Re-Uber
My inbox is blowing up with testimonials. I’m getting more feedback than I do about any record ever. Isn’t it interesting that Jay-Z and Kanye’s productions are push and Uber is pull and the end result is everybody’s talking about Uber and the only ones going on about Jay-Z and Kanye are the talking down from above straight media, who buy into the hype and fan the flames of non-stories, or those most people don’t care about.
What Uber has done is create a great service that people want to testify about. It’s no different from a band, it’s just that Uber is disruptive and solves a problem and therefore people spread the word. We’ve got tons of problems in music too, but the solutions are just not innovative enough. Algorithms can’t fix everything.
Kind of like today’s homepage suggestions on Spotify:
“People who listen to The Doobie Brothers are also listening to Tears For Fears.”
Isn’t this almost like saying some people are bisexual so we’re gonna show you some same sex options just in case? (Actually, that seems much more insightful and helpful than these ridiculous music recommendations!)
And then there’s:
“You listened to Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. Here’s a song you might like: “Here I Am,” by Steve Earle.”
Isn’t that like taking your longhaired buddy to the country bar?
“You listened to The Doobie Brothers. You might like this song: “Voodoo Child (Slight Return), by Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble.”
HUH? Isn’t that like saying if you like the Monkees you’ll love Jimi Hendrix?
And:
“Since you listened to Traffic, you might like this new release by Graham Parker…”
One can argue strongly that Graham Parker was a REACTION to Traffic.
And that’s what we’ve got in music. Techies inured to VC’s and money, clueless about our business. Meanwhile, our audience is inured to the great non-music apps the tech industry does come up with.
And I’m stuck in the middle with you.
Here are a few interesting Uber e-mails…
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My father drives under the Uber banner in NYC and absolutely loves being a part of their machine. ╩ Truly a Godsend for him.
Joshua Freni
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Just came back from LA where I blew off the rental car and all the valet
parking charges that you get at the hotel and everywhere you go and just
used Uber. Saved time and money!Tag Gross
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It’s hit verb status in Atlanta.╩
Michael Weeman
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I got introduced to Uber on a recent trip to LA (my previous home). The LA screenings were on and my normal car rental company was empty of vehicles so Uber it was.
So here’s one story from a trip from the Valley to Santa Monica ($80 in a black Escalade). The driver was ╩made redundant from a programming job six months previously. He used his $30k redundancy money to buy the car we were riding in. In six months he’s built a fleet of 8 cars (all cash purchases), each grossing $12k a month. Each car is running 16 hours a day using 2 drivers on $12 per hour. So even after Uber’s 20% slice and gas etc. he’s still clearing great money, so great that Uber won’t take on any more drivers! OK, LA is huge, taxis are crap (and expensive), and labour (largely illegal) is cheap. But what a phenomenon! I just used the service London (where I now live) and in Berlin. Pretty excellent. Good ideas go global in a flash.
Apply to empty recording studios?
Gavin Aldred
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Recently had an Uber driver that missed turning down the right street; I joked about giving him a bad rating; he joked back that he might give me one too; ╩I asked what he meant, and he explained how each customer is rated so Uber drivers know the customers – good and bad….
Jamie Cheek
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Gary Slaight:
Funny. I was wondering what the charges on my daughters visa were for
Sent from my BlackBerry
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Surely you’ve been swept up in a deluge of email from folks telling you about the cease and desist:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57591024-93/uber-lyft-sidecar-get-cease-and-desist-letters-from-la/
I needed to take a cab for a 3 mile trip to a friend’s wedding downtown. I called the cab co (stupidly trying to save a couple shekels) and when they hadn’t arrived in 20 minutes, I called again only to hear the dispatch tell me that no cabs had picked up the call, and she didn’t know when they would. This was making me late for a WEDDING, so I got an Uber that showed up in 6 minutes, and of course I could track it the whole way over, which soothed my anxiety about being late.╩
I hadn’t considered the dent in drunk driving that these apps can make. I watched a drunk driver spin out on the 10 east at about 10:30 pm last night and narrowly avoided them. I have no idea how it ended, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t get at least one other car before slamming into the median…╩
You are right, cabs in LA are deplorable. And the immigrant cabbies that are worth their salt are moving to Uber / Lyft et al and making more money. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising to see this “disruption” halted by a monolith like the LADOT, but the savvy Uber , Lyft and Sidecar crowd won’t stand for it. To your point, it’s probably even saving lives for crissakes.
