I have used Uber quite a few times and I have to say the quality of service and the friendly people are what made a difference for me. Imagine this person in a commercial cab with someone who can't speak English, and doesn't really care for anything but the cab fare. It could have gone south in a big hurry.

Dude probably just wanted to get in her pants, and it didn't work out.

By the way, this "I, Anon" is par for the course for the new Stranger (sans any actual talented staff, as in the ones The Stranger fired in the last few months), PRODUCT PLACEMENT for cashola.

So, Arthur. What do you suggest? You obviously read it as well as many other folks. If you are so disappointed with the Stranger why not switch over to MyNW.com where there are some real whack jobs?

@5 - Wait, wait, wait... Uber is your job? I thought Uber was a "ride share" system. And now you tell me it really is an unregulated taxi service?

Uber is like a taxi service, except the drivers use their own cars. What's this about it being "unregulated"? It's still subject to any number of regulations. Uber does more extensive background checks on its drivers than most taxi services do, and tracks both driver and fare from start to finish with GPS.

As an Uber driver, all I hear all day is how great it is, because it is. 100% of the people I drive love it and 99.9% DON'T FUCKING TIP!!! No tip is included in your fare that is cheaper than a cab in my car that is nicer than a cab. Don't be an asshole. Tip your driver. And if your excuse is 'but I don't carry cash', you're just an asshole non tipper that doesn't carry cash. The cars are nice. The service is excellent. Tip your driver.

...and don't slam the door.

...and we are regulated. We have business licenses and two different permits. Our cars are inspected. We drive our own cars. We buy the insurance, the gas, the tires. We are contractors.

Tip your driver.

Maybe you need to negotiate for higher pay or get a better job then. Why should you get a tip for just doing your job? Do you tip everyone you ever pay for a service? Do you tip your plumber or electrician or house painter or gardener? Tips are bullshit, no one should feel entitled to them. And this is coming from a bartender!

If you don't want to tip, don't tip. I tip people in the service industry. Especially when the service is good. Most people tip drivers. Uber tells them not to. Again, if you don't want to tip, don't. Amazing a bartender would have that attitude. Where do you bartend?

This business with Uber tipping is getting obnoxious. I started using Uber in the first place because I was tired of taxi drivers yelling about how they wanted payment in cash & ridiculous tips (I'm sorry, if you'd like more than 10% you're going to need to NOT yell on your phone for my entire trip). I'm not trying to be an ASSHOLE, dereksays, but I was told from the start that I didn't need to tip & that having no cash was great! Now I'm the jerk for wanting to continue to use a service under the original premise? You want to work for tips? Work for a company that includes tipping as the standard in their business model, but don't start working for a company that actively advertises "no pressure to tip" & that "tipping is not necessary" & then complain & call people assholes for wanting to follow that model.

Uber drivers are not just obnoxious about the tip, they can flag you as a "bad tipper" in the Uber app. Folks, Uber is an unregulated taxi service manned by conceited assholes that think they should be able to eat sushi and drink PBR and not have a real job. My guess is that most of the Uber "drivers" live on Cap Hill in a nice codo where the othere "roommate" works for a living. Uber is POINT BLANK an unregulated taxi service. You better hope that when you are in this stoner's car that he does not broadside a bus with you in his car.

People ask me a couple of times per week about Uber, and if I think they will someday significantly impact my business, and my answer is always a confident “no”. I have heard several high-profile people, including Mary Katharine Ham at HotAir.com and even Senator Marco Rubio praise Uber as a “new tech company that is changing an antiquated industry”, and the only reason that taxi companies object to Uber is because Uber will cut into their business.

In reality, Uber is not a tech company at all, they are a franchise taxi company with a decent phone app that shifts the bulk of their costs and liabilities to the individual drivers. But they SAY that they are a “tech” company, and therefore should not be subject to the any of the laws regulating taxi companies. This is nonsensical at best; the most generous evaluation of their business model is that their phone app replaces the traditional dispatch system, but they are still sending you a car for hire.

When people bring this up in my car, I say, “What if I opened a new, unique concept in dining out, where you use a phone app to place your order, and when you arrive at the restaurant, your food is waiting for you at the table, eliminating the traditional waitress? Since I have eliminated the waitress with my app and there is no tipping, your dinner costs 40% less. But then I tell the local Health Department that I am a “tech” business, not a “restaurant” business, and I should not be subject to their inspections, regulation, or oversight that other restaurants have to undergo… is that OK with you?”

