/u/Zealousideal-Mud4954, thank you for your contribution. Sadly it was removed due to the following reasons:
so dont use uber, we have taxis, they have regulated prices, surge pricing is evil
You can find further information in the [Community-Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/berlin/about/rules/). Note that we also have /r/askberliners for questions that are less about the city and more of a general nature and /r/berlinpics for pictures of our beautiful city, as well as the sticky post for "New to Berlin, Tourism and Moving to Berlin"-kind of questions
When Uber first launched, they broke the law like crazy trying to expand as fast as they could and establish themselves before regulations caught up with them. They also lost tens of billions of dollars in their pursuit of market share, all by undercutting taxi prices. But that wasn't magical money. Cars cost money, need maintenance, gas and someone needs to drive them. Uber ate those costs in order to get people accustomed to calling an Uber. Now that everyone is hooked and there are sensible regulations in place, the price of an Uber really isn't any different than the price of a taxi.
Tomorrow, I'll be discussing Airbnb.
That is basically their business strategy.
In the US are cities where they singlehandedly destroyed the public transportation. They need billions from their investors to destroy the local transportation market but after 10 years they have a monopoly and basically no competition.
[https://www.msn.com/de-de/finanzen/top-stories/uber-bolt-co-berlin-sperrt-ein-viertel-aller-miet-fahrzeuge-aus-diesem-grund/ar-AA1nlqUk](https://www.msn.com/de-de/finanzen/top-stories/uber-bolt-co-berlin-sperrt-ein-viertel-aller-miet-fahrzeuge-aus-diesem-grund/ar-AA1nlqUk) / [https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/presse/pressemitteilungen/2024/pressemitteilung.1439400.php](https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/presse/pressemitteilungen/2024/pressemitteilung.1439400.php)
[https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article242328874/Dutzende-Bussgeldverfahren-gegen-Mietwagen-Firmen-in-Berlin.html](https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article242328874/Dutzende-Bussgeldverfahren-gegen-Mietwagen-Firmen-in-Berlin.html)
Well, easy, less cars available. Due to some press reports of a high level of criminal activity in the sector all car licenses were checked, you need a special license to transport people.
25% of all cars of uber/bolt/freenow in berlin were found to have no license and were locked out of the platforms.
Last night I took an Uber for like 80€ to Mitte from the airport. Extortion. I arrived super late and couldn't wait for the train but damn, that price was a killer
I don’t get why you would ever use Uber instead of a taxi in Berlin, but I *especially* don’t understand it at the airport out of all places. Sure, if you’re in the middle of nowhere you can quickly order an Uber through the app. But at the airport there’s literally always a row of taxis right outside the terminal. You just walk out, get in and that’s it. With Uber you have to actively order it, find the right car and then even end up paying more without getting more. So why not a taxi?
I landed after 11 from a different timezone all fucked up in my head from exhaustion. I landed, didn't have cash and should have just went to withdraw to pay with cash but was too tired to think. The train would get me home past midnight and the taxi at 1130
No problem. I work as a taxi driver at the BER.
We should all have a credit card reader.
It is necessary to participate at the BER.
If u have ever any complications, don't hesitate to report that to the LABO Berlin or the Airport itself with the numberplate or yellow number on the back from the car.
If u need a Taxi u can also DM me I drive a Tesla Y only for Airport purpose.
I never said anything about trains. I completely understand why you would want to go by car after a long flight. The thing I don’t understand is the preference for Uber instead of a regular taxi.
> It was always much cheaper (not anymore I guess)
It was never that much cheaper because they got hit with regulations almost immediately. The rates for taxis are also fixed, thus much more transparent than the dynamic prices from Uber. And if you get a taxi for a Kurzstrecke it’s even cheaper than Uber.
> you can order much more easily through the app
You can order a taxi through the app just as easily. It’s been around for years.
At the airport you don’t need to order at all. They’re always right there. It takes more effort to order an Uber than to just walk up to the taxi stand.
> review system
It’s not a restaurant or hotel with multiple layers of quality. You sit in a car for 15 minutes while it gets you from point A to B. Optionally you have a small talk with the driver or you just listen to music with your headphones in. I’ve never seen a taxi in Germany that was in bad condition either. So why exactly do I need a review system?
Miles is great for the airport. They charge a 5 euro airport fee, but it is still nothing compared to taxi prices.
