Slashdot Asks: Your Favorite Ride-Sharing App? 144
There are many ride-sharing applications on the market but only two get all the media attention: Uber and Lyft. As many of you know, Uber has had a tumultuous year marked by a high-stakes legal fight with Alphabet over Google self-driving car trade secrets, a investigation by the U.S. government into the company's use of a software tool that helped its drivers avoid detection in parts of the country where the service wasn't allowed to operate in, and a sexual harassment investigation that resulted in 20 employees being fired. Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick resigned due to many of these scandals and investor pressure. Despite all of this, Uber continues to do well. Last week, the company announced it hit 5 billion rides across 6 continents, 76 countries, and 450+ cities.
Meanwhile, Lyft, which is only available in the U.S., just announced it hit one million rides a day. The company also says it's seen 48 consecutive months of ride growth and is on track to hit an annualized ride rate of 350 million. Our question to you is this: what ride-sharing app is your favorite? Have you found yourself gravitating more towards Lyft due to Uber's messes, or does that not matter much to you? Bonus: do you have a favorite ride-sharing app that's not Lyft or Uber?
Meanwhile, Lyft, which is only available in the U.S., just announced it hit one million rides a day. The company also says it's seen 48 consecutive months of ride growth and is on track to hit an annualized ride rate of 350 million. Our question to you is this: what ride-sharing app is your favorite? Have you found yourself gravitating more towards Lyft due to Uber's messes, or does that not matter much to you? Bonus: do you have a favorite ride-sharing app that's not Lyft or Uber?
ride-sharing? (Score:5, Insightful)
Uber? Lyft? Get real. That's not 'ride sharing'.
Those are just taxi apps.
You summon a car with a driver to your location, they pick you up and take you where you want to go, and you pay them. How is that anything but a taxi service?
An apps to setup and coordinate carpools... now THAT would be a ride sharing app.
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It would certainly be interesting. I know in my university days we just used the student community center bulletin board. (Yeah, pre-Internet days unless you were in a CS course)
You'd need some kind of verification system (to limit the various risks). I think at a minimum you'd have to sign up with a credit card (good way to receive payment if you're a driver and make payment if you're a passenger), agree to a criminal background check prior to first use of the system, and vehicle history check for the pl
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Uber does have a ride sharing option. I've never used it, but it's there.
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Meanwhile, Lyft, which is only available in the U.S.,
I use Krzykstn for my ride-sharing service, but its only available in Upper Slobovia where I live. If you're nice, you get to be the one to hold the reins. If you're less nice, you get the bucket and shovel to collect the.. uhh... byproducts.
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How is that different from a taxi service?
You mean the cab company I actually have to call to talk to a human being that doesn't know when the cab will arrive, or if it will arrive at all?
The same taxi service that has a "broken credit card machine" and only accepts cash... and hopefully has enough cash to give you your change, instead of expecting it all to be their "tip"?
The same cab service that doesn't give you a proper receipt for reimbursement?
The same cab service that takes some obscure routes to bil
Re:ride-sharing? (Score:4, Insightful)
You mean the cab company I actually have to call to talk to a human being that doesn't know when the cab will arrive, or if it will arrive at all?
Actually the local cab companies all have apps now, automatic dispatch systems, sms notifcations when your cab is close etc. Oooo.... does that make it a ride sharing company?
The innovation in ride sharing apps is not in the app itself
Again. That's innovation in taxi dispatch. Nothing to do with ride sharing.
but in the controls they've put on the drivers to stop some of the frequent scams that almost everyone hates,
So they could replace them with new scams that everyone hates? like surge pricing ... like discrimination against minorities or the handicapped.
Or reinventing old scams that were regulated out
In any case uber etc may well have improved certain parts of the taxi experience in certain cases; but that just makes them an innovative taxi company.
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Actually the local cab companies all have apps now, automatic dispatch systems, sms notifcations [SIC] when your cab is close etc.
Not where I've tried. And to use that, a frequent traveler would need hundreds of apps. Maybe a few do it in the top 3 cities, but in the medium size places, there are piles of Ubers, middle class folk trying to earn a few $$$ in their spare time, but no taxi apps.
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and to use that, a frequent traveler would need hundreds of apps. Maybe a few do it in the top 3 cities, but in the medium size places, there are piles of Ubers
You make a good point here. So the primary value of uber is that its a large multinational company. Basically, it's mcdonalds...
