Most of the people I've talked to in my age group (mid twenties to early thirties) adamantly avoid taking a taxi whenever possible. The reasons why have been beaten to death by now, but they include:<p>- Uber's show up on time, and I can track them using an app. Before Uber, I had to call a cab company, hope someone would answer, be told I'd have to wait 45 minutes to an hour, then hope the taxi would actually show up.<p>- For almost all of the Uber's I've taken, if the car wasn't on the newer end, it was at least clean. I've never been in a taxi and thought "Wow! They really take care of these things." I usually get out feeling like I need a shower.<p>- The rating system (which goes both ways, your driver rates you as well) helps ensure that they want to provide a good experience for you. Taxi drivers have no motivation - most people won't call a hotline to report and issue vs just choosing a star rating on their phone.<p>- The price is reasonable, and I get an estimate before leaving. I hate how taxies just go without any idea of what you'll be paying. It's even worse when you're in a city you don't know, and you're unsure if they're taking the best route.<p>- Most taxi drivers I've met have been incredibly rude and impatient, and then expect a 20% tip. On top of that, I've had a bunch of them lie and say they don't accept credit cards after the trip is complete, even though there is a sign that says they are legally required to. "The machine is broken" isn't a valid excuse.<p>- With Uber, I don't have to worry about them awkwardly watching me decide how much to tip, it's included in the price. I don't even have to worry about figuring out how to pay! I just get out and go and it's automatically charged to my card.<p>I'm surprised when I hear that people are in favor of saving taxies. Yes, Uber and Lyft should probably be a bit more regulated. But taxies were doing so many things almost comically wrong for so long, it's not surprising a competitor has come along and been successful.
I've been in NYC for a week, and I've used all three services to get around when needed. Taxi is actually by far the easiest to get a ride on. The reason is being on the correct side of the street and for the car to be traveling in the direction you're headed is crucial.<p>Grabbing a Lyft or Uber may commit a driver to having to turn around the block, which can take several minutes, and in that time, you could have hailed half a dozen taxis.
I knew Lyft was the underdog in NYC (compared to Uber), but they seem to be in real trouble according to this data. In my personal experience, my Uber drivers have seemed better trained than my Lyft drivers in NY, so for the most part I only take Lyft if they are offering me a special promotion. For example, I've had Lyft drivers who seemed confused with how to use their own app.
I haven't tried Lyft yet because my credit card gives me %20 back for taking Uber. Also, average type people don't even know about Lyft. They hear about Uber from all the news coverage, but they don't mention Lyft. Uber is winning the marketing war with Lyft so effectively that it doesn't matter who is better. Now, the only reason I could ever see taking an analog taxi is if my phone was dead.
I'd be interested to see how successful way2ride has been (as in, how has the percentage of taxi trips originating from way2ride changed over time?)<p>way2ride has been advertised heavily in NYC and offers most of the same features that the Uber app does: seeing nearby cabs, hailing, seeing the cab's location, paying through the app. On the occasional trip where public transportation isn't sufficient, I've used it as an alternative to Uber and had good experiences. In particular, it's useful to dodge surge pricing and in finding a ride in places where Uber drivers don't hang around.<p>* <a href="https://www.way2ride.com/user/login.form" rel="nofollow">https://www.way2ride.com/user/login.form</a>
I don't have any data to back up my anecdote, but here in Austin, Lyft seems to be much more popular than Uber, and both are more popular than taxis.<p>My friends and I all prefer Lyft as riders. This is due to equal if not higher availability, and limited surge pricing compared to Uber. Drivers have been pretty friendly as well.<p>I always ask the driver if they drive for both, and which they prefer. Every driver I've had has preferred Lyft due to it giving more back money back to the driver, a strong driver community, and simpler onboarding process.<p>Some of this could be due to city culture, where Austin seems to line up much more with Lyft's character than New York.
Interesting there is no mention of the Boro (Green) taxis. 6,000 medallions were released in 2013 (with plans to release another 6,000 a year for a total of 18,000.) That's a large swing on the supply side compared to the ~13K yellow taxis that I think would also have an impact on the 2010 onwards trips graph. <a href="http://toddwschneider.com/data/taxi/taxi_uber_lyft_trips_per_day.png" rel="nofollow">http://toddwschneider.com/data/taxi/taxi_uber_lyft_trips_per...</a>
To offer some points in favor of taxis:<p>1) taxis can be more convenient for older people who are less tech-savvy and can't fully utilize smartphones (think seniors);<p>2) I'm not sure if you can request this on Uber, but some taxis are wheelchair accessible and they have the proper equipment for loading/unloading. You can try it with a minivan Uber but a taxi would be preferable in this case.
In NYC (or at least in Manhattan), when taxis are readily available (non-extreme weather), Uber is 2x to 3x less convenient than taxi. When taxis aren't readily available i.e. extreme weather, Uber is 3x - 5x more expensive than taxi and still takes forever to get one.<p>I believe that Uber in NYC will remain a niche player. But I do appreciate some competition against the taxis.
One thing I like about taxis is the meter itself: If you're stuck in a traffic jam you can check the current price and decide if it's worth staying in the taxi or hopping out (after paying).<p>Is there any technical reason why Uber can't present a meter in the app that you can look at intermittently?
> the graphs on this page will continue to update as the TLC releases more data.<p>Interesting use of Highcharts to this effect, especially with the theming to match your other designs. Is it a good idea in the context of this article to have dynamic data though, as the conclusion might change over time?
My friend who lives in NYC now was telling me about this The taxi drivers themselves also have a medallion system which has severely been devalued for decades and since Uber is taking a piece of their cake, slowly and slowly they'll be phased out