Special Report: Uber vs Taxi Experiences in Worcester

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

In a battle being played out across the country between Uber and local taxi companies, GoLocal Worcester sent two reporters out to report the positive and negatives of each company and to experience rides between similar locations. Each reporter broke down their experience into seven sections: Ordering, Pick-Up, Cleanliness, Driving, Cost, Service, and Overall Experience.

SLIDES: Uber vs. Taxis Head-to-Head BELOW

For local taxi companies, one reporter took a ride with Worcester Yellow Cab. The other reporter took Red Cab Worcester. Both reporters took a ride with Uber. From the original desintation, one reporter took Yellow Cab and other Uber. Heading back to original destination, one reporter took Red Cab, while the other took Uber. The original location was InHouse Coffee on Shrewsbury Street Worcester. The destination was Holy Cross College.

The average ride time was nearly ten minutes. The average cost of the four rides was $11.25.

A Matter of Insurance

Recently, local Worcester taxi companies criticzed Ube r for undercutting the market, and therefore increasing the demand for Uber in the city. As one Uber driver put it today, "we have 20 cars now in the city at any given time."

However, one local taxi driver said that the problem comes down to insurance. "The thing about them (Uber) is you really don't know these drivers from anybody. Yes, they may have great rates, but they could be uninsured, unregistered. We have to carry a $1 million policy to do this. They do CORI checks on us, drug tests. They might be cheaper than us, but it's also very random. You never know when you might get some kind of psychopath. If you're looking to save a buck or two and take your chances, then I guess you have that right."

Here's a look at the breakdown between Uber and local taxi companies:

Related Slideshow: UBER vs. Taxi Experience in Worcester

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1. Ordering

Taxis:For both reporters, ordering a taxi in Worcester was a headache. Using the New Worcester Yellow Cab App, one reporter ordered a cab at 10:48AM. At 11:12AM, Cab #41 was assigned, for a total order wait time of 24 minutes. And that was only for a cab to be assigned, it does not include the time it took for the cab to arrive.

Red Cab does not have an app. It has a mobile site with a telephone number. The first call was 22 rings before the call failed. The second call was 16 rings before anyone answered.

Uber: Using the Uber app, ordering was easy. For both reporters, it took less than a minute to order.

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2. Pick-Up

Taxis: For the Worcester Yellow Cab reporter, at 11:15AM, Cab #41 drove past the reporter and parked two blocks away. Apparently realizing his mistake, the cab driver picked the reporter up at 11:19AM, on the opposite side of Shrewsbury Street (31 Minutes from the time the reporter ordered the cab).

The Red Cab took eight minutes to arrive to location.

Uber: On average, the reporters only had to wait six minutes for a Uber car to arrive. When Uber arrived, they picked the reporters up right at the curb.

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3. Cleanliness

Taxis: Both taxis had dirty mats, and their upholstery was worn out. However, both vehicles were at least ten years old.

Uber: Although clean, the inside of the Uber vehicles were both pretty worn. One Uber vehicle was a new Nissan Altima. The other Uber vehicle was an older Toyota Camry.

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4. Driving

As shown in the videos, all four rides were safe and slow. The only problem was Yellow Cab’s decision to take a longer route to Holy Cross. All drivers were friendly and talkative and they all had a good estimate of fares from point A to point B.

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5. Cost

As mentioned, each driver had a good idea of what it would cost for a ride from Shrewsbury Street to Holy Cross and back. However, the cabs were nearly twice as much as Uber. The total cost of the cabs was $28, while Uber only cost the reporters a combined $17.

In one instance, the Uber driver knew ahead of time that construction was being done on an I-290 on-ramp near Holy Cross. As the Uber driver put it, “if they weren’t doing that work, this would’ve been even cheaper.”

See video here:

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6. Service

All drivers from both Uber and local Worcester taxi companies were very professional and friendly. Upon arrival, each driver asked said "Hello," and asked the reporters how their day was going. All four drivers made sure destinations were exact and upon reaching those destinations wished the reporters a "Happy Thanksgiving."