So now when you go to a new city and there are dozens of restaurants to choose from, and you don't know any of them... well... you can just go to mcdonalds and get a familiar big mac. You can even use the app to find the nearest one.
I'm kidding of course. The comparison has some pretty serious flaws. But I am serious about one aspect -- the main advantage of uber seems to be that y
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On the one hand, sure, I can see how that's an advantage to you. One company. One app. Same UI everywhere.
If the cab companies weren't idiots, they'd make a single WTA (world taxi association) app. Though putting multiple taxis in the same area under the same app would cause problems. But if I can't get one UI for all, then the taxis will always be at a disadvantage, one of their own making.
I'd rather the local taxi driver / taxi company keep the money in the local economy.
They work really hard to keep me from giving them the money. They petition to stop transparent pricing. They refuse to form a unified app I can use across different companies/areas. And the times I call ahead to reserve
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Wait, which shitty abusive company are we talking about?
You make a good point, but the local taxi cab company is never going to be as shitty and abusive as uber.
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The same taxi service that has a "broken credit card machine" and only accepts cash...
You've never walked away without paying? If the service advertises "takes credit cards" and you confirm that when ordering, when you offer to pay with a card, and they don't take it, it's no longer a "sale", it's a debt. "Bill me" and walk away. You tried to pay, they refused. Your ability to change payment methods doesn't change their consumer requirements.
The laws are the same as if a restaurant charged you $1M for a hamburger marked at $10 on the menu. They broke the law. You are now in their de
Re: ride-sharing? (Score:1)
Waze Carpool!
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I am currently a full-time Uber driver, so perhaps I may be able to address some of you misconceptions.
Those are just taxi apps.
No, taxi apps are either digital or analog. The Uber app, on the other hand, is only digital.
The analog taxi apps work like this. If you see a taxi, you raise your hand and the taxi picks you up. It's as simple as that. Their analog app can even override their digital one. By that I mean that if a taxi driver sees you signaling him, he may abandon the current pick up he may be going after simply because yo
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So it is a taxi app and not a ride-sharing app. Thanks!
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Car rides usually don't end in rape.
FTFY
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You're wrong. Taxi rides usually don't end in rape.
In traditional taxi service paid for with cash, there is no way of telling which driver carried which passenger. If the ride ends in robbery of the driver, as many do, or if it ends in the passenger leaving some vital object in the cab, as often happens, either victim is SOL.
In traditional taxi service paid for with credit cards, the CC reader is always "broken", so the outcome is the same.
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On the other hand, taxi companies almost almost comply willingly with law enforcement. I suppose because they are regulated, and often law enforcement has a hand in the regulation.
Heck, they even cooperate willingly with the public.
Uber, on the other hand, tells pedestrians who are put in danger by their drivers to call the police, and refuses to help in any way or discipline their drivers. The police and prosecutor really don't have the time to try to track-down an Uber driver from a partial license plate
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On the other hand, taxi companies almost almost comply willingly with law enforcement.
..yeah when it suits them. so same situation as with uber.
anyway don't hold that attitude when traveling. in thailand you are far more likely to be ripped off by a normal taxi and left on the side of the road to boot when the car "breaks" when you don't agree to pay 10x the fee instead of the one on the meter.
look, everyone knows in full why taxi companies and state regulation is up in arms against uber and not only in the usa. taxi medallions/permits are worth more than the cars they are put into. it's pra
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Re:ride-sharing? (Score:4, Insightful)
Which service do you prefer?
See here's the thing... the local taxi company has a perfectly serviceable app and I use it more than anything else. As I see no real difference between it and uber or lyft, I guess I'll go with that.
The app my friend had me using in Melbourne last time i was there was also fine.. again for some local cab company.
Or am I only supposed to cheer for big silicon valley taxi companies that pretend they aren't?
Or did you just write a comment to make yourself feel superior?
I did it just to provoke you.
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Maybe if you live in a major urban area taxi company's have apps but that's certainly not my experience where i live. I live in a fairly affluent suburb of a major urban area and i can assure you taxi companies are not so advanced here.
They are also about twice the price of Uber most times of the day.
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That's where Uber makes the most sense.
Taxis in big cities are regulated to limit traffic on crowded streets. Uber gets around that - and also competes unfairly with medallion taxis that have higher overhead due to complying with those regulations. Now maybe the regulations need to be changed to reflect what technology has made possible. But I think it'd be fine to limit Uber to rides that originate or end outside of the center of a big city - forcing them to provide a new and valuable service instead of
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I think that's a very good point.