People invariably respond with something like, “Well, no, that isn’t right… an unregulated restaurant could be infested with vermin, or give people food poisoning. You could be cookin’ up cats, or some shit like that… you could kill someone. That is a business that MUST be regulated.”

And I reply, “You are correct. I agree, 100 percent. Now, answer me this… how many people died in car crashes in this town last month, and how many people died of food poisoning? Which industry do you think requires more scrupulous regulation?”

If you have read my blog, you know that I am pretty conservative and not enamored with gigantic, bloated Federal government. I believe that state government, and ultimately local government should be the entity from which nearly all laws and regulations that govern my business and my conduct should flow. One of the founders of my company is a Canadian and an unabashed socialist, and he seems to think this attitude is somehow indicative that I am some sort of batshit-crazy anarchist, but the truth is, I’m really a law-and-order kinda guy. I don’t rob, rape, or murder people, and I think people that DO should be dealt with harshly, up to and including the use of bullets, if necessary. I want my streets to be safe, I want my roads to be free of drunks, and I want my local officials to make sure that at bare minimum, my local restaurants and taxis can be trusted.

Where I work, the process of getting a license to drive a taxi is about as strenuous as getting a Concealed Weapons Permit… you must be photographed, fingerprinted, subjected to a FBI background check, no felonies, no DUI’s for a loooong time, and your driving record has to be really clean. Your car should be in excellent working order at all times (I carry a spare headlamp bulb), and a yearly inspection sticker must be affixed to the rear of your car. This is all about public safety, which is an issue I happen to care about.

And let me also add that I am someone that you can trust to be alone with your five month old infant, your five year old daughter, your fifteen year old sister, your girlfriend of five years, or your wife of fifty years. I can’t speak to the character or behavior of other taxi drivers in this town, but I am someone you can trust to get your loved ones safely home, and I will light the way up to the door and see them get safely inside, even if that means getting out of my car and walking them up to the door myself. And I feel pretty confident saying the same holds true for the other drivers in my company, and most of the taxi drivers I know by name. At least part of that can be attributed to the background checks we undergo, and good hiring practices by the companies I have worked for. But Uber has no background checks, in spite of what they say on their website. They seem more concerned about the age of your car, and so we get stories in the news about girls driven around for hours and getting their tits groped.

Before I became a hack, I might have taken three or four taxi rides in my entire life, so I never really thought about it, but think about this… A girl gets dressed up all sexy on a Saturday evening, gets shithammered at the bar, and at the end of the night, she tumbles into a car driven by a total stranger… what could go wrong?

I have a small stable of twelve or fifteen girls that call me directly all the time, simply because they don’t want to get in a random taxi that might be disgusting, or worse yet, might be driven by some creepy driver that hits on them or otherwise makes them uncomfortable. My girls know that I am married, I am safe, I am not going to make a pass at them, my car won’t smell like vomit, cigarettes, and dirty socks, and I will make sure they get in their door safely before I leave.

The other big problem is insurance. Uber requires the minimum legal insurance for passenger cars in whatever locality they operate, but should the driver have an at-fault accident, the second his insurance company gets wind that he is an Uber driver, they will deny any claims because the driver was operating the car as a commercial vehicle, and that means that you, as a passenger, are totally fucked. Sorry about your amputated leg and your glass eye, but if your 22 year old stoner Uber driver doesn’t have some serious assets you can sue for civilly, you are just outta gas. On the other hand, if I cause a crash and you get hurt, you are covered for at least a million or two, if I am correct about the coverage of the COMMERCIAL insurance my company pays for at a very handsome rate, given that we are all professional drivers that collectively haven’t had an at-fault accident in years.

Here’s a video about Uber that explains these issues in detail… ten minutes long, but worth watching if you care about things like public safety, or more correctly, your own personal safety.

@14 It is most likely the phone app, the simplicity of payment, and the ability to review drivers that make Uber popular. So why don't traditional cab companies adopt similar technology and quit bawling for government regulation to save them from competition? If your cars, drivers and liability coverage are as superior to Uber's as you claim you would win big by playing a little technological catch up.

@12. You miss my point entirely. Many people think a tip is included. They think they are tipping when they are not. These are people that give a tip when they feel they have been given good service. I am trying to make them aware they arent. Again, if you don't want to tip, don't.

I find it funny that a taxi driver that yells into his phone and gives you terrible service at a higher fare gets 10% from you, but somehow not tipping an Uber driver that doesn't yell into his phone and gives you great service in a nicer car at a lower price is ok with you.

