Private Hire/Uber

cw212010

Hi everyone,

I recently lost my job and something I had considered was becoming a taxi or Uber driver. I'm in a large city (Glasgow) but live just out with in another very busy area.

Is doing such a thing a way to earn a decent living? I'd be interested to hear honest opinions of taxi drivers and anyone who has dealt with Uber before.

forgotmyname

Its a decent living if your cars reliable ans costs little to run and you work 23 hours a day and take those jobs that other drivers wont touch.

My neighbour used to do it, he said he drove past quite a few and didnt stop because it looked dodgy.

SailorSam

There was a programme on Tv a couple of nights ago about the 'taxi wars' going on between Black Cabs and even existing private hire firms and Uber who are trying to muscle in. Even the Uber drivers themselves were protesting outside Uber HQ 'cos they are charged 25% commission. Top executives at Uber are friends of Cameron and Ed Balls and it was suggested that's why complaints about them having uninsured cars that were unfit to be on the road have been ignored.

I drove a Black Cab for about 30yrs, 25yrs on nights and made a decent living, but worked long hours to do it.

Nodding_Donkey

Don't believe all the horror stories you hear about Uber from black cab drivers. They love to demonise any competition.

SailorSam

Nodding Donkey. It's not just Black Cab drivers who complain, it's the Uber drivers themselves. Search the web there's lots of information out there. Here's just a couple, including a Uber Drivers Forum which will give an unbiased view, both good and bad.

http://www.thememo.com/2015/11/05/uber-driver-complaints-uberpeople-net-black-cab/

http://uberpeople.net/threads/the-real-truth-about-uber-and-the-drivers.43525/

cw212010

Hmm interesting reading.

In honesty I'd probably make it a second job for a supplemental income for around 6 months. It's just the fact it takes around three months to apply for the licence in the first place!

AdrianC

Go down your local cab office and ASK the drivers.
Go onto an Uber driver's forum and ASK there...

SailorSam

The problem with asking drivers at your local office or ranked up outside Asda is, not many will tell you the truth. If some random stranger comes up to you when you're a driver and starts asking about how good (or bad), the job is, you tend to be cautious what you say. You really need to get chatting to a driver that knows you're genuine. Perhaps if you've got a neighbour already driving.

cw212010

Exactly. I'm not going to go up to a local driver and ask for the simple reason that is I'm another taxi on the road taking food off his plate...

daveyjp

If Uber continue to supply taxis at the rate they are since they came to my local city I can't see drivers lasting long. It appears they are working like the old days of driving schools where they rely on a conveyor belt of new staff to take up the challenge, when they fail they are replaced by a new driver.

Yesterday evening I saw a dozen or more of their cars just circling around the streets of the city centre. Great if you are a customer, but as a driver it doesn't take long to burn through a gallon of fuel for no return.

Local cabs with controllers match drivers with those waiting so as one is entering the city their next pick up out is being arranged for them. This keeps the drivers busy.

Uber is very much a 'catch what you can' system.

bigjl

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

Don't believe all the horror stories you hear about Uber from black cab drivers. They love to demonise any competition.

Actually in London most of the stories about Uber drivers are correct.

When it first started back in 2012 Uber was spot on, quality drivers with quality cars and area where decent.

However in late 2013 they started to expand into Uber mX and then UberExec.

The X rates are now about half of what they were originally.

UberExec undercut Lux by about 40% thus ripping the heart out of the Lux drivers income.

They then dropped the Exec rates further and then they dropped the Lux rates.

They have also increased their commission.

Private Hire is hard work at the best of times.

But avoid Uber at all costs, the drop in client quality in London had to be experienced to be believed.

They now have no checks whatsoever on the quality of UberX drivers.

And many can't find anywhere without SatNav.

The standard of driving is also so poor on occasion as to cast doubt on the legality of how some of the new entrants to London PH got hold of a Driving Licence.

They are often seen turning down one way streets the wrong way, illegal U Turns swerving for lane to lane, cutting people up due to being unable to follow SatNav directions properly.

Also there have been several cases publicised involving drivers buying Uber customers account details then going on extended drives about London in order to defraud the account holder.

A large number of Uber drivers in London also rely on in work benefits, though that is not just an Uber thing, it is common in Privae Hire, one council in West London has specific forms and rules for PH drivers to make it easier to claim I work benefits.