Denton Biety
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In Boston Uber is the best thing to ever happen to transportation.╩ Public transportation (MBTA) shuts down early (12:30 a.m.), and Uber is the easiest way to get home. I know there have been some lawsuits from the Boston/Cambridge cab companies (monopolies?), but I don’t know (or care) about the details. All I know is that Uber always shows up on time, the driver doesn’t smell bad, the driver wears a seat belt and doesn’t talk on the phone the entire time, the driver doesn’t hit on you, the driver never says “cash only,” and the Uber driver never gets lost. When I have an early morning flight, Uber is the only way I will go to the airport. Uber rules!
Amy Holdorf
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LOVE Uber! I got introduced to it through Soho House Toronto where I’m a member. And now I use it all the time. You choose your car, and then you get the cab driver’s name, and picture and can see how many minutes before he gets to you and it’s like watching a video game on your phone seeing the cab approach (fun) and then you get a text when he arrives. Also love not having to fumble for cash at your destination and knowing that the tip is taken care of as well!
Jim Gelcer
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THIS:
“…without stains on the back seat and a defiant driver”
In addition to all of the obvious technical advantages and convenience Uber provides, the dozen different drivers I have used have ALL been courteous, polite to a fault, and every single one has driven safely, without distraction. ╩I’ve never given a rating lower than five stars, and never had reason to.
Cabs in LA? From LAX anyway: 85 miles an hour (minimum), and ten or fifteen feet back from the other Cab they’re chasing in the car-pool lane. ╩Rude and INSTANTLY ANGRY no matter how gently you try to suggest that you’re not in that big a hurry. ╩No amount or kind of cajolery works. ╩You get glowered at in the rear-view and fear that if the ride doesn’t kill you, the diver will do it with his bare hands. ╩Last, but not least: the nauseating roller coaster intensity in heavy traffic, the air conditioning’s a rumor, the funk, the heat, the f****d up seats — ╩literally, hell on wheels.╩
Guess which service I use and evangelize and CAN’T WAIT until it gets to my hometown??
Thanks for speaking the truth Bob!
Steve Lindstrom
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uber comes to my house in the hollywood heights in under 5 minutes within ‘hailing’ it via the iphone app, every time. i have never had a grumpy driver, and i have never had a bad uber experience in general. for people who are able to afford it, it’s by far the best driver service in the marketplace. ╩
Michael Pukownik
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I use Uber all the time. ╩Love it. ╩And now I know people who are driving for UberX (personal car, not black car) and making serious cash on their spare time. ╩It’s a great service, and I hope that LA does not shut it down. ╩Did you see that the city sent them a cease and desist letter? ╩(http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57591024-93/uber-lyft-sidecar-get-cease-and-desist-letters-from-la/)
There is currently a petition going against this: ╩https://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-los-angeles-repeal-the-cease-and-desist-order-on-uber-lyft-and-sidecar
Thanks for posting, great back story on Travis, I had no idea…
Chris Scott
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Uber rules…╩My travel agent turned me onto it… Solves a million problems for me, and I have not had a bad experience yet. ╩Also makes my Artists more independent, even some of my older ones who are not super APP or Tech savvy… They can get a black car on their own when they are actually ready…╩No More paying Music Express a 2 Hour minimum, plus wait time as a scheduled challenged artist decides when they actually want to leave. ╩
Uber has pulled me out tof the fire in many cities… ╩Can’t get a cab company to pay attention… ╩No Problem! – Fire up the App and a car is at your door in no time flat…
I Love it, and preach Uber to all I know… ╩And I am way to old and jaded to be considered anything close to a hipster…╩╩
Eric Frankhouser
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You’re right on. I share a coworking space w Uber (coloft in Santa Monica – another disruptive business). They are right on. The app is great, they come quickly, cars are clean, your driver texts you, and they are cheaper than cabs.
Oh: and no cash. Tip included. No cash. Ever.
They recently launched UberX (nonblack cars fir regular people) which sends you a Prius. 30% less than a cab to LAX. Price goes up in crowded times, which is a brilliant way to optimize price.
LA sent them a cease and desist last week which they ignored. They agreed to have all their drivers be licensed with the taxi syndicate and they just kept driving.
Go Uber.
ewchaikin
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We moved back to Chicago after 20 years in car-centric Nashville. Followed my husband in the U-Haul to carMax, sold my 11-year-old Camry on the spot, hopped in the truck and never looked back.
