The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

There is this great technology based company called Uber that basically Hails you a ride..  I see that they are now in OKC. Just curious what other transportation alternative options are here in Tulsa and How Do the taxi's compare here?  Are any of them using Technology to connect with the customer like Uber? No I don't work for them just curious..

Reference: http://www.koco.com/news/oklahomanews/okc/okla-senate-committee-passes-ridesharing-services-bill/24497394

Here is the actual Bill...
http://openstates.org/ok/bills/2013-2014/SB1703/documents/OKD00023451/

Uber is an awful company. Let's hope they don't come here.

Are you making a statement or do you have an example? Also what are the options here

It's great if you want to spend 40 to 70 % more than a comparable taxi ride, and if you get hurt in one of the cars (which they don't own or have any liability for) you better hope the driver and or the company he or she works for to have insurance to cover you, because Uber won't. They also won't do anything if one of their contractors hits you or your car in an accident if the car does not have a passenger at the time.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101365116 (http://www.cnbc.com/id/101365116)

http://www.cnn.com/search/?query=Uber%20Taxi%20App&sortBy=relevance (http://www.cnn.com/search/?query=Uber%20Taxi%20App&sortBy=relevance)

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/uber-smartphone-app-shakes-up-car-service-industry/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/uber-smartphone-app-shakes-up-car-service-industry/)

Exactly.

The add in the kind of dirty trick Uber plays on the competition:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/24/black-car-competitor-accuses-uber-of-shady-conduct-ddos-style-attack-uber-expresses-regret/

We should get rid of our awful taxi laws first.

I heard Uber was expanding to Tulsa since they have had success in OKC.  I've never used it but know people who have in Denver and LA.  It would be nice to have the option. Lyft too (Uber's competitor )

I want Zipcar out of all these fancy big city options.

Absolutely. Hertz Connect had a car at TU for a while, but that went away some time ago.

I want non-car based transportation options.  Until we make it so a family can realistically live either as a one car family, or car free... then we don't really have "transportation options."

Uber Brings Ride-sharing to Tulsa

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/technology/uber-brings-ride-sharing-to-tulsa/article_83952798-b5d7-11e3-a187-001a4bcf6878.html

By ROBERT EVATT World Business Writer

Pooneet Kant, general manager of Uber Oklahoma, tapped his smartphone, received a notification and relayed it to the TYPros members gathered around him at Guthrie Green.

“Nick is one minute away and ready to pick you up,” he said.

As the TYPros members piled into Nick Georgopoulos’ car, Uber officially launched its services in Tulsa and brought a new transportation option to the area.

Uber, a San Francisco-based company, provides an app designed to connect passengers with drivers for hire. Passengers can use the app to request a ride, and drivers in that area can choose to accept the assignment for a fee.

Though Uber is continuing to expand -- Kant said the service is offered in 85 cities worldwide -- Tulsa appeared on the company’s radar thanks in part to TYPros, a division of the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

Last December, the organization’s second Bring It To Tulsa campaign launched to try to encourage Uber to come to Tulsa. Not only did TYPros officials meet with Uber, they encouraged Tulsans to download the Uber app to get the company’s attention.

The plan worked much faster than the organization expected, said Isaac Roche, 2014 chairman of TYPros.

“We were surprised when we met with them last week and found out they were planning on coming to Tulsa,” he said.

Kant said the TYPros campaign was the deciding factor.

“Their campaign is one of the coolest things we’ve seen as a company,” Kant said. “It was more than enough support that we were very confident we’d have the support to launch.”

I would love to be one of the fee provider drivers. I'll only take women after 11 pm who are under 40, inebriated and wearing high heels.

BTW, don't expect any tips from Typros members.

The tip is already calculated into the fee. No money exchanges hands in the car. I welcome Uber to Tulsa. The taxi scene here is embarrassing.

Also - anecdotal to be sure, but in my several years of experience as a server and bartender back in college, young people in general tipped a lot more than the older clientele. The worst tippers were usually the people who assured you that they were "big tippers."

My anecdotal experience has been the opposite. Not enough sophistication to know they should and how much. That's why you have to add it to the fare.

So I've seen a multitude of posts on Twitter/Facebook from people in town actually trying to use the service but no cars in service.

