severe the conditions for survival were on its planet? Then, remember that morbidly obese person and that bathtub, surrounded by servitors and bobbing steak-remnants.
Instead of yelling “five-for-five!”, yell “get behind me, Satan!”
9
The Silicon Valley folks are ruining American culture. For 35 years, we have been dancing to their tune like drunken sailors in front of a jukebox. Remember how badly Windows software sucked back in the early 1990s? How crummy Internet search was in 1995?
Now, most of that stuff has been fixed by all the boy geniuses in the Gen X crowd. Microsoft is much better. Google is a search genius, and Facebook... well, some stuff still sucks. Then there's Uber, Airbnb, and other, me-too, concierge services which will do your dirty work for you, including have sex with your partner when you are out of town. But, a 50 billion dollar Uber valuation for a small piece of mobile phone software, er, excuse, me, an "app"? 50 billion for almost no bricks and mortar, real-world STUFF. Please. That's a bubble.
Recently I was dining alfresco at one of my favorite local restaurants (it has the golden arches) because they had the A/C turned up to meat-locker strength. I was looking out onto 501, one of the busiest streets in this small town, watching the rare bumper-to-bumper traffic. I started thinking about self-driving cars. I realized they were never going to come here. Maybe, by 2030, a few people would own them, but most won't want them. It made me realize what a bust much of this whiz-bang tech is for ordinary folks, the ones who don't live in NYC, LA, DC, or San Francisco. But, you know what? We aren't the ones being taken for a ride by Silicon Valley types. It is everybody else.
61
Earth to Maureen,come in please.Hillary's a journalistic hermit,refuses to say anything meaningful.Jeb's just been one upped by Megan Kelly.Obama told the Coast Guard graduates the climate is causing terrorism.And Maureen is pondering the Uber issue.Mon Dieu!
4
In uber car.
1- don't be obnoxious, more females than males are.
2- don't eat in the car.
3- be ready don't say I'll be right down and waste the driver's time by taking too long
(3 minutes long enough .
4) please please, don't be a door slammer, respect the drivers property, after all he's giving you a ride.
5) don't huff and puff when the driver hits traffic (out of his control ).
6)Don't ask for u-turns, don't ask to speed it up.
7) tips are not included in the fare, don't be cheap, tipping for sure will keep your rating up.
8) running late! Leave early.
We drive safely to keep you safe
Mysterious uber driver.
;)
1- don't be obnoxious, more females than males are.
2- don't eat in the car.
3- be ready don't say I'll be right down and waste the driver's time by taking too long
(3 minutes long enough .
4) please please, don't be a door slammer, respect the drivers property, after all he's giving you a ride.
5) don't huff and puff when the driver hits traffic (out of his control ).
6)Don't ask for u-turns, don't ask to speed it up.
7) tips are not included in the fare, don't be cheap, tipping for sure will keep your rating up.
8) running late! Leave early.
We drive safely to keep you safe
Mysterious uber driver.
;)
33
Lots of demands. Hope passengers make some of you.
Glad not to be part of any of this.
Glad not to be part of any of this.
12
Until reading this I never even knew I had an Uber rating as a passenger. Fortunately, I just found out I had a 5!
3
There may be a problem with the Uber model.
The standard auto liability policy denies coverage for a vehicle "used as a livery or a public conveyance." That sounds like Uber to me.
I am waiting for an Uber driver to run a red light and kill a busload of nuns.
Who will pay?
The standard auto liability policy denies coverage for a vehicle "used as a livery or a public conveyance." That sounds like Uber to me.
I am waiting for an Uber driver to run a red light and kill a busload of nuns.
Who will pay?
101
Their multibillion execs surely won't Liability is for the little people.
3
Just to be clear, I recommended the comment, not the demise of the busload of nuns.
2
I have tremendously mixed feelings about Uber. The app is genius and it's tremendously convenient, especially when you're in a rush. But the two-tiered regulatory system vis a vis taxis sticks in my craw (Uber, no matter what it maintains, is operating a livery service and should be regulated as such), and it grates that Uber's cars lack sufficient insurance and that its drivers are exploited with respect to wages.
I will use Uber only if *no* cab is available in a reasonable time frame-- which happily doesn't usually happen. For those very few occasions, it's good to know about "five for five". By the way, Maureen, 4.2 doesn't sound that bad to me, but obviously I'm a novice.
