In case you were too lazy to click on the link... I see them throughout the area now, why ride a JC cab when you can go in style. :)

There is an interesting conversation going around in Hudson County, New Jersey, right now to do with real estate, house prices and Uber, the ride-sharing and limousine app.
In pubs, restaurants and cocktail bars, people are seriously discussing moving farther away from Manhattan to less convenient neighborhoods ? where houses and apartments tend to be bigger and less expensive ? because they've recently discovered Uber.


For some strange reason, Uber seems to be both cheaper and more convenient in New Jersey than it is in New York. Two Uber drivers recently told me why they believe that is: There is an oversupply of drivers in New Jersey, and an under-supply in New York, these drivers say.

We'll explain why in a moment, but the effect of that imbalance is interesting.

Uber can be expensive to use ? everyone dreads "the surge," when prices go up due to high demand. But in New Jersey, surges seem to be less frequent and less extreme than they are in New York.

This makes Uber cheap to use in New Jersey, even cheaper than getting a taxi. You can frequently save money using Uber. (My New York colleagues tell me they believe Uber is generally more expensive than a taxi, but all this data is anecdotal.)

And that, potentially, could change the real estate geography of Hudson County, the pseudo-metropolis of 635,000 people that sits opposite Manhattan on the western bank of the Hudson River. Until now, the most desirable places to live in Hudson have been Jersey City, Hoboken and to a lesser extent Weehawken. That's due to the fact that those cities sit right next to the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, and on top of the N.J. Transit train and PATH subway lines that go in and out of New York. Ideally, commuters want to live near a train or bus stop into the city.


But because Uber has made getting around in Hudson County so much quicker and more comfortable, people are considering moving farther out to previously less desirable neighborhoods, like Jersey City's Heights and Greenville areas. Until now, they have both required long walks or uncomfortable bus rides for residents who need to get to Manhattan. A daily $6 Uber ride to the nearest PATH adds up to just $1,500 a year in commuting costs for a Heights or Greenville resident. That would be easily offset by the cheaper mortgage or rental fees you'd pay to live in the Heights' high-ceilinged, big-roomed buildings, which have clifftop views of the New York skyline, or Greenville's full-house abodes.
This is all great news for the good people of Jersey City, Hoboken and Weehawken, of course. But why is Uber doing them this favor?


It turns out that any driver who is licensed to drive a taxi or limo in New York is automatically licensed to do the same in New Jersey, drivers have told me. But New Jersey drivers are not cross-qualified to drive in Manhattan, I am told. Many New York drivers thus end up driving for Uber across the river in Jersey, but Jersey drivers cannot go to New York. (Even if this is not the reason, I can confirm that many New York drivers end up driving for Uber in New Jersey.) The obvious result: There are always Uber cars available in Hudson County.
That oversupply of drivers fends off surge prices even when it is raining.

Whether it will reshape the real estate market is a different question. But the fact that people are even talking about it shows you the power tech can bring when it comes to reforming public transport options, and reshaping neighborhoods.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-i ... york-2014-3#ixzz2xBEQtK2c

I used Uber for the first time this last weekend to get back from the east village to DTJC. I'm never going to use a cab again. We got a brand new black Lincoln Navigator SUV for $52. On top of that I got $20 off to bring it $32 as a first time Uber user.

Cabs for the same route usually end up costing me about $80 after much moaning and groaning from the driver. When the Uber driver picked up up I said "Sorry, we're making you cross the Hudson". He laughed and said he was happy to take us whereever we need to go. The driver wore a suit, was incredibly friendly, offered if we'd like to listen to a particular radio station, and the car was immaculate.

All of this and you don't have to tip or anything. Just got out of the car and received an email stating our final amount charged a few mins later.

Cab drivers should be rightfully concerned about Uber taking their customers. Awesome service.

