APettyJ t1_j9bevsd wrote on February 20, 2023 at 6:16 PM

Reply to comment by SouthPhilly_215 in Why does cell phone lot exist at airport by LP788

They are always tweaking the algorithm. There's "priority rematch", introduced back in 2018which is when the apps (Uber/Lyft) pair a driver making a dropoff at the airport with someone needing a ride who has just arrived. This is supposed to lead to riders get their rides just a bit quicker while removing the need for drivers to go to the lot. As a result however, if incoming flights aren't making heavy demands on ride-share vehicles someone in the lot can wait a long time for a ride than would be the case before they implemented priority rematch.

SouthPhilly_215 t1_j9c2zcl wrote on February 20, 2023 at 8:52 PM

Tbh, I think cabs have the upper hand now that they can line up and wait in the same area we’re required to pick them up at now.. Seems easier to just get in a cab than fumble around summoning and waiting for an Uber to loop around and get you. Certainly makes no sense anymore to stand next to a running cab while you wait for me to come from the Uber nether realm to get there. Idunno.

Edit: Upper hand at the airport now..***

APettyJ t1_j9cdeo5 wrote on February 20, 2023 at 10:01 PM

Cabs do have an upperhand, in price and in wait time, especially at airports. Just a lot of people have been burned by them pretty bad pre-uber days, or pre-uber-going-bad and are just used to Uber, they don't think much of using one even when there is a line of cabs waiting in front of them while they are waiting for an Uber to show up. Just told someone the other day about this, although because of his prior experiences he said he was inclined to just wait for Lyfts.

toasty88 t1_j9k6dbx wrote on February 22, 2023 at 4:10 PM

Yeah, I'm like 50/50 on cab vs uber away from the airport. The cabs are often cheaper and faster to get in. But my experiences with taxi rides are so often negative. They are often dirty, drivers sometimes don't speak any english, they will play the 'credit card machine is broken' game like 50% of the time. Last time I got a cab the windows were open in the middle of winter and when I asked to close them he told me they were broken. The comfort levels and vehicles standards of uber sometimes make me just take the extra time and money for a decent ride.

APettyJ t1_j9klfcv wrote on February 22, 2023 at 5:44 PM

Something I've wanted to try: apparently it's illegal in Philly for a cab to drive with a broken credit card machine, or it was. It wasn't illegal not to have one I don't think, but if a car was equipped it had to work. If a driver made a pickup with a broken card machine, a rider had the right to leave the car without paying. What many people who did this found was the machine wasn't actually broke, the driver just didn't want to take credit card payments, as they got less from the fare. Suddenly a broken card machine worked. All the cabs I've ever used, and to be sure there haven't been many, had working card machines.

toasty88 t1_j9mu0gs wrote on February 23, 2023 at 2:31 AM

Yeah, I've heard the same, and it's not like I'm doing this to be a dick. If I'm doing business travel I'm not getting reimbursed for expenses that aren't on my corporate credit card, your screwing me out of $30-40 if you try to force a cash payment