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the local taxi company has a perfectly serviceable app and I use it more than anything else.
The "local" part cannot be emphasized enough. Half the time I need a taxi is when I travel -- just flew back from Boston this morning and used Uber to get to the airport from suburbia.
Also, depending on location, the price can be about half of what local taxi company charges, although in other places prices are quite similar.
Perhaps it is time for some sort of aggregate "connect me to the local taxi app" app?
Phone App (Score:3)
Call up a friend/relative, tell them to pick me up. It's free, and I know exactly who the driver will be and the condition of their vehicle. They tend to speak my language, give good smalltalk, and not be an asshole, as well.
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Call up a friend/relative, tell them to pick me up. It's free, and I know exactly who the driver will be and the condition of their vehicle. They tend to speak my language, give good smalltalk, and not be an asshole, as well.
Damn. I have to get better friends and relatives.
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Re:Phone App (Score:5, Funny)
You had me until "not be an asshole".. That's not our family at all.
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Call up a friend/relative, tell them to pick me up.
"Oh geez, is that asshole calling you for a ride again? Why can't he just use Lyft!" :-P
"Yeah, well, his friends and relatives are kind of that way too."
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I'm trying to picture the phone conversation when I call my friend at 2:30 (am or pm) and tell them to drive ten minutes to get to me, simply to drive me five minutes.
Sounds like a dick move on my part.
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So your friends/relatives have no problems w/ driving you to wherever you wanna go, in return for... what, exactly? They may not be the asshole, but someone else is!
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Generally it's somewhere they want to go also, and picking me up is on the way. I don't actually do this much since I got my own car.
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So your solution to your transportation problems is to inconvenience friends and family?
Unless there were some extenuating circumstances I'd be pretty irritated getting phone calls from friends for rides home from a night out where they had a few drinks. There are scenarios where it's perfectly fine to bum a ride from someone you know but there are plenty of others where it's just plain rude.
Also, your "solution" doesnt cover when one is outside ones home area.
Cabify (Score:1)
Lyft since the 2014 Uber scandals (Score:2)
I've been a Lyft user since the Uber scandals in 2014 including god mod, sucking up people's contacts, and digging up dirt on Journalists. They didn't blow up like the scandals this year, but it was enough for me to know that the company was shady. People used to ask me why I used Lyft instead of Uber, but not anymore.
App? What app? (Score:1)
Public transit in the Silicon Valley. In particular, the Clipper Card that allows me to move between different transit systems with a swipe of the card.
https://www.clippercard.com/ [clippercard.com]
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My bitch, her name is App, she don't want to ride!
App is a terrible name for a dog.
My Thumb (Score:1)
I've hitch hiked numerous times and picked up numerous riders, I know it's dangers. But I've met many interesting people and it's a great way to travel.
Public transit and the sidewalk (Score:2)
As a New Yorker who has never used Uber, Lyft, or any other ride sharing app, I prefer
- The subway
- Buses
- The sidewalk
depending on where and how far I'm going. Yesterday I walked about five miles and shared the sidewalk with thousands of people.
I use a taxi about once a year, which I guess I could use an app for instead. Check with me again in a year and I may have used one.
Re:Public transit and the sidewalk (Score:5, Informative)
As a New Yorker who has never used Uber, Lyft, or any other ride sharing app ...
As a fellow New Yorker, I'm surprised you're not using all the transportation options available. NYC has a huge variety of transportation options, and there's a complex calculus you have to do to get from point A to B depending on a variety of factors.
In NYC, I use all of the following services:
Taxi Apps: Uber, Lyft, Juno, Gett
Car Sharing Apps: Via (as well as Uber and Lyft's car sharing)
Ferry: Water Taxi, NYC Ferry Service (great in the summer)
Subways and Buses: Ranges from beautiful to agonizing
Uni-Directional Car Rentals: Car2Go
Car Rentals: Maven, Enterprise Car Share, ZipCar (recently canceled), and HertzOnDemand (sadly now defunct)
Walking: The old standby
Biking: I have my own bike, but I use CitiBike when I don't want to deal with retrieving it.
Just yesterday, I used an Uber pool to get to the ferry, took the ferry to the Rockaways, took a bus to get to the beach, walked back to the ferry, ferry to Sunset park in BK, Car2Go from lower BK to upper BK for a 4th of July party, Subway ride back into Manhattan. That's the proper way a NYer gets around!