Then there is the issue with the "Surge Pricing" causing huge fares

Now this:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/technology/uber-ride-service-faces-questions-about-drivers-insurance-lack-of/article_d3198fde-d426-5f45-935f-7b4a6415c5a5.html

Which ends with:

Is the ubermoon phase over?

So if I understand you correctly, you request it through an app, they tell you how much and how much your tip is, and you pay it before you get into the car? Sorry, guess I'm not hip enough to not care about price, and pay for a service in advance.

But you also know the whole price in advance.   If it comes up higher than you like, call a conventional cab company. 

It seems like a great alternative to have available.  I'm curious to see if it stays.

My wife and I used Uber last night to get to and from downtown.   I had a $20 credit that I didn't want to waste.  It was pretty easy to use.  The distance from our house to our drop off was 1.3 miles.  The cost was $5.16 to get there and $5.51 to get back home.  Since I still have some of my credit left, we will definitely use it again.  One thing that I have noticed from randomly bringing the app up is, the later it gets (especially on weeknights), the fewer cars there are.  There were 7 or 8 cars out when we left the house and only 3 when we left downtown.  You might need a backup plan if it is late and there are no cars available to get you to your destination.

So, I did some reading on Zipcar. Sounds awfully damned expensive. If I rented one for two hours a day (one hour each way for commuting so you don't have to pay a $50.00 late fee) and maybe 6 hours on a weekend to take care of shopping, running errands, going out to dinner with friends, at $8.00/hour for an economy car that comes out to $128.00/ week. So in a year of that average you will spend just under $7,000.00/year. That's $2000.00 more per year then when I was making car payment, insurance, gas, oil changes, and  registration.

No thanks, I'll pass for daily use. Maybe when I travel, but doubt it.

I think your missing the point lol.  A zipcar is basically like a quick rental for occasional usage, not regular use.  You would mostly use it in situations where…
 A. You already do most everything you mention above mostly with transit/walking/biking
and then you use it in those occasional cases where…
 B. You can't walk/bike to a destination or use transit easily or need to haul something larger than what you would want to take on a bus/underground/bike etc.

I had a ZipCar membership in the DC area for a few years. I took the metro to work and we had one car for the family. In case we needed a second one, I kept a membership. There was a ZipCar in the metro parking lot so I could walk to get it (not have to get driven to a car rental shop). Over 2-3 years, we used it 3 or 4 times. And it turns out that was when we needed a truck to move something. So we rented a truck for $10/hour. But the peace of mind in case I needed wheels when my wife was using the family car was nice to have.

Definitely not for regular use. Designed for people who live on public transport, but need to take a car to pick something up or get a bunch of groceries, etc.

That's what it was designed for, but from several of the reviews I have read, people were trying to replace car ownership for daily use of Zip. Other things I read was Zip substituting cars of a higher value than what was requested, different rates for the same car based on location, bad customer service, and several people not reading the fine print and their accounts being canceled without notice.

If you are fortunate to live somewhere with outstanding mass transit, and you live within 5 blocks of everything you need, and just need it four hours a week, then it's a good idea.

Actual reviews, or shills ?

It's from Yelp so do as I did and take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/zipcar-chicago (http://www.yelp.com/biz/zipcar-chicago)

Zipcar should be the target by YPros next year.

Or, just a decent bicycle infrastructure. A seriously powerful group has formed in Tulsa. I'm loving it.

Uber clone Lyft is now in Tulsa according to the Tulsa World.  The article says that they have a $1 surcharge on every ride that covers a $1 million insurance policy.  Between Uber and Lyft, is there any reason to choose one over the other?

Sounds like the city's going to take steps to screw up Uber/Lyft.

Talks Begin on Uber, Lyft Ordinance for Tulsa

http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/talks-begin-uber-lyft-ordinance-tulsa (http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/talks-begin-uber-lyft-ordinance-tulsa)

I think they are going to require Uber to pay a fee and carry insurance.  I don't think they are going to screw them up.  Didn't realize you are a city council truther.

Perhaps my language is a bit harsh.  "Screw up" could be going too far.  

I wonder how much regulation each business truly needs.

Is this brought on by competing companies?

"Truther"?  No.  Just wondering what steps they truly need to take to make sure the public gets great service from Uber and other companies like it.  That's what this is about right?  Making sure things go well for the citizens of Tulsa.

