Originally Posted by
Roody
Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'm a little leery about Uber. It involves getting in a private car which may or may not have working brakes, driven by stranger who may or may not have a valid drivers license.
At least cabbies are licensed, tested, and insured. And the cabs are required to have regular maintenence.
The lower costs (some of the time) are attractive, of course.
In the UK there are two tiers of cabs.
In London we have the iconic black cabs (which aren't always black) that have the TAXI light on the front which is illuminated if they are available for hire. They charge based on the meter, with prescribed rates based on distance and wait time. You can hail a black cab at the roadside - simply stick your hand in the air and wave at them and they'll stop for you. Unless there's a valid reason to reject a fare they are obligated to take you, within certain parameters (reasons to reject a fare include being very drunk). To qualify to drive a black cab you have to pass "The Knowledge", which is essentially demonstrating a near-encylcopaedic knowledge of the streets of central London.
We also have minicabs which are cars just like anyone might drive. Minicabs typically offer a fixed-price ride agreed in advance, have to be booked in advance, but still have to be licensed. So presumably there's some safety check to be sure that the convicted ****** doesn't get out of jail one day and start driving a minicab the next day. I don't know whether minicabs are subjected to more extensive testing than any other cars - in the UK any car over three years old has to have an annual safety check that covers all sorts of issues relating to roadworthiness.
It makes sense for a system like Uber to work with minicab drivers - essentially what they are doing is eliminating the overheads of the minicab office. That said minicab offices aren't typically in the particularly prestigious (and therefore expensive) parts of town.