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Sounds like a fantastic hobby. I prefer my programming and videogame hobbies, and like to keep transit simplified to three or less methods to worry about. I suppose this is part of why I don't live in NYC.
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Well if you sit around on your ass all day you dont have to worry about transportation options at all.
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Sounds like a fantastic hobby. I prefer my programming and videogame hobbies, and like to keep transit simplified to three or less methods to worry about. I suppose this is part of why I don't live in NYC.
That's totally fair, to each their own. I prefer exploring the nooks and crannies of this massive city and seeing cultures I would never be able to find anywhere else. I tend to keep programming to work hours.
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The east coast, mid-Atlantic cities I've visited had surprisingly solid public transit. Trains, buses, etc. - all easy to use. And they had relatively tame weather, making walking/biking in the summer relatively nice. In the winter, public transit allows residents to avoid the elements and hazardous driving. OTOH, they had really bad freeways; And their older roads and bridges are wedged into centuries-old historical sites and highly populated areas. In some places, I have no idea how cars could even traver
No. (Score:5, Insightful)
I will not fund unlicensed cab companies.
Re:No. (Score:5, Insightful)
The only thing worse than an unlicensed cab company is a licensed cab company.
You're seeing two groups of people in the same bottom-end job fighting over which master should rule the land. Neither master is kind or generous, but the workers know they have scraps from their current master and won't if the other master's workers take over.
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The only thing worse than an unlicensed cab company is a licensed cab company.
I don't support any company that under-performs.
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Ahh. So the only question is whether you're a slave to a cab company or one of the evil SOBs who rents out a cab license.
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Ahh. So the only question is whether you're a slave to a cab company or one of the evil SOBs who rents out a cab license.
I own a taxi license (plate) and I don't make much. My drivers make far more than I do. Indeed, I've had to invest a lot for a nominal return.
You really just come off as someone who really doesn't know squat about it, sorry.
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I don't know squat about it either. Maybe you could inform us about the value you're adding to the cab system by owning this license? Then people won't suspect you of being a parasite.
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Easy (Score:2)
My own car (Score:1)
I prefer to drive my own car. It is less expensive, more reliable, and I love the driver.
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The nearest country from me is about 700 miles away. The next nearest is closer to 900. I haven't been to one of them, and the other I last visited about 4 years ago, while on a cruise ship (I didn't need a car). The nearest "big" city is 90 miles away, and takes nearly 5 hours by train (in the middle of the night). An Uber there and back would cost a minor fortune. The next nearest "big" city is a 3 + hour drive. No, there are no flights, or trains. I have to drive.
The thing about America is, it is a vast
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Yeah, you and everyone else and yet there's been demand for taxi services for as long as cars have been the major form of transportation.
Basically, way to both point out the obvious and not contribute to the conversation at all.
None ... (Score:2)
... thanks for asking.
Ride sharing app? (Score:1)
None of the above.
creimer's Favorite Ride Sharign App (Score:2, Funny)
creimer's favorite ride sharing app is Grindr.
Stil Uber (Score:3)
Mostly out of laziness, but I still use Uber instead of Lyft. Lyft would be fine too and I'd probably turn to that if I saw no Uber drivers at hand.
I greatly prefer Uber over Taxis, even though I tip both - I don't care about cost as they are similar enough. I have had many, many very bad experiences in taxis ranging from horrifically maintain vehicles (even in the U.S.), to really really surly drivers including some who obviously hated women (would not take payment from my wife).
If an Uber driver had any of those issues they would be gone in a flash. Uber drivers have been friendlier and nicer all around. Have you ever tried t complain about a taxi diver? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.
I'm sure it's the same for Lyft drivers (being friendly and pleasant). Basically I feel like supporting Uber/Lyft I am supporting people trying to get by, and not a criminal cartel...
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I love mine, always there written I need it. (Score:1)
It's called a car.
Uber/Lyft NOT Rideshare (Score:3, Insightful)
Sharing your ride is like taking a co-worker who lives on your route, to work. Or taking someone to the store with you who needs to go shopping
Accepting money to drive someone you don’t know to a destination you wouldn’t normally go is a taxi service, NOT a ride share. period.