I am another HUGE Uber fan for this area. I have used it three times (UberX) to go from EWR to JC (BeLa) and have always paid around $25 - $28. The cars are always clean, the drivers pleasant and the fare much better than regular cabs. The last time I tried to use a for-hire service (USA Taxi) they showed up 45 minutes late, the driver was unapologetic, belligerent even, and I missed my flight because the driver chose to go on a route that I knew was congested and despite my telling him NOT to go that way. Of course, they refused to own up to their mistake and didn't care one bit. I will NEVER use them again.

To be honest, at the current UberX rates, even taking the light rail can be more expensive if two or three people are sharing the ride. I wish them continued success.

This is great news. My girlfriend was on crutches a while back and had to rely on JC cabs for about two weeks.

Ahahahaha

Here's to cars that show up within 40 minutes of what they promise, for a reasonable price. Game changer indeed.

should this thread be included in the proposed "agressive begging and panhandling" laws?

Use MY link...
no, use MYYY link....

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Ain't that the truth. The taxicab industry pushed hard to shut this down in DC, and they succeeded, albeit only temporarily.

Now I heard on the radio this morning that they're pushing hard to get it shut down in NYC, all under the guise that the Uber cars and their drivers are not as safe as taxicabs and not properly insured. The safety argument is just laughable, given the way most taxicabs in JC are held together by rubber bands and chewing gum, and as for insurance, all Uber drivers must have a certain level of insurance or they don't drive.

Uber is a classic case of the capitalist markets working efficiently to bring buyers and sellers together and prices adjusting with supply and demand. The taxicab industry either has to innovate and learn how to compete in the capitalist world, or their drivers will simply move over to Uber as well. While I still might take a cab in NYC, forget about it in Jersey City and Hoboken - good riddance to those taxis!

It's time the taxicab industry learn that smelly cars that barely hold together along with rude drivers who refuse to drive certain places, and sometimes DEMAND tips, is not the way to do business anymore.

Sounds like Uber is essentially expanding the "city center" by one or two neighborhoods. Places like the Heights, Lafayette, Greenville may not be quite as accessible as downtown or Journal Square, but are now "close enough." Very interesting to see how this will develop!

I love Uber. I have a friend who comes over from Hoboken and the week before Uber was available she took a cab he charged her $16 to go up around 10th and Jefferson. She has taken Uber ever since and it's never more then $7 and it is always prompt and a clean car.

This is probably the first time in history that buy a taxi medallion isn't as sure fire a winning bet. I wonder about those guys that just dropped 500k on the new medallions in JC.

Oh and if you sign up just click this link uber.com/invite/9921p

Uber in JC is definitely a gamechanger, especially in areas not along the path line. Just to clarify about tipping - UberX, black car, and SUV drivers do not get tipped. Uber takes 20% of their fares and the driver gets the other 80%, so it's a different dynamic than we're used to with yellow cabs. In larger cities like NYC where they've incorporated city cabs as an option, gratuity will be added only to your regular taxi rides since they don't have the same deal (the default gratuity is 20% but you can change that in your settings). Hope that clears things up. For the record I have no affiliation with Uber, just a big fan of the service.

No tip necessary.

Used UberX to and from Hoboken (from DTJC) on Sat Night, $6 each way--that's all-in including tip. Just this alone is amazing. Add in the fact that you can use the app to see estimated times, it's so easy to "order" a car, the cars are very clean, drivers are great, promo codes galore, etc.

Unfortunately the cab industry did this to themselves with their less than par cars and attitudes, selective service (it took me 4-5 times asking on a Sat night in Hoboken to get a driver to accept a ride to JC, NYC is worse), and they would hike the price up illegally during peak times ($12-$13 from Hobo to DTJC).

I don't think I will ever use a cab in my life again!

My understand from UBER is that there is a negotiated rate which includes tip:

"Being Uber means there is no need to tip.

