You don't appear to be very familiar with uber's security practices. Customers receive a photo of the vetted driver before the vehicle arrives. If someone other than the pre-screened driver is behind the wheel, well that would be an indication of a problem. For me, the system seems more secure than what the taxi companies do - "blue car, 3 minutes." Anyone with a taxi radio can hear the dispatch but the passenger who called has to just hope for the best. There is a fear of change, but that fades with time.
- Thread starter Mauricio
- Start date
Uber in Santo Domingo
Uber does offer a ride sharing service in some locations. I would not be surprised to see it in the Dominican market since it is such an entrenched practice. The tariff is lower than private service. Other uber services are uber Black (larger luxury cars) uber town car (Lincoln town cars in USA center cities) uberX (the low cost option).
I've used uber in South America, Central America, Europe, and many cities in the USA. The services offered by uber vary slightly by market and country but the one common feature I've found worldwide is an emphasis on high quality and customer service. There is not as much quality and customer care in the Dominican Republic's service sector as there is in many other places, but I believe there is great demand for it. I struggle to be objective about the Dominican taxistas. Their vehicles are often poorly maintained and therefore unsafe. The service quality is abysmal (for example the most basic value of a taxista is knowing where the **** they are going and many don't once they are outside their barrio). They claim prime corner and shaded parking spaces in busy commercial and tourist zones. I hate the way they randomly pull up to people walking down the street and honk at them as if the idea of a taxi would not occur to them until they hear one honking its horn.
The idea that everyone now operating as a taxista is registered is absurd. It is no more regulated than political lobbyists known locally as "miltantes." It's run according to cronyism and personal relationships. To receive dispatch calls, you need a taxista radio and antenna and a plastic sign for the taxi company. Many drivers have a sign for several companies. Then there are the piratas who use the yellow plastic magnetized "taxi" sign they plop on the hood or roof when they go to poach a fare or pick someone up off the street. They will remove it if they decide to start "cochando" along a route section that isn't being monitored by the unions. It's very funny to read these self righteous pronouncements of order in transport services. I think uber will struggle in the interior but I don't think the taxi unions can compete with it in Santo Domingo.
How often does being clueless discourage Dominican public officials from speaking authoritatively? Not very often in my experience.
Thursday I took uber from Barranquilla to Cartagena. Nice SUV. Driver was not my favorite and was going to give him 2-3 stars. Not a bad guy, just a bit old and stuck to the far left of our lane.
With a non divided highway with similar drivers on the other side the ride was more stressful than I would have liked but still less stressful than damn ear any taxi ride in DR.
But. . . .I get to my hotel room and want to run out and recharge my colombian celphone sim. Ooops. I left my iphone 6+ unlocked in the car!
Cel has no service no no "find my iphone". I actually had the driver's number but, that was saved in my PHONE. . .aaaaaaaaaah. . . .
Went to uber site, looked up my trips. The most recent trip had my driver's contact info. Had a customer call him and tell him about the phone.
45 minutes later I have my phone back.
Not happening if I flag down taxis on the street.
With a non divided highway with similar drivers on the other side the ride was more stressful than I would have liked but still less stressful than damn ear any taxi ride in DR.
But. . . .I get to my hotel room and want to run out and recharge my colombian celphone sim. Ooops. I left my iphone 6+ unlocked in the car!
Cel has no service no no "find my iphone". I actually had the driver's number but, that was saved in my PHONE. . .aaaaaaaaaah. . . .
Went to uber site, looked up my trips. The most recent trip had my driver's contact info. Had a customer call him and tell him about the phone.
45 minutes later I have my phone back.
Not happening if I flag down taxis on the street.
see,
that's a big difference to the Uber way discussed here for DR/StDgo.
in NYC(according to your info, i have myself no other info/source about it)
the Uber drivers need a Cabby license.
thats fine,
thats simply competition on a high competitive market.
nothing wrong with that.
here in DR it is dicussed, that Uber drivers would be private persons,
everyone with a car newer tha a 2006 model, a drivers license and able to provide a up to date good conduct paper,
can start this Uber Taxi Business.
and thats where it hits the local customs,
where it becomes a unfair competition.
if Uber will be run by drivers who hold the proper licenses for themselves and their vehicles, to run a cabby, as required in the DR by DR-Law,
then they will be in in no time and without big hassles,
'cause then they would be just an other new competitior on the existing market.
new competition with new technologies is always welcome.
unfair competiton to traditional businesses is a Enemy to fight.
a fine but significant difference.
Mike
they are not just competing with the Taxis, which in StDgo sure will be the vast mayority of transfer options available,
but in an area like the East/Punta Cana they would compete with the countrless Transfer Companies, who are not related nor registered with any Taxi Union.
such Uber Ride could be called to bring me from the airport to my hotel, right?
such Uber vehicle could be called to bring my customers from a hotel over here to the Marina, right?
if those rides are allowed to be done by unlicensed/unregistered private persons in their private vehicles(no tourism transfer minimum insurance etc etc on the car), then why should any of the existing countless Transfer Companies continue to pay the government for the license/extra insurance/drivers permits etc etc to provide the same services??
you can't demand from some to comply with certain requirements, while at the same time every private Juan in a 2007 Camry and a clean record and with a 3.000.- pesos per year Pepin insurance can provide the same service and compete with the others.
unfair,
so it will that way not happen.
let Uber Driver Applicant get a Cabby license or Tourist Transfer License, demand the vehicles to hold the same higher Insurances and let them pay the same yearly renewal fees for vehicles and drivers, and all will be fine, fair play.