We’re ZipCar and Uber users when public trans doesn’t work for times/destinations. But the only times we’ve called on Uber, no cars were available. Yes, we’ve received discount coupons, but we’d much rather pay full fare for a ride – which we usually need in the rain or snow.
We keep trying, though.
Sarah
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YES YES YES!
It not only reduces the number of drunk drivers, it also reduces traffic, parking congestion and actually is the reason I decide to go out many nights. I end up spending money on shows and at restaurants and bars that I would not have if I had to drive (because I wouldn’t have gone out that night). You’re Welcome Los Angeles! Take a cab in LA? HUH? The city should subsidize the service! It makes living in LA better. I look forward to using the app because it’s COOL. You see the little black cars circling your neighborhhood on the map.╩The interface is smart.
Not to mention Uber X. Way cheaper and you get picked up in a brand clean Prius V. At least that’s what I’ve gotten every time. I had a great conversation with my intelligent driver (as you mentioned, they’re not like cab drivers) while getting a ride to Bjork at the Bowl. We were discussing the backlash from the cab union and TLC (before the city issued the Cease and Desist letter to Uber/Lyft, etc.) He was describing how the idea for company came to be, apparently a group of tech guys sitting in a bar in Switzerland… “Hey let’s buy a dozen Town Cars and use them amongst our friends like a private cab company.” My driver said “Uber not a transportation company, it’s a TECHNOLOGY company. It simply connects the consumer with existing drivers.”
I only hope that Uber and Lyft force the archaic cab model to be reconfigured, but we know how that’s going to go…
The people that started Uber deserve to get as rich as possible.
Ally Fell
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By the way, I’m 21 and I╩get called a “f****n hipster” at least a few times a year. All my ” f****n hipster” friends use Uber in Seattle. We don’t have cars and most of the╩buses don’t run after 2am when the bars close. The normal taxis suck. Uber is big with people my age.
Simon Thwaits
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If it hasn’t gotten to LA yet, just wait until you get UberX! Cheaper than a cab, clean like a black car, and most (if not all) are hybrid or electric. Perfect for us idiot tree-huggers! There’s even a Tesla here in Chicago somewhere that’s on UberX, though I can’t for the life of me seem to get lucky enough to ride in it.
http://blog.uber.com/2013/06/26/introducing-uberx-better-than-a-taxi-for-the-same-price/
They should pay me for how much I pimp them to other people. Even though my cynical ass knows how much I’m playing right into their hand, doing their work for them, I don’t care. It’s great, and I want to be the one that tells my friends about it.╩
PJ
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My wife and I use Taxi Magic as well. It only uses Yellow Cab in LA but we have been very happy with the service and you can pay ahead of time using the app so you don’t have to bother with that inevitable glare when you try to pay for your cab with a credit card since no one carries cash.
David Wilkins
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Don’t forget Lyft!╩
I produce and engineer records in San Francisco and half my clients drive for Lyft. They work only hours a week, have time for writing songs and rehearsing, and now they have money to make records (and pay me!) They – and I – also meet other musicians during Lyft rides. Since so many musicians are drivers, it can be a great networking experience.
Cabbies are pissed, and the City is a little freaky about it, but hey – that’s what it feels like to get caught flat footed.
Andy Freeman
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Just got out at LAX and used UBER yet again. The best. Often when I order just the car, they send an SUV in its place. Nice upgrade.
Regular Cab: Venice Beach to LAX is $30
Uber: Venice Beach to LAX is $35
Worth it every time.
Mark Dinerstein
Knitting Factory Presents___________________________________________
Life in LA and San Francisco has never been better with Uber!╩
I travel to SF for work a few times a year, cabs are the worst there. As soon as my plane lands I open the app and grab a driver. Just the simple fact that there is no exchange of money makes the service superior.╩
Waiting for uber chopper to roll out in LA and I’ll forever be a changed woman.
Did you see they did a special in NY for guests traveling to the Hampton’s during the July 4th holiday?╩
Sasha Gross
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Bob…I have been traveling the west coast this week for mozcon (SEO/Inbound Marketing conference in Seattle) and Inman Connect (real estate tech conference) and have used Uber no less than 5 times for all of my travel. I was just saying to several folks today that it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Could not agree more with your views!