When using TAXI (requesting a ride from a yellow cab via the Uber app), drivers will input the metered fare into the Uber driver application. 20% of the metered fare will be automatically added and paid to the driver as a gratuity. "

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Nope. I even asked the driver the first time I used Uber and he said there's no way to tip with the app. I guess because you're paying up front and your card is charged. He didn't seem to care that I wasn't giving him a tip because I couldn't from my Smartphone.

So if you do want to tip, I guess it has to be in cash, at least for now.

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You price out the fare with a "fare quote." The price is with the tip included.

Interesting... Are you supposed to tip, is it an option in the app?

Another vote for Uber. I used UberX to go from downtown JC to the village in NYC for a total of $32. It took us maybe 20 minutes to get there. I like that you can pay with Paypal, so when you get to your destination, you can just thank your driver and get out. Super easy and convenient.

Why Uber Is So Much Better In New Jersey Than It Is In New York


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-i ... york-2014-3#ixzz2x5woQcqE

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If u have a car and your trip is short look into Wally park or one of their competitors. Super cheap if u find a groupon and very efficient. Used it a month ago when I needed to be in Boston for 2 days.

I have taken Uber (the UberX service) from Newark to Bergen Lafayette (The Foundry) and it was $26, via the Turnpike. Remember that Uber charges not just per mile, but also delays/time. So the $2 or $3 dollars in the turnpike might be offset (or, made worse, depending on time and traffic) based on which route you prefer.

Personally, I thought it was GREAT. Definitely better than the previous car service I had used (USA Taxi) and VERY clean cars. Very amiable driver, too.

Thanks SwitchboardGirl. That's useful to know. So i guess i've been overpaying... lol.



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I used it to go to Newark Airport last Sat and it cost me $28 one way via 1/9 from the Hamilton Park area. It will be more if they take the turnpike due to tolls. Not bad.

does anyone use uber from DT JC to Newark? If so, what are the charges? I pay 85$ roundtrip for carservice (including tip/toll and gas) but was looking for a cheaper option. Thanks!

I refuse to use UBER, not because of their surge pricing, which I am fine with. I won't use them because they openly sabotage their competitors with no remorse.

"Rival car company Gett says Uber employees in New York ordered and then canceled -- in some cases, at the very last minute -- more than 100 cars last week, resulting in a disruption of its service. After receiving the Gett drivers? cell phone numbers from the orders, an Uber employee texted the drivers in an attempt to poach them from Gett."

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231058#ixzz2sZe9eQKS

I never took cabs in JC until it got so cold that a mile walk seemed awful and I couldn't drive because there was nowhere to park due to snow. Many of the companies seem unreliable with no transparency in pricing. A group of friends met at a location and all of us came the same distance but paid different amounts for cabs.

I like the *idea* of uber but one caveat is that if it gets popular, at high demand times the cost will soar. On NYE in NYC people were paying $200+ for what were usually $50 fares. Their algorithm charges more based on demand. Not an immediate issue in JC but maybe down the line.

So I've been using UBER car service on my phone to 'git to and from places in JC, mostly to our lovely EWR.

It's ok. It's smart-phone only (or text). Kinda annoying if you have low battery after a flight, also no way to call and schedule a cab for the next day. You just have to hope the wait time is low (which you can see on the phone).

That said, this phone app might serve as a solid alternative to our cab situation.

Meter is always running (no surprises). You can see your car arrive on a map (many cabs congregate close-by along gasoline alley). Rate your driver at the end (driver rates you too).

I select the UBERx option (cheaper) and my rides are about the same or less than a usual JC cab, plus no fuss over the tip?you pre-select it on your phone, and everything is billed to your credit card on file.



I just read this email: This weekend, take two FREE uberX rides to, from, or within New Jersey. Here's the link. Take up to two rides between noon on Friday (2/7) through 11:59PM on Sunday (2/9).

They are cross-promoting deals with Kraverie, Roman Nose, Union Republic and other places.

Also I play the promo codes lottery, get free ride by googling 'em:

??This weekend, the free ride code is NJLOVESuberX.