Taxi Apps

[Steveboy]

I see in the news Hertz are leaving Russia in some part due to the increasing use of taxi apps..

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/hertz-car-rental-exists-russian-market-58747

That part of the reason is easy to understand, much has changed in just 18 months! We always used to call a taxi to take us in town for an evening out that cost about 550 roubles ..we never use any local taxi firm anymore..Yandex taxi which is that same as Uber will have a taxi at our door with 2 minutes for 350/400 roubles.

For years now after a night out we would normally hitch a lift home usually about 4am and would pay about 500 roubles, if the bridges are up about 650. We don't even bother hitching , its easier to order the taxi with Yandex taxi inside, within 2 minutes its there and ready for about 400 roubles.

We do not even use metro so much , if we take the kids out its cheaper to use Yandex taxi

I think there are lots of unhappy people about, all the old papas driving around late in the evening hoping to pick up some hitchers and earn some extra cash..they have no clients now! Only ever see a few people hitching now.. Im sure all the airport taxi services are suffering also..who needs to pay their prices! Tap Yandex taxi and 5 mins later a taxi is waiting outside 30% less that the usual airport price. Not that I ever use airport taxis, I will take the $1 bus home 

The good thing about Yandex taxi is you don't even need to speak Russian to use it..

[andrewfi]

I use these apps when the service is dealing with taxi firms. I do not use Uber because they are not taxis.

Back inthe day I used the Russian gypsy cabs, they were a useful alternative to robbery by cabby but I think it has been a while since that was a valid choice.

Commonly I use Taxify, an Estonian service that has spread across large parts of Europe. In Spain I have been using one called Cabify. Most towns I go to seem to have taxi firms that are using 'ride apps' for booking and marketing. This seems to me to be the best option. Convenience, legality, price transparency and good notification of when the cab has arrived.

[Steveboy]

I used to like using Gypsy cabs, probably will do again some time. When my family have been over I often hitched back with them. My sister and husband were over last summer and we hitched back home, when the cab turned up , it was an old clapped out lada she said "Im not getting in that!!" I just said "Shut up and get in" 

[Ste]

We’ve got Hailo in Dublin, still a rip-off, 28 quid to airport, would be less than a tenner in Leeds

[Markje]

Yandex Taxi is not available in Evpatoria, figures.

[msmoby]

We have Red taxi v Yandex/ Uber battling it out.

I used Uber before the joined up with Yandex... Can get a taxi 3 to 4 times less from say DME to SVO and works out far cheaper than using express trains and metro.

If you are a real cheapskate try using blblacar..I have used it in the UK as a driver and passenger and SC has used it to get from Krasnodar to Sochi at night, when a charter flight meant missing a fly and a long wait.

I noticed that far less people try 'auto stop' in S.Russia than in Peter or across Ukraine....

[Steveboy]

Yandex Taxi is not available in Evpatoria, figures.

I tried Yandex taxi last time I was in the Uk but it said "Sorry Yandex taxi is not available in Charmouth"   

Not much is available in Charmouth!

[B.B.]

Uber (and I am sure others) are available in 4 or so cities in Ukr (Kiev, Odessa, Lvov and I think Kharkov, for now), although the Ukies haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet in terms of expecting you to actually be at the pickup point.

Back in the bad old days of no apps, I'd simply have a restaurant hostess or a bellman ring a taxi for me when necessary.

B/B

[Manny]

I deleted Uber from my phone after using it in London.

The cars and drivers were, shall we say, far from the top end of the market. Many had obnoxious personal hygiene, poor driving skills and even poorer English.

Added to which, it is well documented that there have been various rapes of women who use the service. 48 in 2 years in fact, mostly by Muslims.

It's just not a platform I feel I can support on any level.

For those in London, the black cabbies now have an app: http://www.taxiapp.uk.com/

Those guys are properly licensed, vetted and know the streets. 

[Ste]

Lone-wolf London Black Cab rapist story here...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Worboys

[Manny]

Lone-wolf London Black Cab rapist story here...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Worboys

So thats one black cabbie ever -v- 48 Uber drivers (and many more likely unreported) in two years. I know I'd pay the extra few quid to have my wife take a black cab over an Uber. That is aside from the Uber -v- black cab accident rate. Half these blokes got their "licence" in Dustystan. It's not really the same thing.

