What a slug fest! The Uber vs. the Taxi folks make it seem like a Boca vs. River!
For years, I travel to San Francisco for a few days. Trying to get a taxi in that city has always been near impossible. And when you get one, the drivers are unpolite, reckless, etc. New York? Just as bad or perhaps worse.
About 2 years ago, I was leaving San Francisco at 4 am to catch a plane and was staying in the Marina district, which is close to the Golden Gate bridge. I had never used Uber but had been told about it, so I had the app. I hit the app at the early morning time, and two minutes later a car was waiting for. Never gave the driver any cash, and a minute after I left the car, the receipt was in my inbox. A wonderful experience.
Often I end up in areas of San Francisco where I am kind of lost, and there's nowhere to find a taxi. I have hit my Uber app, and within minutes the car arrives. It is total ecstasy. Sometimes I need to take my grandkids to karate, or gymnastics, or whatever and rather than stand on the street trying to hail a taxi (a near impossible feat), I hit my Uber app and voila! The car arrives.
Uber is fabulous. I even know the name of the driver before he arrives. In BA, before I get in a taxi, I ask the driver if the car has a working seat belt. Half the time he/she thinks I am speaking Chinese. Seat belt? What's that?
Uber shakes the apple cart. What's wrong with that? Plus, they offer an optional service. Why should the taxi monopoly fight them so much? Why don't they come up with a similar app?
By the way, have you ever tried paying a taxi in BA with your credit card? With cash, it creates an incredible hassle: either I don't have small enough bills, or the driver does not have enough change. And how about trying to get out fast, for whatever reason you need to, and there you are stuck while he figures out the change, and you count it.
Elon Musk just landed a returning rocket, after it shot its satellite into orbit, on a moving platform on the ocean. And you guys in BA are fighting Uber? You should be trying to figure out how to compete against Mr. Musk rather than wasting time finding excuses not to let progress in. By the way, Mr. Musk has also started a brand new car company, and is also trying to revolutionize the storage of electricity.
People of Buenos Aires, wake up! Believe in progress, not in maintaining the status quo.
