Some tech is getting pricier and looking a lot like the older services it was supposed to beat. Namely video streaming, ride-hailing, and cloud computing.
Others have gotten the main points, but I’ll add one more.
Before Uber, there was no guarantee that your taxi would ever come.
You had to tell the dispatcher both your location and the destination, it would be relayed, and then the drivers would decide if it was worth the effort.
Often short suburban trips outside weekends would not be as profitable to drivers and so they wouldn’t pick you up and there was no way to tell except repeatedly calling up.
So, imagine 11 year old me, standing outside alone in 40 degree summer heat for 90 min waiting for a driver that never came. This happened several times.
It wasn’t a regular thing, both my parents worked and sometimes no one could pick me up from an event. Also this was a pretty safe area and kids playing outside alone was still a thing.
Others have gotten the main points, but I’ll add one more.
Before Uber, there was no guarantee that your taxi would ever come.
You had to tell the dispatcher both your location and the destination, it would be relayed, and then the drivers would decide if it was worth the effort.
Often short suburban trips outside weekends would not be as profitable to drivers and so they wouldn’t pick you up and there was no way to tell except repeatedly calling up.
So, imagine 11 year old me, standing outside alone in 40 degree summer heat for 90 min waiting for a driver that never came. This happened several times.
Uber really did make things better for awhile.
Being expected to navigate your way home alone as an 11 year old seems like a bigger issue than taxies being unreliable tbh :(
It wasn’t a regular thing, both my parents worked and sometimes no one could pick me up from an event. Also this was a pretty safe area and kids playing outside alone was still a thing.
I have some mild taxi trauma (or something) from catching them as a kid so I’m glad youre okay!
The 90s. Our protection from pedophiles was learning to yell “stranger danger” and threats of physical violence if we arrived home after sunset.