Have you had it with Uber yet ? The companionship price - gouges customers , screws over its driver , and now , an Uber exec just publicly outlined acavalier planto spy on journalists in retaliation for vital coverage . in effect newsworthiness ! You do n’t have to utilise it any longer . you may apply these alternatives instead .
Buzzfeed editor in chief - in - chief Ben Smith reportsthat at a recent private dinner party , Uber SVP Emil Michael explained an oddly detailed plan for how it could go digging into the lives of the journalists that report the company ’s many indiscretions . Fromthe study :
Over dinner party , he outlined the whimsy of spending “ a million dollar bill ” to hire four top opposition researchers and four journalists . That team could , he articulate , facilitate Uber fight back back against the press — they ’d look into “ your personal lives , your family , ” and give the medium a taste of its own medicine .
The report went on to detail an social function that an Uber executive poked around in a journalist ’s ride account without her permit , which is also creepy and weird .
The society subsequently denied that it actually does any “ oppo ” research . But fuck you Uber . ( That they ’re using the jargony term for it does n’t make a convincing slip that they have n’t at least considered it . ) Journalists are simply doing their jobs in report on your unethical , hardball tactic .
If you are wee-wee at Uber for this or any number of other reason , there ’s a very unproblematic solution : Do n’t employ it . Here are some alternative .
Lyft
This is precisely like Uber . Except the car show up with a funny pink mustache on the grille , and you sit in the front ass or else of in the back . Quirky ! usable in 50 cities and growing .
Sidecar
Though it ’s only available in 10 U.S. markets so far , Sidecar claim to offer the cheapest prices of any service . It ’s the only service that allow drivers to set their own price so that they stay competitive . Competition always benefits consumers .
Curb
The serve formerly known as Taxi Magic is live in 60 cities with rough 35,000 car . Curb only works with professional taxi and for - hire services , which means that your driver wo n’t be some half - humour moonlighting as a driver .
Hailo
An international alternative Curb , Hailo links you with a professional taxicab or licensed car service equipment driver “ in just two taps ” across 12 cities worldwide This is a good dependable option to try if you do n’t like Curb but need to be driven by a pro . The downside ? There are no us cities .
Your local car service
This is a vastly underrated method for obtaining a ride . It ’s not that soft to call a car everywhere , but in some of Uber ’s braggy market people are commit the company load of money when there are in fact much faster methods for engender a ride . In my Brooklyn neighborhood , the local car service is way fast than Uber , and the driver in reality bonk where they ’re going .
Public transportation
I am not being turn over here . At the busybodied times during the day on on weekend night in big cities , produce around in a car is peradventure the dumbest thing you could do . Hoping on rail religious service or motorbus channel with dedicated lane is much faster than sitting in the back of a pricey taxi .
Uber might have the bighearted name in the automotive sharing saving , but there ’s no ground to give it your money if you have qualification about its prac . If you disagree with the company ’s maneuver — and you should!—use any of the many exist methods for take around alternatively .
This post has been updated to reflect Hailo ’s recent decision to pull out of the North American market .
Image by Michael Hession
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