The conflict has been brewing between Uber and the traditional airport taxi service provider for the past few years but it reached its crescendo in the past few months thanks to some dramatic decisions being made at the highest level of the company. Maybe it was not the Uber at the initial stage, but there has always been an attempt to challenge the hegemony of traditional taxi service provider.
There is no denying of the fact that some traditional taxi service providers used to fleece customers by charging them excessively. So passengers more particularly frequent flyers have always been looking for some sort of alternative and Uber just happens to emerge as that ‘alternative’. Interestingly enough, Uber starts its marketing blitzkrieg as a good alternative of those pesky airport taxis and as expected, people just can’t resist the temptation. Uber app was downloaded millions of times and the company was blessed with steady business leads.
At the initial stage or to be precise, during the honeymoon period of Uber, customers were gifted with heavy discount and it is the lure of deep discount coupled with numerous other features that were instrumental in driving the customers away from fold of airport taxi providers.
So, you might be wondering what went wrong. The tide is clearly turning against Uber as more and more customers posting negative reviews about Uber. It all started with the realization that “You can’t burn investors’ money forever”. This is definitely not a good idea if your plan is to make money in the near future.
One of the biggest disadvantages of Uber and its taxi service model is that it is not organized properly. The most fascinating fact about Uber is that it is not controlled by any governing agency. It is basically a group of individual taxi service providers who decide to join the bandwagon of Uber just to make some extra cash. But after the initial period of euphoria, their joy turns to ashes in their mouths.
What is interesting to note here is that these individuals are not directly hired by the Uber rather they get treated as business partner. The term ‘partner’ may sound nice but believe me it is not. As they are treated as the partner of the company, they can’t claim any employee benefits like – ‘Paid Leave’, ‘Sick Leave’, ‘Mediclaim’ etc.
In short, they have to fend for themselves from economic uncertainties of their own. The initial sign of cracks start getting visible when Uber starts reducing the amount of money being spent on their marketing budget. This is the starting point of the conflict.
Contrary to what most people believe, traditional airport taxi service providers are staging a come back. The best thing about traditional taxis is that they work independently. They don’t have to depend on anyone to determine the rate or the route. Of course, there is governing body that takes all the decisions but by and large, airport taxi providers act independently. So, if you love your freedom more than the dollars, you should always aspire to become an airport taxi provider.
The main disadvantages of Uber are listed below –
- They change their policy way too often.
- They determine the rate without even consulting you.
- They look down upon the idea of forming a union.
- They are here to make money.
So, the question is – ‘Are you going to use Uber next time you fly down to Detroit Airport or will you play safe and follow the footsteps of not-so- tech-savvy ’ group and book a traditional airport taxi.
We have explained everything in detail and now, it is your turn to make the decision. Whatever you decide, Metro Airport Taxi just went to say ‘Happy and Safe Journey’. In case, you opt for traditional airport taxi, we recommend you to get in touch with us. We are here to help.