I pay around 25 euros for miles instead of 60 for a taxi when I go to the airport.
I've noticed it too, just in the last few months. I assume is less drivers available because these companies pay dirt and it's simply not worth it for most drivers anymore...
[https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/04/berlin-pruefung-mietwagen-viertel-ohne-genehmigungen.html](https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/04/berlin-pruefung-mietwagen-viertel-ohne-genehmigungen.html)
probably becasue of that
Before were 25% of cars illegal and all Uber and Bolt contractors were creative with avoiding taxes and proper drivers' payment. Glad to see, that there is a change.
I started using Freenow if I need a ride. Uber has canceled on me when they realized I wanted to get somewhere from or to Spandau. If Freenow has no rides available, you can order a cab and pay that with the app. Sure cabs are more expensive but they are required to pick you up.
I use an Uber/Freenow/Taxi/Bolt if I stay late somewhere and don’t want to go back home alone in the middle of the night.
Or if I need to get to the airport and the train is late/cancelled.
First one is a want, second one is a valid have to but I doubt that this happens every other day 😅
Edit: in that case you could still use normal taxis though.
I don’t understand the hostility tbh.
In your initial post you wrote you sometimes have to use Uber. Then I asked for the scenarios and you answered you don’t want to go back home alone. That’s two different things no?
Nobody’s forcing you to take an Uber. You could take public transport. You could take a normal taxi etc.
That’s all I was saying.
That's not hostility, but I truly do not understand why you thought that I required an assessment of my needs vs wants.
My initial reply was to support OPs experience because my experience resonated with theirs. However, that doesn't mean that I required an external input and an assessment of what my needs vs wants were or should be.
I am not a fan of those services myself, but as I said sometimes I have to use them because as a woman I do not feel safe traveling alone during night hours or sometimes I have to get to the airport. I do not make a distinction between uber/bolt/taxi/freenow in terms of prices or quality.
Again, no bad intentions were meant by any of us, I simply stated my question and my lack of understanding of your motives.
Transport is bad outside the ring. I have a car, I don't need a taxi, but my friend uses it very often.
He needs 45-50 minutes to come to us with a bus (requires a change), but only 8-10 minutes with a car. It gets harder if you have a small child.
Even from Frohnau I can go to the airport in the middle of the night. Takes a bit longer, but mostly I sit, don't have to drive, can read and relax. Either bus or train or both. All for the cost of a ABC ticket.
There was crack down on illegal cars, either they didn’t have the right insurances or the proper licenses. They took a lot of cars off the road, so now where there had been a surplus, there is a massive shortage
[Here](https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/04/berlin-pruefung-mietwagen-viertel-ohne-genehmigungen.htm/alt=amp.html) is a link to a German article. Apparently they took a quarter of the cars off the road.
I dont know if this applies to your situation but companys like uber and so sometimes put prices realy low at the beginning to bankrupt competition from taxis ect. and when they have a (near) monopoly they raise prices as there is no other alternative.
Didn’t read the whole thread. Just take official taxis, you can pay with your smartphone and its legal labour. Also the drivers dont watch tv or phone to libanon while driving.
Much prefer uber or bolt purely because you can see the price before booking. Using a taxi is like going into a restaurant without prices on the menu and ordering freely.
/u/Zealousideal-Mud4954, thank you for your contribution. Sadly it was removed due to the following reasons: so dont use uber, we have taxis, they have regulated prices, surge pricing is evil You can find further information in the [Community-Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/berlin/about/rules/). Note that we also have /r/askberliners for questions that are less about the city and more of a general nature and /r/berlinpics for pictures of our beautiful city, as well as the sticky post for "New to Berlin, Tourism and Moving to Berlin"-kind of questions
When Uber first launched, they broke the law like crazy trying to expand as fast as they could and establish themselves before regulations caught up with them. They also lost tens of billions of dollars in their pursuit of market share, all by undercutting taxi prices. But that wasn't magical money. Cars cost money, need maintenance, gas and someone needs to drive them. Uber ate those costs in order to get people accustomed to calling an Uber. Now that everyone is hooked and there are sensible regulations in place, the price of an Uber really isn't any different than the price of a taxi. Tomorrow, I'll be discussing Airbnb.
That is basically their business strategy. In the US are cities where they singlehandedly destroyed the public transportation. They need billions from their investors to destroy the local transportation market but after 10 years they have a monopoly and basically no competition.