I will use Uber only if *no* cab is available in a reasonable time frame-- which happily doesn't usually happen. For those very few occasions, it's good to know about "five for five". By the way, Maureen, 4.2 doesn't sound that bad to me, but obviously I'm a novice.
106
The way to get around LA, is ride a motorcycle.
But if you have to use a car, you need to know your routs. The freeways are not always the best way to get somewhere, depending on the time of day.
I drove many a mile in LA and the South Bay, for several years. Rode a KW 1000 a lot of them. Serviced machinery from Orange County to Ventura. Also found the best burritos, chili rellenos, and mojo de aho.
But if you have to use a car, you need to know your routs. The freeways are not always the best way to get somewhere, depending on the time of day.
I drove many a mile in LA and the South Bay, for several years. Rode a KW 1000 a lot of them. Serviced machinery from Orange County to Ventura. Also found the best burritos, chili rellenos, and mojo de aho.
3
Next time call a taxi. Their drivers are properly trained, their cars are properly maintained, and they properly pay municipal licensing and usage fees.
493
@ Bill Appledorf: Cab drivers are frequently not "properly trained" (many have difficulty understanding English) and taxi cabs are frequently not "properly maintained" (many taxi cabs smell very bad or reek of cheap car deodorizer) and they frequently provide poor service to riders, which is exactly why so many people prefer taking Uber over taxi cabs.
4
You're talking Vancouver, my friend, not LA. Uber is much better here, and, if you guys were fair about it up there, you'd allow Uber into your city so there'd be real competition.
I've tried getting a cab on Saturday night at midnight from Vancouver to Barnaby. Next to impossible.
I've tried getting a cab on Saturday night at midnight from Vancouver to Barnaby. Next to impossible.
1
I don't know if there will be a next time for Uber. This piece struck me as quite a putdown.
3
Isn't it odd that suddenly customers are rated not on their credit score or credit card limit, but on the way they treat the hired help ?
Instead of genuflecting to platinum or black cards, the service industry has created a system of profiling the way customers/guests interact with the help.
While understanding the mis-givings this creates, we should have seen it coming, and therefore won't be surprised to find out someday that merchants are using software that interacts with our Smart-phones to tell the merchant not only what we're likely to buy whilst in their establishment, but also assign a rating to us based on past interactions their personnel have had with us.
When you think about it, why wouldn't they ?
Instead of genuflecting to platinum or black cards, the service industry has created a system of profiling the way customers/guests interact with the help.
While understanding the mis-givings this creates, we should have seen it coming, and therefore won't be surprised to find out someday that merchants are using software that interacts with our Smart-phones to tell the merchant not only what we're likely to buy whilst in their establishment, but also assign a rating to us based on past interactions their personnel have had with us.
When you think about it, why wouldn't they ?
86
"Isn't it odd that suddenly customers are rated not on their credit score or credit card limit, but on the way they treat the hired help ? "
i had a fellow contractor buddy that would ask new clients for the names and phone numbers of their last three contractors, whether, general or specialty. saved him a lot of grief. this two way rating is the one thing about the brave new economy i like.
i had a fellow contractor buddy that would ask new clients for the names and phone numbers of their last three contractors, whether, general or specialty. saved him a lot of grief. this two way rating is the one thing about the brave new economy i like.
1
You can live a life that's drab
And try to hail a cab
Particularly when a play is through,
But when you've hailed and hailed
And miserably failed
It might be that an Uber's right for you.
Oh it's hail, hail, hail,
The lack of success can turn one's cheeks pale,
Since Ms Dowd's Uber-low-rated
For just one Uber was fated,
And she might be better off traveling by rail.
And try to hail a cab
Particularly when a play is through,
But when you've hailed and hailed
And miserably failed
It might be that an Uber's right for you.
Oh it's hail, hail, hail,
The lack of success can turn one's cheeks pale,
Since Ms Dowd's Uber-low-rated
For just one Uber was fated,
And she might be better off traveling by rail.
97
I see "lucrative" potential in this type of system for the upcoming Republican debate field yet to be winnowed: many likes in return for for pandering to certain groups, 5 for 5 to big donors for what is on their list, for others of us a thumbs up to a candidate when he/she shuts up and sits down...
Of course, a lot of this is in play now,
but this could up the uber political stakes for the Oval Office.
Of course, a lot of this is in play now,
but this could up the uber political stakes for the Oval Office.
19
After reading this, I'd rather just stick my thumb out. The worst thing that could happen would be that nobody would pick me up and I'd have to walk. At least no one would rate me, though. It's beginning to seem as if the whole world has a right to know what I think, feel, and, especially, buy.
