Uber in Paris
Mar 11th, 2018 | 12:04 PM
#21
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,646
Likes: 11
I used to take public transportation everywhere. I grew up in New York. I love the subway in New York and the metro in Paris. But I can’t walk well any more. Uber has been a real godsend. Certainly there are places in Paris where cabs are plentiful, such as the airports and the train stations and on many major streets. But there are lots of places where they aren’t, and I have spent some anxious times trying to get a taxi. Now, if I don’t see one, I can push a button and an Uber appears right at my location within a very few minutes.
Yes, one can call a taxi but this is easier. GPS sends the driver right to your location and to your destination. No cash to fumble for. The price shows up before you commit to taking the ride, so you know exactly how much it will be, even if there is surge pricing. If I saw the 40 euro charge referenced in a post above, I would not take it. I might try again in a little while if I didn’t see a taxi first as suggested in another post above.
People who don’t see the need have not walked in my orthopedic shoes.
Yes, one can call a taxi but this is easier. GPS sends the driver right to your location and to your destination. No cash to fumble for. The price shows up before you commit to taking the ride, so you know exactly how much it will be, even if there is surge pricing. If I saw the 40 euro charge referenced in a post above, I would not take it. I might try again in a little while if I didn’t see a taxi first as suggested in another post above.
People who don’t see the need have not walked in my orthopedic shoes.
Mar 11th, 2018 | 12:10 PM
#22
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,646
Likes: 11
It's because I am not a user that I find these debates so fascinating, like buying a bicycle for a fish. Actually, I used quite a few taxis before my mother died because the city of Paris has a transportation system for the disabled which just costs 2 euros per ride. Even though they have dedicated vehicles, they usually would send a taxi under contract. I would make it very clear that my mother was in a wheelchair and that in the later years she was no longer able to get up for the "transfer" but a lot of times it was just an ordinary taxi anyway. I was completely impressed how every single taxi driver did their utmost to help me drag my mother out of the wheelchair and seat her in the taxi even when the need to do so was a surprise for them. I have no idea if Uber also participates in this program but probably not due to the surge pricing and such. Voluntary slaves will always go after the big money. Who wouldn't?
In the Boston area, there is a similar program for subsidized rides for the disabled. The transportation agency contracts with Uber and Lyft to provide these services. An older lady with whom I take a class uses this service all the time and tells me the drivers are every bit as helpful as the ones you describe.
Uber and Lyft partner with Boston transit agency to provide on-demand rides to disabled residents - MIT Sloan School of Management
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Sasha2
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Sep 8th, 2017 05:50 AM