Would you send Nadia out alone in Bradford in an Uber? I'd bet not. Would you cough up an extra fiver for a back cab? I bet in reality you would. For sure, 99/100 she would be just fine in an Uber, even though he went the wrong way, stank like last week's curry, racked the bill up and leered at her. Wouldn't you rather pay a fiver more to have her in a properly insured black cab driven by Bob who has done "the knowledge" than a crappy Toyota with dodgy brakes driven by Mohammed with his sat nav who thinks she is easy meat as an infidel?

[Ste]

Lone-wolf London Black Cab rapist story here...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Worboys

So thats one black cabbie ever -v- 48 Uber drivers (and many more likely unreported) in two years. I know I'd pay the extra few quid to have my wife take a black cab over an Uber. That is aside from the Uber -v- black cab accident rate.

I don't use Uber or Hailo etc either, as they are lift-sharing operations and I'm fussy about being driven about by a non-professional.

Luckily in places where these companies operate there's usually cheap decent public transport if you're not too proud (and I'm not!)

I have a travel card here works on all buses, trams and trains in Dublin (which is a very big place in therms of area, right up to Malahide) unlimited for €106 a month, the only cheap thing in Dublin!

[Manny]

Nicely avoided. 

I'll add to that. Wifey and I were in London last year when I tried Uber. One bloke took us to the end of a dead end street and said "navigation say it there" and pointed. We got out and walked ten minutes asking people before we arrived.

On another occasion we took a black cab, we were in traffic, he diverted, dropped us elsewhere and said "if you walk through that alley and keep left you are there in 3 mins, or I can sit in traffic for 20 mins and cost you more money?" - we thanked him and got out.

The black cabs are more expensive, but as above, sometimes their honesty negates that. The Uber might get you there most of the time, but often a two star service. I might slum it in an Uber with a smelly bloke to save fiver now and again alone, but I wouldn't put my wife and/or daughter alone in one. Why take that risk?

Imagine your wife had been out with pals and glugged a load of wine and is coming home. Do you want her in an Uber with amourous "Amir" from Dustystan to save four quid in something with squeaky brakes and clunky suspension or in a black cab with a bloke called Dave from Bethnall Green who is properly certified whose Dad was likely a cabbie too?

[Ste]

The Uber drivers in Leeds are generally students of all creed and colour and the hackney carriages generally Asian, I normally get one from the station when I go home.

Here I've taken two cabs, (incidentally you can hail private hire cabs legally here) first one a proper one, Irish fella, ripped me off for 30 quid and took the long way round, said be was avoiding traffic and a Hail-o Uber-clone one which was driven by some Eastern European, half the distance of the other, 26 quid but it was 4:30 am journey (red-eye flight).

In Denmark I took one cab from where I lived to the hospital about 10kms, 45 quid each way, 90 fukn quid. They don't have uber anymore in Copenhagen, so it was an official 'Taksi'

Got ripped off in Chel too from the hotel to Nadia's mums, Nadia was lived, said it was cos I spoke to her in English, price went up five times. Next day we got one practically a full half day for same price cos I wasn't speaking...

Going to Paris next month not looking forward to that....

[Ste]

Nicely avoided. 

Do we need another I hate muslims-they're-to-blame-for-everything thread? You don't like them, we get it, so I'm trying not to respond, no ones gonna change their minds.

[Contrarian]

Nicely avoided. 

Do we need another I hate muslims-they're-to-blame-for-everything thread? You don't like them, we get it, so I'm trying not to respond, no ones gonna change their minds.

If you ask me it was a valid question and besides you like to lump me in that group as well.

My answer is that it's always worth it to pay more for safety. Why is this even a question? PC gone mad.

[Steveboy]

Nicely avoided. 

Do we need another I hate muslims-they're-to-blame-for-everything thread? You don't like them, we get it, so I'm trying not to respond, no ones gonna change their minds.

But they are! London is totally ******** because of them..Were taking the kids to London in a couple of months, how do I explain to them its not London any more and to expect to see the same as you would in Afghanistan 

[msmoby]

Back on the subject of the thread..Hertz pulling out of Russia


Couldn't find their reason for pulling out but I note that loads of cos..GM, C&A, Mexx ..are / have pulled out ((

Manny - once again - you can't have been to Russia, recently. We used Uber - before it joined forces with Yandex - ( interesting while they would merge)  The drivers were clean shaven, cars late model and tidy.

