It's certainly entertaining, but I don't think it's deliberate trolling.
We sure are sensitive about our taxis aren't we...
If I go out for drinks after a long day and I don't have a charger...no Uber for me.
If I get logged out of the app because of an update or if I haven't taken an Uber in a while, I have to reset my password as I don't remember my passwords for apps that are supposed to stay logged in. So no Uber for me until I fiddle with the app and wait on the email/SMS to arrive...blocking pedestrian traffic as I'm doing it.
If there's an issue with my account, I'll get locked out and have to wait days for CS to resolve the issue. I don't take Uber as much in Hong Kong with the MTR and taxis available so these things happen.
Meanwhile, even with all the problems taxis have, I can just walk up to one and be done with it. Or if they refuse, I'll go to the next one. Has happened before, wasn't happy about it, but I got where I needed to go in the end. No biggie. Never had a problem with accounts or whatever with taxis. Problems with the taxi driver? Sometimes...but I always ended up where I need to go. That's all that matters.
Way too many things to worry about in HK, taxis just aren't worth stressing over...I find that thicker skin really helps here. HK is no place for snowflakes
I just took one of the new "Jumbo" taxi vans. New, clean, takes credit cards and had free wifi. Same price as a regular old taxi. Sure it was better but for my 10 minute ride it really didn't make much difference. That is what the article was saying, for most people like me who take short rides during mostly regular hours to urban locations the taxi service works fine so there isn't enough push back to actually change things against the vociferous taxi lobby. Not counting that crazy shift change time of course!
I love having the choice of Uber during those shift changes or late at night but that is only 10% of my rides. And I have had as many bad Uber experiences as taxi experiences and like I said I probably take 9 times the taxis.
I feel sorry for the taxi drivers as the taxi license owners have made a killing while the drivers still make the same money they made 20 years ago
Uber is far from perfect but competition forces everyone to be better or you don't survive and the customers win. Monopolies are the enemy of the consumer.
The point is to hopefully not have the choices taken out of our hands in order to appease taxi mafias around the world.
Actually what value does having a taxi license provide? To the customer and to the taxi driver?
Does it certify reliability? good service? quality? accountability? safety? Of is it just an "in" into the taxi industry?
What Uber has shown is that people are willing to choose alternatives which provide somethings better than taxis, even though it may be less regulated (less safe?), and often more expensive.
Data from the transport department suggests Taxi drivers only ever see a wage increase when the minimum wage levels go up. Any fare increases always end up with a hike in rental fees.
That basically means to be a cabbie in this town you must be desperate or retired and supplementing income.
Desperate people do irrational things and that is probably why some feel the Taxi service is so poor in HK. A simple remedy would obviously to increase the wages of driver by imposing laws that state minimum % of the takings that should go to the driver or you could target this very poor group of people with massive fines to improve their behaviour.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...rings#comments
I know it's not a thing in HK as in the US but I always tip the cabbie at least 10 HKD, typically 20. I don't take cabs very often and when I do, it's often a short trip because I have luggage or a cat (to the vet). So they wait in a long line to pick up ferry passengers and need a decent fare to make it worthwhile.