You're right that I should not have called people assholes, I was a little worked up, I apologize. I really think people think it's included, and if they were aware it isn't included, they would be happy to show a little love for a great experience.

I work hard, keep my car clean and try to give the best SERVICE possible. I think people are happy to tip excellent service, if they see fit. I don't expect tips, I appreciate them very much when they are given. If you don't want to tip, it's your money and your prerogative. I think many people would if they didn't think they already were.

@13. There is no way to flag riders for being bad tippers. Don't just make stuff up. We rate riders with the same system that riders use to rate us.

I used to believe the arguments against Uber until I started using it. On a recent trip I used a mix of Uber and taxis. The taxis were uniformly dirty and had drivers that talked (yelled) incessantly on their cell phones while driving like maniacs. The Uber cars were clean and the drivers never talked on their cell phones and drove responsibly. I felt much safer with Uber, and would have gladly paid even higher fares than the cabs charged.

https://help.uber.com/h/1be144ab-609a-43…

DO I NEED TO TIP MY DRIVER?

You don’t need cash when you ride with Uber. Once you arrive at your destination, your fare is automatically charged to your credit card on file — there’s no need to tip.

If people are under the impression that tipping isn't expected, take it up with Uber.

I gave up on taxis and started using uber last year because taxi service in Seattle is TERRIBLE. Unless you are downtown or close to downtown you can just forget about expecting a taxi to actually show up when you call for one.

@8: is that not built into the app? It used to be, was it removed?

@8 again: sorry, that was apparently Lyft that I was thinking about with regards to tipping.

@18: Yes, I was going to post that. And fuck you for calling customers assholes, Dereksays. If you and your fellow drivers have a beef it's with your company, not the public. How about you all go on strike?

Since we're sharing anecdotes; I've never rode in an Uber with a driver that knew the city well. The hard light of a phone suctioned to their dash is almost more tell-tale it's an Uber than their tiny glowing logo. While Uber has a few important advantages over traditional cabs, until Google maps actually puts my address in the right place (it's a block-and-a-half off on a one-way street), their service is probably of little use to me.

Arthur, you are flat out wrong on many points. Their service is regulated, unless you missed that little kerfuffle that happened in city council a few months ago. Also, the situation with their insurance is pretty well satisfied. Even if the driver's personal policy craps out, you're also covered by Uber's umbrella policy.

But even if I were to buy your old, easily disproven talking points... I still wouldn't care. The cab industry here in Seattle is a bad joke and has been for decades. While I'd normally be inclined to support the "little guy" in this situation, your business is rotten to the core and nothing short of a complete reset seems appropriate. Surly drivers who arrive late, if at all. Getting crap if you dare pay with a card. Poorly maintained cars. Scarce availability. Finally some new outfit comes along, shows you how it could be done, and you belatedly offer a few half-assed bandaid solutions. Of course, only after your attempts to sue/legislate your competitors out of existence fails. Why on earth should I care whether your business survives at this point?

Oh, and if you honestly think Uber is just a "taxi dispatch company" you really haven't been paying attention. Uber is getting into the delivery market and has invested tens of millions (if not hundreds) in driverless tech.

Yeah, they're run by a bunch of creepy libertarian types. But they're still infinitely superior to your corrupt, shiftless, irredeemable business.

And I'll admit, you might be one of the few good players out there. Aside from referring to a group of women as a "stable", you seem to genuinely care about your business. Unfortunately, you are just an aberration. It's probably time to move to another city or find a different line of work.

Or maybe work for Uber :)

I've only had good experiences with Uber drivers. I've also had only a handful of problems with Seattle cab drivers - and those were all 20 years ago.

I've never had a cab driver who spoke no english.

Most of the Uber drivers I've ridden with are former cab drivers. Everyone uses GPS now, regardless of who they are driving for.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Uber's advantage is the phone app/method of payment. And it never occurred to me to tip an Uber driver because that is part of the deal with Uber - I thought one of their big things was that Uber it's not a tipped economy.

A while back I had a cab fare that came out to more than $20, but not much more. I only had two $20 bills, so I handed them over expecting change. The guy didn't give me any change and just kicked me out of the cab. I prefer using Uber because I don't want to give an almost 100% tip against my will.

Hey @dereksays, maybe you should watch the review videos one more time. Tipping isn't necessary with Uber, which is why we ride it. http://video.uber.com/A54/payments/

This article seems sexist to me.

You think that all women all little girls for you to wait home and worry about because you're ultimately the Great Father.