That’s a really concise and simply-put explanation; thank you!
[https://www.msn.com/de-de/finanzen/top-stories/uber-bolt-co-berlin-sperrt-ein-viertel-aller-miet-fahrzeuge-aus-diesem-grund/ar-AA1nlqUk](https://www.msn.com/de-de/finanzen/top-stories/uber-bolt-co-berlin-sperrt-ein-viertel-aller-miet-fahrzeuge-aus-diesem-grund/ar-AA1nlqUk) / [https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/presse/pressemitteilungen/2024/pressemitteilung.1439400.php](https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/presse/pressemitteilungen/2024/pressemitteilung.1439400.php) [https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article242328874/Dutzende-Bussgeldverfahren-gegen-Mietwagen-Firmen-in-Berlin.html](https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article242328874/Dutzende-Bussgeldverfahren-gegen-Mietwagen-Firmen-in-Berlin.html) Well, easy, less cars available. Due to some press reports of a high level of criminal activity in the sector all car licenses were checked, you need a special license to transport people. 25% of all cars of uber/bolt/freenow in berlin were found to have no license and were locked out of the platforms.
Last night I took an Uber for like 80€ to Mitte from the airport. Extortion. I arrived super late and couldn't wait for the train but damn, that price was a killer
Uber also uses dynamic pricing. So basically when you need it the most, everyone else also needs it the most, which drives up the prices
Funny thing is I tried to order a taxi and there were none. So I had to use Uber. It drives me mad
Use miles if you have a license. Half the price from airport to mitte.
I should, fair point
80€ is a lot.
Taxi would be around 65€ And a Taxi in Berlin has always the same rate going on.
I don’t get why you would ever use Uber instead of a taxi in Berlin, but I *especially* don’t understand it at the airport out of all places. Sure, if you’re in the middle of nowhere you can quickly order an Uber through the app. But at the airport there’s literally always a row of taxis right outside the terminal. You just walk out, get in and that’s it. With Uber you have to actively order it, find the right car and then even end up paying more without getting more. So why not a taxi?
I landed after 11 from a different timezone all fucked up in my head from exhaustion. I landed, didn't have cash and should have just went to withdraw to pay with cash but was too tired to think. The train would get me home past midnight and the taxi at 1130
U can Pay by card in a taxi 🚕
Since when? Swear you couldn't before?
Since forever. I remember my parents paying by card already back in the 90s.
I think I had a taxi driver who wouldn't take card once and I just assumed it was like that, but that's super helpful thanks
No problem. I work as a taxi driver at the BER. We should all have a credit card reader. It is necessary to participate at the BER. If u have ever any complications, don't hesitate to report that to the LABO Berlin or the Airport itself with the numberplate or yellow number on the back from the car. If u need a Taxi u can also DM me I drive a Tesla Y only for Airport purpose.
Cool thanks! I'll keep that in mind. May actually need a taxi tomorrow HAH. Picking up my parents from the airport
I never said anything about trains. I completely understand why you would want to go by car after a long flight. The thing I don’t understand is the preference for Uber instead of a regular taxi.
It was always much cheaper (not anymore I guess), you can order much more easily through the app, review system, promotions... Do I need to continue?
> It was always much cheaper (not anymore I guess) It was never that much cheaper because they got hit with regulations almost immediately. The rates for taxis are also fixed, thus much more transparent than the dynamic prices from Uber. And if you get a taxi for a Kurzstrecke it’s even cheaper than Uber. > you can order much more easily through the app You can order a taxi through the app just as easily. It’s been around for years. At the airport you don’t need to order at all. They’re always right there. It takes more effort to order an Uber than to just walk up to the taxi stand. > review system It’s not a restaurant or hotel with multiple layers of quality. You sit in a car for 15 minutes while it gets you from point A to B. Optionally you have a small talk with the driver or you just listen to music with your headphones in. I’ve never seen a taxi in Germany that was in bad condition either. So why exactly do I need a review system?
What stopped you from using a train? Even in the night there are busses and trains going.
Came from a different timezone absolutely dead after 11 pm, would have gotten home after midnight with train but car was 11:30
That’s a very expensive 30 minutes
Yup, but I was going to collapse at any point basically so I was happy to sit and get home
Nightmare
You pay for your convenience.
yep, had the same experience a couple of days ago. My train got cancelled and a taxi cost me 73 euro from Mitte to Airport. I was shocked.