Corporate Uber extracts it’s revenue off the lowest common and weakest link in the chain- the driver. Instead of wages and benefits of being an employee for a taxi server, Uber drivers get all the costs, taxes and maintenance on their shoulders. After everything is calculated, drivers would be dollars ahead flipping burgers for $10/hr.
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I'll be the devil's advocate here.
Getting a job at even a McDonald's requires agreeing to a set schedule, they have a business to run so they need reliable employees. A taxi service like Lyft and Uber don't have set hours, people can set their own hours. Also, working at jobs like McDonald's would mean things like being on your feet for hours, which not everyone can do. As someone with foot and knee problems I have first hand experience of limited employment options because of such disabilities.
So, sure
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Game changer, but only in some locales. (Score:5, Interesting)
Ok, I'll get my nitpick out of the way first: I've always hated the mis-application of the term "Ride Sharing" to Uber and Lyft. They have nothing to do with Ride Sharing. More like taxis, but I don't totally buy that equivalency either. Here's why.
For people who live in a "taxi city" like New York or Chicago or London, there really is very little difference between Uber, Lyft, a classic taxi, or a minicab. These are cities where a significant fraction of the populace uses taxis much of the time already. Here Uber and Lyft are additional players in the taxi economy, but they don't change the game one iota. I won't get into the politics of whether they are good or bad in these locales. That's not my soapbox.
But what about other locations? Smaller towns, or cities that were never traditionally taxi-centric -- where most folks own private cars and use them most of the time. Or in outer-lying suburbs of big cities that are poorly served by taxis. If you live in or frequently travel to such an area, you'll understand that Uber and Lyft really *have* changed the game -- by being truly distributed rather than depot-centric, and much more adaptive to demand. Call a convectional taxi, and the dispatch office will tell you it'll be 20 minutes. Call again an hour later, and the dispatch office will tell you 20 more minutes. Repeat another hour later, and once again the answer will be 20 more minutes. There's no way to ever know whether and when you'll get your ride. If and when the taxi ever shows up, the driver very likely doesn't know how to get to your destination, and speaks very little language in common with you, and besides by then you probably no longer want to go!
Uber and Lyft have fixed that (but not everywhere). There is now a relatively reliable service, that you can call at pretty much any time, and the estimated arrival times really are reliable, and usually pretty short, and if there will be a long wait, you know about it and can plan accordingly. And when there truly is nobody available, you know it -- you don't get strung along.
Even the dreaded surge pricing has not been a problem for me (so far). I've almost never had to pay it, and the few times I have haven't affected my long-term average cost much. I have occasionally gamed it, switching to Lyft when Uber is surged, and vice versa. Very surprisingly, that worked!
So, YMMV, but for me Uber and Lyft have indeed changed the game. For me, they've made me much less dependent upon rental cars when I travel, and have made other forms of public transit more viable too, by solving the "last mile problem".
I'd like to see more players in the game, though.
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The last time I used Lyft, was from the airport here in Las Vegas to my home. My plane was late and I didn't want to bug the wife to come get me, so I loaded the Lyft app from google.play, created an account, and within about 10 min I had a ride home with a super-nice lady driver who I found out had just emigrated from Russia to the US.. The fare was $14, and I gave her a $5 tip.. Later I checked what a taxi would have cost me.. Almost $50 WITHout a tip... The choice is clear to me... Uber/Lyft FTW!!
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Thing is, ride-sharing is a game changer, eve
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You must indeed be from a smaller town. Because in the big cities that can support it, there is such a thing as UberPool and LyftLine.
And you're partially right at least, UberPool is not like traditional carpool at all. It's actually better than traditional carpool. It's actually difficult to explain unless you've actually experienced it for yourself. Yes, it's a copout of an explanation, but my post is going to be long enough, I don't want to make it even longer.
And yes, just in case you were thinking it,
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You are right, I was ignoring UberPool and LyftLine In part because I've never used them and only want to comment on things I've seen first hand. And, in part because their geographic availability seems so limited -- at least in my subjective far-from-the-taxi-ciities experience. Right now, I am in a small city of 200,000 population, for example, and neither of these services exist.
I was vaguely aware that in "taxi cities", some of the classic taxi problems you describe might be the case. Fixed supply
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Uber and Lyft are far from perfect, and I certainly didn't mean to argue that conventional taxis are obsolete. Only that in my opinion, Uber and Lyft add huge value in taxi-underserved areas -- enough that for me at least, they change the game entirely.