[msmoby]

But they are! London is totally ******** because of them..

'Sure' it is .. I 'lose sleep' worrying about my eldest daughter being there and being 'bothered'all the time ... Oh wait a minute.. She's happy there and doesn't GET bothered ....

Were taking the kids to London in a couple of months, how do I explain to them its not London any more and to expect to see the same as you would in Afghanistan 

You've been to Afghanistan ? ...   

London is a rich mix of ethic origins and so is Russia ...

[Jerash]

Nicely avoided. 

Do we need another I hate muslims-they're-to-blame-for-everything thread? You don't like them, we get it, so I'm trying not to respond, no ones gonna change their minds.

But they are! London is totally ******** because of them..Were taking the kids to London in a couple of months, how do I explain to them its not London any more and to expect to see the same as you would in Afghanistan 

So you've been to Afghanistan then?))

But seriously, taxis are taxis. I use Yandex here because it's as easy-as-pie for a limited Russian speaker like me and the prices are cheap.

When I didn't know anything at all, I used Lingotaxi for airport and train station pick up on arrival. Very good service with English fluency as a requirement to work for them.

My Lingotaxi driver in Moscow is from Taxistan. He's a good bloke, highly educated and came here because being a tourist guide just didn't bring in enough. I'd asked him if he considered signing up for Uber and he said he couldn't because the cars must be 5 years old or newer. I guess his was about 7 years old, but clearly he took very good care of it. I used him a few more times before I started using Yandex. I don't know if he was a Christian or a Muslim. Doesn't really matter, he was a good guy, and Muslims are long established here in Russia. The Christian and Muslim populations carry on with each other amicably.

I think Uber's been bought up here now.

In Kiev they introduced a rule that you have to call and provide address to get a taxi. I guess apps now are popular there too, but I don't think it would've helped with a rather unique problem I had. I had stayed centrally, due in part to proximity to the train station, where I would be leaving to Moscow from. I had two suitcases packed to the brim plus heavy pack. I wasn't going to walk the 20 minutes in 8" uncleared snow with all that. But I almost missed my train because I was too "close" to the rail station. No one wanted to pick me up because the fare would be so low. I would've been better off if I'd booked a hotel far away from the train station....

[Steveboy]

Nicely avoided. 

Do we need another I hate muslims-they're-to-blame-for-everything thread? You don't like them, we get it, so I'm trying not to respond, no ones gonna change their minds.

But they are! London is totally ******** because of them..Were taking the kids to London in a couple of months, how do I explain to them its not London any more and to expect to see the same as you would in Afghanistan 

So you've been to Afghanistan then?))

But seriously, taxis are taxis. I use Yandex here because it's as easy-as-pie for a limited Russian speaker like me and the prices are cheap.

When I didn't know anything at all, I used Lingotaxi for airport and train station pick up on arrival. Very good service with English fluency as a requirement to work for them.

My Lingotaxi driver in Moscow is from Taxistan. He's a good bloke, highly educated and came here because being a tourist guide just didn't bring in enough. I'd asked him if he considered signing up for Uber and he said he couldn't because the cars must be 5 years old or newer. I guess his was about 7 years old, but clearly he took very good care of it. I used him a few more times before I started using Yandex. I don't know if he was a Christian or a Muslim. Doesn't really matter, he was a good guy, and Muslims are long established here in Russia. The Christian and Muslim populations carry on with each other amicably.

I think Uber's been bought up here now.

In Kiev they introduced a rule that you have to call and provide address to get a taxi. I guess apps now are popular there too, but I don't think it would've helped with a rather unique problem I had. I had stayed centrally, due in part to proximity to the train station, where I would be leaving to Moscow from. I had two suitcases packed to the brim plus heavy pack. I wasn't going to walk the 20 minutes in 8" uncleared snow with all that. But I almost missed my train because I was too "close" to the rail station. No one wanted to pick me up because the fare would be so low. I would've been better off if I'd booked a hotel far away from the train station....

Yes I was there, but just in the suburbs... the Marble Arch area..