Yes but not by choice but necessity to keep business strong. All the while Uber is reaping a small cut for themselves.
I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but it's vital that the UK cab firms set up their own rival(s) to Uber, otherwise long term Uber will just monopolise and squeeze the cab firms as much as they dare and consumers will notice they're paying more too...always happens when there is zero competition... i.e eBay lol.

Uber needs to increase the fares to at least match other taxi firms because currently they're ridiculously low.

I think the uber model is not just for the taxi trade but will eventually be adopted by the economy as a whole and it will lead to vast job losses in the future through extensive automation. Truck drivers, deliver drivers, admin jobs and anything that is repetitive can easily be automated. I don't think its avoidable as the current trends show the consumers want the cheapest price rather than paying a bit extra to support an actual job/person. Politics obviously can change all this and we all know what happens when people lose well paid jobs in defunct industries (Donald Trump)

In the long term uber wants to utilise driverless cars, whilst I don't think they will replace the whole taxi fleet with driverless cars , it will lead to lower fares for the customer as the biggest cost is the driver. With more people opting to use the driverless cars, the drivers will make less money and eventually a lot of people will have to leave the trade but this could be 15/20 years down the line. I'm glad to say that I will be quitting the taxi trade in August as I have secured a job elsewhere

When Uber was launched in Leeds the rate for fares were decent but now they're quite low and uber does charge 25% yes 25% commission on all fares so on a £3 fare the driver only takes homes £2.25 and imagine having to wait 10mins in city traffic to earn that amount.

I'm a private hire driver in Leeds and have driven with Uber and other companies before in the city. Uber has its benefits and its drawbacks like any other taxi company, the benefits:

*safety - you don't carry cash so you're not a target of mugs. In general the customer tend to behave a bit better because both the driver and the customer have ratings so there is a vested interest . I personally don't pick up passengers with a rating for less than 4.4/5. Plus if you're sick in the car then I can claim money from Uber rather than having to beg the passenger to pay cleaning fee. And no runners... Its all taken by card.
* city wide operation- you're not localised to a certain area so you can get a fare if you go to the other side of town rather than driving back to your area empty.
*its really easy, no fussing with money and quick.
*Surge fares- prices go up when demand is high so you earn more but lately surge doesn't come on as frequently and its a lot lower (uber has made some changes to the system and the city is full to the brink with drivers from nearby towns)

I think the biggest drawback is the low rate of fare compared to other companies, uber isnt worth it for the driver if the passenger travel over a long distance and there is no option to tip the driver.. The surge fares do make up the difference though.. Also because uber allows drivers from nearby cities to drive in my area, it has led to less fares and surge not coming on as frequently.. Im making probably around 20% less compared to last year.

Uber is interesting, it's a white collar tech/analytics company muscling in and trampling on a blue collar business. On one hand it's progress and the future, on the other hand it's the new Tesco farting on the small corner shops. I guess consumers must prefer the smell though, capitalism baby...

Yeah but they are getting screwed in the process but due to the aggressiveness of its marketing and pricing strategies no one can compete anymore.

I added my Barclays card but it didnt ask me for a promo code? Does it ask me for the code when im actually making the booking

I've already used Uber app so anyone know if I'm eligible for using this code or should I setup new Uber account?

Is this also for existing customers who add a new barclaycard?

Mind you! You must use up the £25 to make it worth your while unless if your journey cost any less, you will forfeit whatever difference remaining from the free £25.

hot

was going to go get smashed in my local town tonight but now i am thinking of getting smashed the other side of the city.... oh wait I still need to get home hahaha - heat added