Uber in Santo Domingo

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
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38
https://www.uber.com/jobs/69914

Wonder if that's going to work here. I'm sure the association of taxistas will be very happy to get some competition of anyone with a car and a smartphone.

Or maybe it's the companies like Apolo that will suffer.
 
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Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
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It could work for sindico drivers to be more streamlined.
I see a few broken windshields and slashed tires otherwise.
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
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38
I see them competing with the taxis, not so much with the sindicatos, since those are mainly the fixed cheap routes.
 

amp

Bronze
Oct 5, 2010
730
8
18
I'm not sure how this would work here though.

What's their margin and how will the drivers make money?

I know it's a bit more in SD, but here in Santiago almost everywhere I go it's RD$150 or $200 depending on the driver, rarely more unless I'm going pretty far.

That's US$5 tops.

They are very successful all around the world so I'm sure they have a plan in place, but I don't see how they and drivers are going to make money here.
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
I think their best bet are the customers from airports to business hotels vice versa. Las Americas - Hilton Malecon for example is USD40 (hotel rate) someone willing to do that for USD20, can make some money on the side.

I heard though that world wide uber drivers complain about the little money they're making.
 

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
11,747
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Uber is slightly more than local rides in most cities, why would they do a $40 ride for $20?
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
13,766
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Punta Cana/DR
www.mikefisher.fun
they will not get a single car registered as a taxi/transfervehicle without joining any of the Unions. no union no cabby, no cabby no Uber.
to offer services for cheaper than the anyways cheap available transportations, well, that would not leave much if any margin to provide a outstanding service with a always new luxury/comfy vehicle etc etc.
basically, at the hot spots liek a intl airport or around the toruist areas, wehere many taxis are needed (and of coursee already in use by the thousands), you don't need a App to get a taxi within minutes(dominican minutes??), as they are already available right there, no minutes necessary. i can't talk about the Las Americas Airport, as i did not fly in/out from there since at least a decade and anyways never took a taxi there, but for example at PC airport you arrive, grab your luggage, signal you want a Taxi and 30 seconds later you are seated in a comfy Van and on your way. hard to beat, other than thru cheaper prices for at least the same services. to be as a taxi allowed to park at the airport, you def need to be a union member, no other cabbies allowed here. the different taxi companies work here at the airport together, have turns, next ride is for the next driver in line from this company, 2nd next ride is for the next driver on turn of the other company etc etc.
Transfer Companies are just the last step away to have their services running per smartphone app. it already exists, just that you don't always get your "cabby call" answered right away, yet.
i would love to see real competition to the Taxis here in the country, specially for the Mafia running that business here on the East, but i doubt any foreign company can just step in and compete with them. they pay big bucks in highest ciffers for their Monopols, and til today everybody who found a legal loophole to chime in, did simply misteriously Disappear.

Mike
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
13,766
2,195
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Punta Cana/DR
www.mikefisher.fun
all taxi companies are affiliated with large transport unions.

yes, look on SIUTRATURAL on the Eastshores. it took a decade of broken windshields, hundreds of flat tyres and a good number of shootouts, till finally the Beron Taxi association could work here in the area(they had their papers since a long time, just that those papers did not protect windshields or tyres nor did they show to be bullett proof kinds). so they reached a greement which is in place til todays:
the Hotels in Punta Cana are devided between them. if you are at one of those hotels and need a taxi to leave, doesn't matter you ride to the airport or wanna ride shopping or where ever, you can NOT decide which taxi company to use. you just ask for a cabby and only the next cabby in line from the particular company working at that Resort can pick you up at the hotel. for each hotel one of those companies is assigned. the hotels can not decide which company to allow or not on their premises. it is different when you are somewhere off resort and take a taxi back to your hotel. for that you can take any registered Cabby and he will be allowed to enter the hotel and drop you off there at the lobby. Taxis, Transfer(Passengers) Companies, Public Busses etc etc etc are ALL in the Unions. they could not exist/survive not beeing a Union Member and paying their fees to a Union.