Like sometimes a guy wants to get tipsy and wants to get into trouble.

So even if you end up in parking lot at the Redmond Park n' Ride, face down in gravel, wondering where your bike is (never to be seen again) and you get up with half your brain numb, unable to use your knees, and stumble into a 7-11 just eat something (just to find something to eat, and have the where-with-all to pull out a card and pay for it), anything, to absorb the alcohol. And then hours later, you get enough strength to walk miles along Union Hill Road past the cement plants and power stations and Gai's bread (nice smell) and UPS depot until you crash in your rented room.

As bad as it is, and as bad the next day, when it's all over, you've gotten something out of your craw.

Doesn't a "girl" deserve that too?

@15 - The entire issue is that there has been an artificial constraint of supply in cabs (the notorious medallions). Uber and Lyft are clearly not "sharing economy" models - they are, as the Uber drivers make very clear, just Franchisers hiring contractors to outsource most of the risk and many costs.

If cabs were similarly able to flood the market - no medalion restrictions - then regular cab drivers would quickly adopt a system like Hailo, despite the rent capture "marketing costs" Hailo skims - in order to compete for customers. The reason it failed in NYC was the reality that cab drivers didn't need it to compete for fares, and therefore didn't need to give Hailo a cut of their earnings.

This, in fact, is exactly what will ultimately happen to Uber and Lyft. As the shiny new cars get older, and the word gets around that the share of the take for these contractor-employees of the not-cab companies isn't any better than the good old yellow cab hacks, they'll lose drivers. It's shiny right now, and has lots of Goldman-Sachs startup capital, but in a few years, that'll shake out.

Uber is unregulated... What's the matter with unregulated? I like unregulated. The techology makes it all transparant. The driver is a stoner? Ths car is a mess? That wilI surely show up on the Uber profile belore I ever step into the velhicle. I'm a good or lousy tipper? I've got no probelm with that showing up either. Creative Disruption in progress - there will always be wailing and gnashing of teeth to protect the status quo. GIve me more of this type of "unregulated", and less nanny state trying to protect me from making my own decisions.

@18 & @22

I know what it says. @22, I apologized for the asshole comment, but thanks for your aggression, makes me wonder how I could think some riders are assholes in the first place. Many people tip gladly. When I rode Uber before (and since) I started driving for them, I saw the same 'suggestion' to which you so proudly refer. I thought it was bullshit. I saw value in the service, and always tipped my driver. It was a lot of work for me to do this, I had to reach all the way in to my pocket and grab a few bucks.

If you don't want to tip, don't. But own it. Say "I don't tip!" "I don't think your service merits a tip!" Scream it from the rooftops. Don't justify it with the suggestion of a major corporation.

@32 - Your company has positioned itself as a "no need to tip" alternative to a traditional service. That has been the gospel that stuck and the onus is on them to clarify that, not the customer.

About a year ago I took a friend's Uber X a few extra blocks and the driver insisted it wasn't necessary when I handed him a tip. People aren't cheap assholes (except when they are), the word just isn't out.

Also, this sort of thing can happen to any company really, but it seems worth sharing:
http://gothamist.com/2015/04/21/uber_12k…

I feel for you Uber driver, you got suckered by the sociopaths that run Uber who are taking 20% of your earnings while you pay ALL of the costs/expenses and take ALL of the risks. Right now Uber is trying to kill all competitors including Lyft, by having the lowest rates (unless there's big storm or a terrorist attack then you can charge people 10X normal rates, amirite?). But don't despair, if Uber succeeds in killing the Taxis and all other car for hires and become the only game in town, like say, Comcast, then they can jack the rates up to whatever they want and all the drunk libertarian tech lordlings will have to pay it, surge price every day! Woo! You won't even have to provide good service or clean car or courtesy then (again, see: Comcast! ). That is, if by that time your car hasn't broken down from overuse and inadequate maintenance, and you haven't starved or been in an accident and is in a hospital and being sued because your car insurance won't cover your bills or your passengers', since you didn't have a commercial driver policy!
Seriously, you need to go read Goldy, and then quit letting Uber get filthy rich at your expense. You ARE their victimized employees not a small business owner. If you OWNED your business, Uber wouldn't be the ones forcing you to accept the unlivable prices and no tip policies!
Regulations are there for a reason, just ask the banks' victims, ya know, all the people who lost homes, jobs, pensions, life savings; the child laborers; the sweatshop workers; the miners.

Oops, so sorry Anonymous, I put my comment in the wrong Uber post!