[NLVgal]

In the article on the RJ, the passenger was a Frias employee. It was a sting. Now we have a newbie extolling the virtues of driving a cab in Vegas. I followed EAs posts, Cyborgs, too. My uncle also worked for Bell Trans for years.

I'm sure I don't have to state the obvious.

[lvoc]

The strip however remains a problem. And the problem is real and physical. We solve it now by using a limitation on cabs and some other vehicles and a queuing that controls their dispensing.

If you add Uber with its business model you defeat both the limit on vehicles and the queuing behavior. I would expect a very bad result. You may actually do things like cut the total ride miles available on the strip in half.

Not defending the way the old boy club works but it has parameters that fit the problem. If you change the process significantly you need to know how you will keep it working. It is not simple.

[Vegas_Cabbie]

Originally Posted by von949

So, do you feel sympathy for uber drivers trying to make a living or are you against both taxis and ubers coexisting? From what you posted above, there seems to be a need for a taxi alternative. Am I wrong?

By the way, some part time ubers may be satisfied with the once a month airport pick-up/drop-off. It really doesn't make sense for me to land at a busy airport, walk to a taxi stand with dozens of empty taxis, ask 50 of them for a ride off the strip and get rejected.

I don't know if I sympathize per say... I mean, no one is forcing anybody to chose their occupation, ya know?

I guess what I'm saying is that it doesn't pay to be with Uber compared to being a cabbie. I'm not saying it because I'm a cabbie... I'm just being real about it. There is just an overwhelming amount of hidden expense that people don't see... Uber claims it's average driver makes $90,000 ... I can't even begin to tell you how much of a joke that is.

To give you an idea, I'll make roughly $40k a year, take home after everything. Not too bad for Vegas with no income tax and low property tax.

Yearly Uber salary, full time:

Even if Uber driver made 90k, you will have to deduct self-employment tax (which covers medicare and SS payments -- roughly 15%)
90,000 x .85 = 76,500

Gas: (I put on about 150 miles a day in the cab... if you are working five days a week, that is 260 days a year... 150 miles a day x 260 days a year = 39,000 miles. If you average 25mpg in the city, you will use roughly 1,560 gallons of fuel... 1,560 x $3 a gallon is $4,680)
76,500 - 4,680 = 71,820

Set of tires each year: $500
71,820 - 500 = 71,320

We'll say you get an oil change every 3,900 miles to make the numbers easy...
10 oil changes at $20 each: $200
71,320 - 200 = 71,120

Cell phone Uber makes you pay $40/month for: $480
71,120 - 480 = 70,640

Health Insurance for ONE PERSON per month: $328
Per year: 3,936
$328: Average Monthly Health Insurance Cost Under the Affordable Care Act | NBC4 Washington
70,640 - 3,936 = 66,704

Unless you plan on working until you are dead, you'll want to keep putting money into an IRA... the average American is putting roughly 10% into their 401k... which would mean $9000 here... let's be conservative and say it's 6,704
66,704 - 6,704 = 60,000

You will not be allowed to drive an older, high mile car for Uber... Figure a new car every three years (earlier, we estimated the yearly mileage to be 39,000 miles... unless you have a second car specifically for Uber, you will be putting miles onto it during your off days... let's be conservative and say 11,000 in an entire year go on the vehicle in addition to the 39k working... this would be 150,000 in three years... a new car would be needed.)
The car has to be a full-size four-door model... let's say 25k for a new car (even Toyota Camrys are over 23k now!)... divide this by 3 for the three years and you got 8,333
60,000 - 8,333 = 51,667

We are all the way down to $51,667 from $90,000 and this is assuming not a single dollar is spent on unexpected car repair or certain-to-repair things like brakes.

Driving Uber full time vs Driving a cab full time ... it's not even a difficult decision. I'll take my cab any day.

[Everdeen]

It does appear the Uber may be in self-destruct mode:

Some Uber drivers say company

How Much Money Uber Drivers Really Make - Business Insider

It's too bad. It could be like Car To Go and the like, but drivers are not doing better that cab drivers.

[ddrhazy]

Originally Posted by Vegas_Cabbie

I failed Econ 101? Really...
Yeah, you're right... I think I'd like to buy a new car every other year, pay for tires, brakes and oil changes constantly, give up my paid vacation, give up all my medical benefits, give up my 401k, give up the right to pick up on the strip and airport, give up free roadside assistance for my family, give up my cell discount, give up free meals available daily at multiple locations throughout the city... And many more things... Just to make $11 an hour with Uber?

Should I keep going or is it starting to click..?

Everything you have listed is a negative for the cabbie but not for the customer. And while I do feel and empathize that taxi drivers do need to earn a living and pay for all those things you listed above, ultimately people are going to demand the cheaper alternative if it's available.

[EA]

A lack of money is why the rest of Vegas can't get taxi service. It's not worth it to leave the strip, where the customers are, to drive all the way to bfe, to pick someone up, who may or may not even be there when you get there. Then if they want you to take them somewhere else far from the strip, you're sitting empty for a good hour or so, then you have to get back in line at a casino and possibly sit another hour waiting for a fare. 2 hours you're not getting paid for. I took exactly 1 radio call the entire time I drove. I got there and the son of a.... wasn't even there. 45 wasted minutes and wasted gas.

[ddrhazy]

How much would it cost for one person to own their own cab in town? That's a good place to start the evaluation of how Uber could change the industry and free cab drivers from the employers they work for.

[EA]

Originally Posted by ddrhazy

How much would it cost for one person to own their own cab in town? That's a good place to start the evaluation of how Uber could change the industry and free cab drivers from the employers they work for.

You can't. However, the medallions seem to be around $400,000 which is what a taxi needs to be a taxi.
However, that can be sold for $400,000 as soon as you retire/quit. Then you have to buy a meter, lights, vomit proof interior, and a car of course. Basically, the cost of owning a car + taxi accessories. You can even rent out the cab to another driver when you want time off.

[ddrhazy]

So the problem really, is why are medallions so expensive? They serve no purpose other than to bolster the coffers of the county which may or may not be using this medallion tax properly.

[logline]

Originally Posted by EA

A lack of money is why the rest of Vegas can't get taxi service. It's not worth it to leave the strip, where the customers are, to drive all the way to bfe, to pick someone up, who may or may not even be there when you get there. Then if they want you to take them somewhere else far from the strip, you're sitting empty for a good hour or so, then you have to get back in line at a casino and possibly sit another hour waiting for a fare. 2 hours you're not getting paid for. I took exactly 1 radio call the entire time I drove. I got there and the son of a.... wasn't even there. 45 wasted minutes and wasted gas.

Uber would have fixed that scenario. Not only would they be there, but you would have been able to track each other via GPS on your phones.