Rivers Pearce
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I used Uber a few months back in SF. ╩Walked out of my meeting to a waiting white Mercedes with a driver who greeted me by name. ╩Cost was a few bucks more than my earlier ride from the airport in a smelly yellow cab. ╩Genius.
Niels Schroeter
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I love Uber.
The other thing that is so great is NO HAGGLING over credit cards. Uber’s removed the payment friction completely – you don’t have to argue, you don’t have to worry about leaving the tip, the receipt is compiled and automatically emailed to you.
That’s a big reason why I prefer Uber over using a cab. And I’m in San Francisco, where cabs aren’t difficult to hail.
Brent Dady
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For us “hipsters” or “twenty somethings” (especially female ones) Uber is the only way to go, especially when going to an after show or party that doesn’t end til 4AM! Safe, convenient & quick with no cash necessary!
Last summer a coworker and I chuckled when we saw Ryan Schreiber (Pitchfork Media) get into one in Chicago’s Wicker Park. The guy who started what used to be thought of as the ultra-hip, indie, PBR drinking crowd’s underground music blog & festival, getting into a black car, like some politician, instead of hopping on his fixed gear bike to get to Union Park to see Vampire Weekend, A$AP Rocky & Dirty Projectors?! But that’s the thing: Uber is for EVERYONE! Even my parents use it!
I believe the pedi-cabs now have apps in Austin for ACL & SXSW.
Have you checked out Appluaze yet? It’s an iPhone app (Android next year) and Applauze is to event discovery and ticketing what Uber is to car service.
My boyfriend and I did an experiment the night before the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club show at the Wiltern:
I tried to buy tickets on my phone via LiveNation and he used the Applauze app. He had tickets purchased before the crappy LiveNation mobile interface had even found me seats. Sure we paid a little more, but we had the tickets quick & stress free. We printed them at home (though soon they’ll be right on your smartphone)! No need to enter credit card info either because it’s saved like Uber.
They even have free events listed too, so it’s not just for scenesters with cash & corporate big whigs looking to entertain clients. Check it out. I think you’ll have many a things to say about it; if not now, maybe in a year and a half… 😉
Elise McRoberts
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Took Uber to LAX this morning. I was amazed at what a great experience it was. The car arrived in 4 minutes! Drove us from the heart of Hollywood right to the Delta terminal in under 30 min. in morning traffic. The driver even gave us a code to use to get a first-time rider discount. The cost was only $39 (down from what would have been $69). I would have paid full price anyway. That was the best public transportation experience of my life.
Mark Nubar
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As a long time reader, first time writer… I’ve always agreed or at least supported the plugs you’ve given other brands or artists because in often cases they are spot on or at least worth checking out.
I’ve gotta speak up about Uber … At least it’s Toronto operations.
This week your neighbours up north in the city of Toronto, Canada experienced some of the heaviest severe storm weather we have seen in years. Metropolitan power outages. Flooding. Damage. Electrical fires. Commuters stranded for hours on trains. You name it. We saw it.
åber posted a notice that it was hiking up its prices…due to the supply and demand of cars to help get people home safely. In their world, it was a way to incentivize drivers to get on the roads as they would make a bigger fare… But from a publicity, social media, and customer service standpoint this was completely the wrong way to go about it.
While big name hotel brands like the Sheraton and Trump Tower (right?!) were offering DISCOUNTED rates for the night to aid as many people stay safe while they were trapped in the city…. åber segregated the rich from the modest and hiked up its fares instead of giving back to a city that has embraced the service by gladly forking over cash via its app time and time again.
åber missed the point. Could it not absorb some of that markup as a company so that it would not affect the end user? Why not take an all hands on deck approach to help one another?
Do they not have families and friends and sons and daughters that were probably also caught in the danger of such severe weather?
Meanwhile, the Good Samaritan was its competition, Hailo. Which was at least empathetic to its clients and following up via twitter on their safety, or apologizing for delays or availability of drivers. All at the same price. They showed at least a general concern for the city they serve. That went a LONG way on a night like that.
You can google all this for verification, as blogs surrounding Uber Toronto’s approach keep popping up.
Dez D. (and many others)
Some links:
http://www.blogto.com/city/2013/07/uber_feels_the_heat_after_jacking_up_prices_during_storm/
http://gigaom.com/2013/07/09/a-tip-for-uber-sometimes-the-best-pr-strategy-is-to-do-something-that-isnt-rational/
