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Driving a Taxi vs for Uber in LA

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1K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Jon Olive 
#1 ·
Any taxi drivers out there please chime in.. I've talked to a few in LA, they pay $600-700 a week to rent the taxi and cover gas. But the taxi company covers all other expenses, oil changes, insurance, repairs etc. After they make the rental fee they keep the rest. You say 700 is high, but they make 3X the pay for each ride plus tips.. So an uber ride to LAX is $25 and no tip. The taxi driver makes $100 with tip. Do less work, get paid more, no wear and tear on your car. Plus you can pick up from LAX.. You are fully insured and licensed!
If you have the Flywheel Ap on a smart phone as the taxi driver it automatically charges the rider a 20% tip if they don't enter a tip amount within 5 min. After talking to some taxi drivers they are raving about Flywheel and how great the ap is and that its bringing them 20% more biz in LA area and picking up steam for riders to use.

Plus no hassles, a person pukes in the car, who cares, its not your car! No one asking to plug in there phone to hear their crappy music and asking you to turn it up, no one asking for water, snaks, or a cell phone charger.
No Ratings!! No complaints and no one watching your back and knocking you because they are having a bad day.

I can't stand when I go out of the way for an annoying rider and they say good job, you get 5 stars. What!? who cares about stars? I want $ fool. Tip me *****..

Any taxi drivers out there please chime in and let us know the downside of driving a taxi and why you have switched to Uber and driving your own car and all the expenses and hassle that goes with it.
 
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#2 ·
Bravo!!! Someone is finally making sense. I'm in San Antonio where rates just got cut 23%. Here is the text of my resignation email:
To whom it may concern:
You people just cut everyone's earning by 23%. That means I would be driving the same mileage for 23% less money. In case you are logistically challenged, my costs remain the same. So even if I gross more money, I'm taking a 23% pay cut regardless of how many fares I get. Get it? Do you people think you"re dealing with idiots? You must. And you can continue to deal with idiots that can't figure out that they have just gotten shafted out of 23% of profit. As for me, I can use a 5 dollar calculator. I can understand that you are trying to increase your business. However, rather than doing it through traditional marketing, you are taking money out of the pockets of the very people that are the reason you can exist in the first place. Why? Because it is more cost effective and costs the parent company minimally when compared to increasing ridership through traditional marketing methods. Well you know what? This is one former Uber driver that is going to join the ranks of the enemy. You get what you pay for.
Jonathan Olive
 
#3 ·
Any taxi drivers out there please chime in.. I've talked to a few in LA, they pay $600-700 a week to rent the taxi and cover gas. But the taxi company covers all other expenses, oil changes, insurance, repairs etc. After they make the rental fee they keep the rest. You say 700 is high, but they make 3X the pay for each ride plus tips.. So an uber ride to LAX is $25 and no tip. The taxi driver makes $100 with tip. Do less work, get paid more, no wear and tear on your car. Plus you can pick up from LAX.. You are fully insured and licensed!
If you have the Flywheel Ap on a smart phone as the taxi driver it automatically charges the rider a 20% tip if they don't enter a tip amount within 5 min. After talking to some taxi drivers they are raving about Flywheel and how great the ap is and that its bringing them 20% more biz in LA area and picking up steam for riders to use.

Plus no hassles, a person pukes in the car, who cares, its not your car! No one asking to plug in there phone to hear their crappy music and asking you to turn it up, no one asking for water, snaks, or a cell phone charger.
No Ratings!! No complaints and no one watching your back and knocking you because they are having a bad day.

I can't stand when I go out of the way for an annoying rider and they say good job, you get 5 stars. What!? who cares about stars? I want $ fool. Tip me *****..

Any taxi drivers out there please chime in and let us know the downside of driving a taxi and why you have switched to Uber and driving your own car and all the expenses and hassle that goes with it.
I drove a cab in LA.
Uber is better in my opinion, although cabbies are returning back to driving cabs from uberX.
Those who rent uberSUV are happy.
Conclusion: instead of renting a ****ing cab, rent the SUV from a limo company.
 
#4 ·
I drove a cab in LA.
Uber is better in my opinion, although cabbies are returning back to driving cabs from uberX.
Those who rent uberSUV are happy.
Conclusion: instead of renting a ****ing cab, rent the SUV from a limo company.
grUBBER, thanks for the feedback. So you drive for uberSUV?.. Any input on how to rent an SUV from a limo company and what they charge for that etc?. I heard that there is no more openings for Uber SUV or Uber Black car in LA. So I guess that would mean working for a limo company that already has a car with Uber. Please fill me in how this all works..

P.S. I also heard that the average time for new uberX drivers is 3 weeks and then they quit calling bullshit on the entire deal.
 
#6 ·
Any taxi drivers out there please chime in.. I've talked to a few in LA, they pay $600-700 a week to rent the taxi and cover gas. But the taxi company covers all other expenses, oil changes, insurance, repairs etc. After they make the rental fee they keep the rest. You say 700 is high, but they make 3X the pay for each ride plus tips.. So an uber ride to LAX is $25 and no tip. The taxi driver makes $100 with tip. Do less work, get paid more, no wear and tear on your car. Plus you can pick up from LAX.. You are fully insured and licensed!
If you have the Flywheel Ap on a smart phone as the taxi driver it automatically charges the rider a 20% tip if they don't enter a tip amount within 5 min. After talking to some taxi drivers they are raving about Flywheel and how great the ap is and that its bringing them 20% more biz in LA area and picking up steam for riders to use.

Plus no hassles, a person pukes in the car, who cares, its not your car! No one asking to plug in there phone to hear their crappy music and asking you to turn it up, no one asking for water, snaks, or a cell phone charger.
No Ratings!! No complaints and no one watching your back and knocking you because they are having a bad day.

I can't stand when I go out of the way for an annoying rider and they say good job, you get 5 stars. What!? who cares about stars? I want $ fool. Tip me *****..

Any taxi drivers out there please chime in and let us know the downside of driving a taxi and why you have switched to Uber and driving your own car and all the expenses and hassle that goes with it.
Pretty much i agree what grUBBER said with small addition $600 to $700 week a cab you keep the 24/7(not that i say you have to drive 24 hours a day) as oppose to uber suv $600 to $700 that's 12 hour shift then you to have use your own car to meet your partner.
 
#7 ·
Fork do not forget the licencing as well. For every city you want to do business in you have to get a licence. You start with the City of LA one and the rest of the cities take that as a basis but you still have a fee and sometimes a background check. So say you pick up in the City of LA and go to west Hollywood. If not licensed there you have to drive out of that city empty to another city of LA spot. Not an easy start up like Uber.
 
#8 ·
In San A, where we are tragically short of cab drivers that can speak English and know the city somewhat, the local cab companies offer an enrollment plan to get you your local chauffeur's license. Gauging from the quality of local cabbies, it couldn't be too tough to get (not all local cabbies can't speak English). It does cost some money, though, to get registered with the city.
 
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