Mike
 

the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
83
0
they will not get a single car registered as a taxi/transfervehicle without joining any of the Unions. no union no cabby, no cabby no Uber.
to offer services for cheaper than the anyways cheap available transportations, well, that would not leave much if any margin to provide a outstanding service with a always new luxury/comfy vehicle etc etc.
basically, at the hot spots liek a intl airport or around the toruist areas, wehere many taxis are needed (and of coursee already in use by the thousands), you don't need a App to get a taxi within minutes(dominican minutes??), as they are already available right there, no minutes necessary. i can't talk about the Las Americas Airport, as i did not fly in/out from there since at least a decade and anyways never took a taxi there, but for example at PC airport you arrive, grab your luggage, signal you want a Taxi and 30 seconds later you are seated in a comfy Van and on your way. hard to beat, other than thru cheaper prices for at least the same services. to be as a taxi allowed to park at the airport, you def need to be a union member, no other cabbies allowed here. the different taxi companies work here at the airport together, have turns, next ride is for the next driver in line from this company, 2nd next ride is for the next driver on turn of the other company etc etc.
Transfer Companies are just the last step away to have their services running per smartphone app. it already exists, just that you don't always get your "cabby call" answered right away, yet.
i would love to see real competition to the Taxis here in the country, specially for the Mafia running that business here on the East, but i doubt any foreign company can just step in and compete with them. they pay big bucks in highest ciffers for their Monopols, and til today everybody who found a legal loophole to chime in, did simply misteriously Disappear.

Mike

nothing more needs to be said. Uber better look elsewhere.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
it is a complicated system. sometimes individual drivers are affiliated with a company, the company with a local syndicate, the syndicate with a larger union.
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
Uber will do just fine in Santo Domingo, although I suspect it will take some time to gain momentum. Just like in Bogota, Cali, Rio, Panama, Peru, Chile etc.

If you have ever used Uber with your phone, you will understand why it's so easy to use, the connivence and why it scares the crap out of existing taxi networks.
 

TropicalPaul

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
1,366
614
113
I tend to disagree with people who think this won't work. A lot of people in the capital have smart phones - even the poorest of the poor often have them. But there are very few companies offering things like internet shopping and taxi booking and takeaway food to order on apps. It's an open goal. The competition in Europe and the US is so fierce that a lot of companies are looking to markets such as DR. And, with Danilo in power, maybe the political will is enough to allow the taxi unions to be challenged. As the country "grows up", I just can't see that we can go much longer without the "normal" services like online food ordering and taxi booking apps.

Personally, I live in a smart tower block - and there are hundreds of these in the capital. We have a pretty constant stream of taxis picking up and dropping - nobody is that bothered about the cost. I think if there was Uber, there would be a big demand at least here. I stress that I'm speaking for the capital here. Things may stay very different in other parts of the island.
 

Rustxko

New member
Aug 3, 2014
217
0
0
I think the airport will be tough, but I could see Uber working in the cities. I've used the service several times in the US. It is usually 15%-20% cheaper than cabs if you use it right. There are Uber levels like Uber X which can be anyone and it is cheapest. I got picked up in 15 year old minivan once by a Serbia immigrant with a thick accent one time. All you have to be is licensed and have a background check run. They use higher services like Uber XL which is SUV, Uber Select which is luxury, and Uber Black which is limo service.

Uber gets over on riders by 1.5x, 2x, or 3x rates during high usage times. It tells you in app, but if you aren't paying attention and request anyways then it locks in the rate. If you log out and wait 5 minutes, then log back in it usually goes back to 1.

I've talked to drivers, and the way I understood it was that they log into the app when they want to drive. When someone requests a pickup that matches their level, the get the fare and they can accept or not. It all works through your smartphone. Driver and rider have to have a bank account linked through the phone app. As a rider when driver accepts, you get a message showing the drivers name/picture, make/model of the car, ETA, and I think I remember LP. The app works as GPS for the driver. You go wherever you're going. You get out. Uber debits your account. The drivers told me that they pay Uber when they log out. So if a driver is logged in for 2 rides at $15 each, he logs out and Uber keeps their commission say $2 for example and they deposits $28 in the driver's account.

I think it could work in the cities despite the violent unions because Uber X is not identified. There is no marking on the cars. Basically, a person shows up in the car that you're expecting. The driver knows your name. You know what he looks like. You just hop in like he or she is a friend of yours and take off.

I'm not saying there won't be issues because taxi drivers hate Uber drivers in the US, but it may work.

I wonder if there will be a new lowest service level called Uber Moto.