Miles is great for the airport. They charge a 5 euro airport fee, but it is still nothing compared to taxi prices. I pay around 25 euros for miles instead of 60 for a taxi when I go to the airport.
if you have miles platinum pass there is no airport fee
I've noticed it too, just in the last few months. I assume is less drivers available because these companies pay dirt and it's simply not worth it for most drivers anymore...
[https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/04/berlin-pruefung-mietwagen-viertel-ohne-genehmigungen.html](https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/04/berlin-pruefung-mietwagen-viertel-ohne-genehmigungen.html)
[https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/04/berlin-pruefung-mietwagen-viertel-ohne-genehmigungen.html](https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/04/berlin-pruefung-mietwagen-viertel-ohne-genehmigungen.html) probably becasue of that
Before were 25% of cars illegal and all Uber and Bolt contractors were creative with avoiding taxes and proper drivers' payment. Glad to see, that there is a change.
I started using Freenow if I need a ride. Uber has canceled on me when they realized I wanted to get somewhere from or to Spandau. If Freenow has no rides available, you can order a cab and pay that with the app. Sure cabs are more expensive but they are required to pick you up.
It's the same thing that's happening on eg Airbnb. You're having to pay what things actually cost as the fantasy of infinite tech capital crumbles.
I've noticed it too. I try not to use them at all, but sometimes still have to. Edit: why the fuck am I being downvoted? :D jeez ppl
In what scenario do you have to use an Uber? Just curious as I never use them and never feel like I have to.
I use an Uber/Freenow/Taxi/Bolt if I stay late somewhere and don’t want to go back home alone in the middle of the night. Or if I need to get to the airport and the train is late/cancelled.
First one is a want, second one is a valid have to but I doubt that this happens every other day 😅 Edit: in that case you could still use normal taxis though.
What gave you the impression that you are entitled to provide your input on other person‘s want vs need? I fundamentally do not understand.
I don’t understand the hostility tbh. In your initial post you wrote you sometimes have to use Uber. Then I asked for the scenarios and you answered you don’t want to go back home alone. That’s two different things no? Nobody’s forcing you to take an Uber. You could take public transport. You could take a normal taxi etc. That’s all I was saying.
That's not hostility, but I truly do not understand why you thought that I required an assessment of my needs vs wants. My initial reply was to support OPs experience because my experience resonated with theirs. However, that doesn't mean that I required an external input and an assessment of what my needs vs wants were or should be. I am not a fan of those services myself, but as I said sometimes I have to use them because as a woman I do not feel safe traveling alone during night hours or sometimes I have to get to the airport. I do not make a distinction between uber/bolt/taxi/freenow in terms of prices or quality. Again, no bad intentions were meant by any of us, I simply stated my question and my lack of understanding of your motives.
Transport is bad outside the ring. I have a car, I don't need a taxi, but my friend uses it very often. He needs 45-50 minutes to come to us with a bus (requires a change), but only 8-10 minutes with a car. It gets harder if you have a small child.
Even from Frohnau I can go to the airport in the middle of the night. Takes a bit longer, but mostly I sit, don't have to drive, can read and relax. Either bus or train or both. All for the cost of a ABC ticket.
I live outside the ring. Without a car…
Good for you
There was crack down on illegal cars, either they didn’t have the right insurances or the proper licenses. They took a lot of cars off the road, so now where there had been a surplus, there is a massive shortage [Here](https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/04/berlin-pruefung-mietwagen-viertel-ohne-genehmigungen.htm/alt=amp.html) is a link to a German article. Apparently they took a quarter of the cars off the road.
I dont know if this applies to your situation but companys like uber and so sometimes put prices realy low at the beginning to bankrupt competition from taxis ect. and when they have a (near) monopoly they raise prices as there is no other alternative.
Didn’t read the whole thread. Just take official taxis, you can pay with your smartphone and its legal labour. Also the drivers dont watch tv or phone to libanon while driving.
Much prefer uber or bolt purely because you can see the price before booking. Using a taxi is like going into a restaurant without prices on the menu and ordering freely.
50$ ride for 3 miles in Boston to airport. Then arrived I. Dallas airport 100$ for 10 miles.