Other replies to my original post seem to confirm that -- going further and saying that they are a game-changer in "taxi cities" too -- a fact that I was not aware of because I've personally seldom used either alternative in those cases.
There are many good options to Uber/Lyft (Score:2, Informative)
waze.com/carpool [available in all of california]
takescoop.com [available in some parts of CA]
For older kids
hopskipdrive.com
Uber (Score:2)
Uber, because it's the only ride sharing / taxi app/service that I know will always work. Both Uber and Lyft has slim offerings in my area. There are a dozen or so cars within a hour of me on both services now, both are a 20+ minute wait for pickup.
That being said, I only used Uber for the first time (despite having an account for almost a year as a just in case thing) the other day. I was on vacation in a popular vacation spot, and an emergency came up and I had to get home earlier than planned and was abl
None. I don't use permatemps. (Score:1)
That, and I have an environmentally hostile V6-powered car.
Whatever you want to call it, Uber has been great (Score:2)
Mixed feeling here... (Score:3)
As a driver, I like Uber better, but as a rider, I prefer Lyft... I drive for both and have ridden on both..
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Sharing economy? (Score:2)
Soon we will have companies that...
Uber. (Score:2)
I usually just drive my own vehicles, but ... (Score:2)
When the need arises, I usually go with Uber. No opinion on Lyft except it just doesn't have the same availability. Where I live, nobody is driving for them right now - but Uber has a local presence.
Also use traditional cabs in the right situation. (EG. If you land at the airport in New Orleans and need to get to your hotel? You may as well just use a cab, because they've made the whole process so easy. They charge a flat rate so you know exactly what it will cost, and they have someone at the airport righ
Great ride sharing apps (Score:2)
Best app so far has been RideAlone, though it did sometimes suffer from hitchhikers so now I tend to use AloneAndLate which has a specific feature for any ride sharers that randomly appear and are not already in the car and going to the same location as I.
Tinder (Score:3)
Google Maps & Citymapper (Score:2)
These apps tells me how to get where I'm going on an actual ride sharing service, the London Underground
Internet of Routed Things (Score:3)
About ten years ago, I started in on this: https://sourceforge.net/projec... [sourceforge.net] now rotting quietly away on sourceforge. One (of many) things that stopped me at the time was that Google Maps was the only source of geo-stuff, now there's Open Street Map. My idea was something that would be useful to what has now become the platform cooperative movement: https://platform.coop/ [platform.coop], that would be genuine sharing, both the platform and the rides.
However my madness did not end there. In my mind, I looked forward to routing everything that moved around, a) dealing with half filled vans, lorries and cars, the whole lot b) creating public data that would be performative in that it would advocate for new routes where there was market failure, for example. I note that Amazon has started a project for transport consolidation: http://www.scdigest.com/firstt... [scdigest.com] so this idea is probably valid but the ownership isn't cooperative.
Ok, I'll end there. This isn't to self congratulate, it's just publication of an idea that I've nearly abandoned and someone younger might want to take up. If you do, give me a shout.
Finger (Score:2)
Lyft in Chicago (Score:2)
I typically use Lyft when traveling to and from O'Hare. The ride is usually ready within 5-10 minutes, it's a clean ride and the driver is usually nice (though most often not a native English speaker). Taxi services can be atrocious in terms of wait times, dirty cabs and unpleasant drivers. My choice of Lyft over Uber started because a friend drives Lyft and then I kept using it as I witnessed the revelations of Uber's unethical behaviors. I have zero complaints.
My last Lyft driver kept bottles of water in
Only ever tried Lyft (Score:1)
Lyft (Score:2)
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I started using lyft because neither service pays enough (what I feel is fair), but lyft allows above board tipping. And no need for cash to do it.
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They're untrained and unlicensed pirate taxi drivers in uncertified vehicles.
But they're not ride sharing.
Many regular taxi companies are more ride sharing than they are, and have shuttle services for airport rides, or after bars close, where they pick up several passengers who share the ride.
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They're untrained
This can be said about most taxis drivers anyway in most part of the world. Not that driving a taxi requires much training anyway, and the "training" taxi drivers have is not in doing good things...
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There are different standards for training [nytimes.com] in different parts of the world.
For route finding, GPS devices don't always pick the best routes, as they are generally unaware of upcoming traffic patterns, nor do they know about streets where taxis are allowed to drive, but private vehicles are not. And GPS doesn't w