Uber is an excellent service, especially when compared to Addison Lee and the extortionate cost of black cabs.
True @chertsey-saint - itâs also the default choice ofmost under 30âs - Bit of a generalization, but ties in with tâyoungsters view at work and also Young Adult #1
Is the test only for foreigners?
Because I wouldnât assume that natural language speakers are going to be handy at essay writing.
Itâs an excellent service in terms of modern day technology making the user experience so much more convenient than traditional style trying to hail a cab bollocks. But Uber as a company are a bunch of scum, and the amount of times Iâve sat in a Uber taxi and heard the driver outright slating the way theyâre treated or giving me in the inside knowledge on the lack of checks and balances for recruiting drivers, itâs made me pretty reluctant to use them. Cheap as chips, but at a cost. Some US cities have banned them.
We need a technology driven taxi company, that has a sense of ethical standards as the new alternative. Even if it wasnât so cheap, people would still use it for the convenience alone.
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Brohomians 
Its a race to the bottom, again never used and never will.
And also, I should say, itâs an excellent model in terms of employee flexibility as well. You can be wherever you are switch it on, and pick up a ride. Then switch it off again. A very modern approach to working.
Itâs just unfortunate the owners are complete arseholes.
Uber drivers will take you to Hades?
The hackney drivers in London wonât go saaf of the river after a certain time of night. Go uber!
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@coxford_lou - It may be a modern way of working, but Iâd bet that the âflexibilityâ that the workers have is not necessarily something that many would accept if they had the choice.
The âgigâ economy or whatever you want to call it is music to the ears of the owners, not the workersâŚI may be mistaken. Of course.
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Well, yes I agree, to an extent, but there are groups of workers who donât fit into the tradition structure of employment who this does work for. E.g. Mothers who want to earn extra cash around other responsibilities.
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True Lou
I like this new Pap - heâs funny!
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How weird is that. Just catching up with this thread and i get this notification from the nyt.
Itâs Friday pap. Itâs a special variant chuffed to fuck that another working week is in the bank, now free to do whatever the fuck it wants for 48 hours.
The weekends are like that movie, The Purge, arenât they? 
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I actually donât think it a bad thing to have reading or writing tests for workers. Most professionals do that by default to a certain extent anyway; your covering letter, your CV, your day to day in work communication, ongoing development. There is a reason that we strive to ensure that our kids are capable of reading and writing. We donât want them to be illiterate, because its a world where reading and writing is required almost continuously, especially reading.
Itâs especially not an ask for taxi drivers. Itâs a job that comes with quite a bit of red tape, regulations and paperwork. Furthermore, itâs fucking random. Chances are that at some point in a cabbieâs career, a bit of first aid is going to be in order. What happens if the driver canât read instructions that might save someoneâs life.
Uber can argue all they like about the number of people that are being put out of work. They donât mention thatâs 33k effective illiterates driving about. They should make the effort to do what we do, learn to read and write in the language of the country they reside in. It really isnât an unreasonable expectation.
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That flexibilty suits the owners as they arenât paying whilst you arenât earning, obviously but what about holidays, sickness, union rights, maternity/paternity leave? A backward step to Victorian times and typically came from the US where you work 1.5 times harder than over here for what?
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Oh, fucking hell, Iâm turning into Barry Sanchez.
Even Pap seems to be agreeing with him on this one.
Baz, enjoy it while it lasts!
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But youâre missing my point - the flexibility suits some employees - I know because Iâve had a fair few conversations with Uber drivers. But they need to find a way of doing it responsibily. The current model is like a freelancer (Iâm a freelancer and I donât get those rights, but I charge more to compensate for it).
Its horses for courses, in this case it may make a few happy but I doubt a lot, it will also undercut others and is a horrible business model, drivng prices into the ground doesnât mean its good for anyone.