21 year old driver, Uber/Lyft to be licensed with the city.  Gives the drivers commercial insurance through Uber/Lyft.  Which is great because many times people assume that they will be covered by their personal insurance when they really aren't.  Which means if you are injured in somebody else's car their insurance isn't going to cover your medical bills.

Also the licensing fee to Uber/Lyft at least makes it equal to a cab company fee.  Now they are legit with the city.  I don't see why they shouldn't have rules on them like the cab companies do.

The Uber app came loaded on my new LG3 phone. I had no idea what it even was. Guess I will try to delete it. I will never use it anyway.

I recently saw a cab in Tulsa when a friend was picked up for a trip to the airport.  The cab companies need the same rules as Uber/Lyft.

They are protecting drivers/riders and bringing uber close to what they do with the taxi companies.  Like background checks and insurance that the taxi's have to do.

Sounds like you're saying the riders and drivers approached the city and said "help, protect us."

Don't mind these regulations. They won't effect much.

PS - I'll never take a cab in this city again. Beyond sketchy. Uber for me or I'll ride a bike.

The last cab I saw here in Tulsa made me think, "No wonder we need Uber here." 

The car looked like something a wholesaler would sell to a junk yard.  The driver was rude and dirty.

Sure is a good thing the taxi companies are being regulated by the city.

I according to my friend who drives Uber.  She said that they do everything required already as a standard business practice.  I don't think Uber will need to change what they are doing already.  But I will have to follow the same rules if I start my own app.

My impression is GT and the city are being proactive.  Cities all across the country are being reactive to these companies and stifling them.  I applaud GT for working with the company and their advocates around the city to craft a reasonable regulation.

If you are in the media, be careful what you say about Uber, they may want to dig up dirt on you and your family.

http://www.cnet.com/news/uber-executive-considered-investigating-and-attacking-journalists/ (http://www.cnet.com/news/uber-executive-considered-investigating-and-attacking-journalists/)

To Delete or Not to Delete: That’s the Uber Question
This is a new quandary faced by customers reliant on Uber’s on-demand taxi app but unsettled about supporting a company whose attitudes toward privacy and women have been making headlines.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/fashion/uber-delete-emil-michael-scandal.html?_r=0

Does You Taxi Sniff Your Smartphone?


What Is Uber Really Doing With Your Data?
http://time.com/3595025/uber-data/

Anyone see South Parks take on Uber v. taxis? Funny stuff. Timmah!!!

And why people wonder why anything that shows where I am at is turned off on my phone.

I bet it's not.

Sissy......

Uber seems to be attracting the cream of the crop for drivers.......

http://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/apache-junction/uber-driver-arrested-for-marijuana-in-apache-junction (http://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/apache-junction/uber-driver-arrested-for-marijuana-in-apache-junction)

http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/12/17/boston-uber-rape-case-cambridge-driver-alejandro-done-arrested/ (http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/12/17/boston-uber-rape-case-cambridge-driver-alejandro-done-arrested/)

http://time.com/3436848/uber-hammer-attack/ (http://time.com/3436848/uber-hammer-attack/)

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-uber-driver-kidnapping-hotel-20140603-story.html (http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-uber-driver-kidnapping-hotel-20140603-story.html)

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/uber-driver-arrested-after-putting-hand-inside-passengers-blouse-orlando-cops-say/28245784 (http://www.clickorlando.com/news/uber-driver-arrested-after-putting-hand-inside-passengers-blouse-orlando-cops-say/28245784)

I guess we all can't expect to get Morgan Freeman to drive us around. But you'd be a "Daisy" if ya do.  ;D

 No love here


http://www.dailydot.com/politics/uber-nypd-video-rant/

Police abuse of Uber driver in New York City. In an unmarked car, the policeman was allegedly attempting to park without using his blinker at a green light. (His reverse lights weren't on. Likely double parked without hazards on.) The Uber driver pulled around and gestured that he should use his blinker, casually and non-offensively, and kept driving us. The policeman aggressively pulls up behind us and this is what happens.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGSrGmHsT8s[/youtube]

http://www.amny.com/news/cop-caught-on-video-berating-uber-driver-stripped-of-shield-and-gun-chided-by-bill-bratton-1.10176116