Can you buy a false identity on the Internet?
Can you buy a false identity on the Internet?
242
You certainly can, though the false ID guys probably rate you on how likely you are to turn state's evidence....
4
Wear a low cut dress. Spend more time at the gym. Get your priorities straight.
59
So this is what progress looks like? We introduce the popularity contest into transactions that formerly were impersonal in exchange for convenience?
But at least, after reading this column, I understand better why the service contractor who recently installed a major appliance for me felt comfortable asking me to give him 10s on the survey he said the appliance vendor would be sending me by email. He actually gave great service, but I was surprised that he would discuss with me so frankly how I would complete the survey (which still hasn't turned up in my inbox).
The "five for five" etiquette to me is an example of how gaming the system is normalized under cover of being "in the know." Feeling obliged to actually charm the drivers seemed to me a much more innocent response, and interesting, in light of the passenger's exposure to the ways of Washington. I guess the columnist would be one who would actually take to the floor to filibuster.
But at least, after reading this column, I understand better why the service contractor who recently installed a major appliance for me felt comfortable asking me to give him 10s on the survey he said the appliance vendor would be sending me by email. He actually gave great service, but I was surprised that he would discuss with me so frankly how I would complete the survey (which still hasn't turned up in my inbox).
The "five for five" etiquette to me is an example of how gaming the system is normalized under cover of being "in the know." Feeling obliged to actually charm the drivers seemed to me a much more innocent response, and interesting, in light of the passenger's exposure to the ways of Washington. I guess the columnist would be one who would actually take to the floor to filibuster.
116
I also understand why three people at the dealer where I bought my car talked about how important my rating was on their email survey.
4
This extends to hospitals, too. Recently, upon finishing up a 3 day hospital stay, both a nurse and the person wheeling me to the exit reminded me to give them good reviews when I get the inevitable survey in the mail.
6
The person at a B&B where I stayed at a few months ago recommended that I rate his business on Trip Advisor. I told him that I don't usually write comments there; I write comments on the NY Times!
I did go ahead and recommend it but didn't do it right away.
I did go ahead and recommend it but didn't do it right away.
1
You got "acid flashbacks?" I'm assuming figuratively.
I'll give you 4 stars on this because you don't mention "Barry" or "Hillary."
I'll give you 4 stars on this because you don't mention "Barry" or "Hillary."
369
Really good one! I give you 5 stars on this!
62
Point taken!
I look forward to the day courts rule on whether Uber drivers are in fact independent contractors and not employees. When the courts determine they are in fact employees, there goes a huge chunk of Uber's profits as it will have to pay 1/2 of the employee social security/medicare tax, unemployment tax, workers compensation, possibly benefits, reimbursement for auto expenses and actually follow state/federal wage and hour laws.
Anyone understanding independent contractor law would never advise Uber it can exercise so much control over its drivers and still get away with calling them independent contractors. But that is how Uber makes money and gets the astronomical Wall Street valuation.
Anyone understanding independent contractor law would never advise Uber it can exercise so much control over its drivers and still get away with calling them independent contractors. But that is how Uber makes money and gets the astronomical Wall Street valuation.
490
Bravo-- hope you are correct!
7
Agreed. Here's another thought: why doesn't Starbucks or McDonald's implement an app, too? They can call it Uber-barista or Uber-flipper, and each shop or restaurant can "hail" an employee for a shift of indeterminate length whenever they feel like it. A body-sharing economy.
This employee then responds to the hail, and he starts his or her shift immediately. Hey, they get to "choose"! Same as Uber. And these companies can now call them indentured... er, independent contractors. No benefits, no rights, nothing. Just screw them straight into dirt.
This is the dystopia that Uber is peddling for a $50 billion valuation. Somehow the worst of Wall Street seem to have transfigured themselves into tech bros in Silicon Valley.
This employee then responds to the hail, and he starts his or her shift immediately. Hey, they get to "choose"! Same as Uber. And these companies can now call them indentured... er, independent contractors. No benefits, no rights, nothing. Just screw them straight into dirt.
This is the dystopia that Uber is peddling for a $50 billion valuation. Somehow the worst of Wall Street seem to have transfigured themselves into tech bros in Silicon Valley.
36
I doubt the Uber execs and investors are worried. Sooner rather than later, self-driving cars will eliminate the drivers and Uber will make that much more money.
1