Mike
I don't remember hearing about uber looking to operate as a tour transfer company in the Punta Cana or anywhere else. I've used uber in many countries. Their model so far has been a service alternative to taxi and limousine companies, not bus lines and tour transfer companies. That doesn't mean they won't change their model for Punta Cana, so you may have a point.
if they operate in the area,
means a guest calls 'em to be picked up by the hotel to be brought to Point ABC, right?
that's in each area the direct competition to everything running transfers,
in cabbies or tour transfer vehicles and ....
Mike
means a guest calls 'em to be picked up by the hotel to be brought to Point ABC, right?
that's in each area the direct competition to everything running transfers,
in cabbies or tour transfer vehicles and ....
Mike
Maybe we need the whole can of worms to open up, so there is a huge huge explosion and the Syndicatos explode along with them. I am ALL FOR UBER.
For one reason ... If I want to open a bus company to transport people between Bavaro and Santo Domingo, I can not. Even if I want to pass all safety checks and register with DGTT/whomever. I cannot because that route is "owned" by a Dominican East Coast Mafia called Sitrabapu. They would burn my buses down. Caribe Tours tried...and we all know how that ended up (and CT owners are quite powerful, they have more money than Hubieres and Marte combined, as they own Caribe Tours, Cariibe Express, Banco Caribe, etc.)
So if we want Uber to adhere to "rule of law" and "Equal market conditions for everybody", then we need to break up Sindicatos (or let them transform into corporations/associations) and liberalize the transit. Because it isn't "equal market conditions/access" for everyone at the moment.
So I am all for Uber, so it can shake things up in the DR, it can turn things only to the better ...
I'm amazed at the naivety of some posters in this thread that have never used the service, but have an opinion about Uber.
In Medellin and Bogota they offer UberX (New regular cars), UberBlack (New SUV's, larger cars), Uber English (English speaking drivers) and Uber Bici (They bring you a bike to ride).
At first the taxi mafia in Bogota was at all out war with Uber, but that's changing. Due to public opinion, basically saying, adapt or die as your service sucks and you rob people, plus the fact that Uber was offering much better service, they have started to try and lift their game in order to compete with Uber. Drivers say that about 90% of their business is locals and the rest foreigners.
In very service focused cities like Medellin, Uber is thriving and has the full support of the local authorities. Taxi's are having to adapt to compete, which is great for everyone. I love disruption!
In Medellin and Bogota they offer UberX (New regular cars), UberBlack (New SUV's, larger cars), Uber English (English speaking drivers) and Uber Bici (They bring you a bike to ride).
At first the taxi mafia in Bogota was at all out war with Uber, but that's changing. Due to public opinion, basically saying, adapt or die as your service sucks and you rob people, plus the fact that Uber was offering much better service, they have started to try and lift their game in order to compete with Uber. Drivers say that about 90% of their business is locals and the rest foreigners.
In very service focused cities like Medellin, Uber is thriving and has the full support of the local authorities. Taxi's are having to adapt to compete, which is great for everyone. I love disruption!
disruption/competition is always goood.
price- and service wise.
i would not complain to see the skyhigh transfer/taxi costs in punta cana to drop.
but it should be ruled under the same conditions for every competitor.
Robert,
how are they established in Bogota?
did they have to get a Taxi License as drivers like in NYC'
or is it plain average private persons and everyone with a proper car and a smartphone can sign up as a driver?
Mike
price- and service wise.
i would not complain to see the skyhigh transfer/taxi costs in punta cana to drop.
but it should be ruled under the same conditions for every competitor.
Robert,
how are they established in Bogota?
did they have to get a Taxi License as drivers like in NYC'
or is it plain average private persons and everyone with a proper car and a smartphone can sign up as a driver?
Mike
If you have a very nice car in Colombia and what to drive for Uber, you need a valid license, insurance, smart phone, pass their interview with background check and fingerprints. Uber verify your photo and car, plus drivers come under Uber's own liability insurance as far as I know.
Every Uber I have taken in Colombia, Philippines and the UK has been excellent.
Very nice cars and drivers. I have used it maybe 40+ times. The website is excellent and gives you a complete overview of your pickups, routes, payments etc.
Couple of quarks I have come across...
- Both drivers and passengers are rated, in Manila, if you're a passenger with 3 stars or less, they will often not pick you up.
- In Bogota if it's a single person pick-up, then they sit in the front seat, this is to avoid taxis knowing and aggravating them.
- Many drivers have asked me what type of music I would like to listen to and in some cases offered me a bottle of water etc.
I hope it destroys the crappy and poor quality taxi services that exist in Santo Domingo and may other parts of the DR.
Any reasonable person who looks at the situation objectively cannot dismiss the likelihood that it can ONLY improve. It's very bad now.
My son tried it in the USA. At first he loved it, meeting new people, driving to different areas. The more I found out about how Uber operates I sat down and talked him out of it. In the USA they do not take out federal or state taxes when they make the monthly deposit to your account. So I made him well aware that little check he was getting at the end of the year he has to come up with the federal and state portion for taxes.
The biggest concern I had was insurance. Uber covers the passengers and any vehicle my son my have an accident with. I asked him what would he do if he totaled his car and his personal car insurance pointed to the fine print of his policy where it says his vehicle is NOT to be used as a car for hire.
As long as you understand how Uber works and you want to drive for them all well and good. If Uber does come to SD I won't be needing Apolo phone number any longer. I would still keep my main taxi driver as he has been fair to me for several years and an elderly gentleman so I know he could use the cash.
That was my point. I was answering another poster who said uber has security issues. I don't think they have, highly unlikely someone would lent his registered car to someone else to rob people.