Just get an Uber!

[AlwaysCountYourPennies]

I see this suggested on so many threads. Do people not realise that Uber are not available in vast areas of the country?

I just can't believe in this day and age that there are places in this country you can't get an uber or a regular taxi or a takeaway immediately. That's just shocking to me. I've just opened my app out of interest and put in an address and it says a ride can be here in 2 minutes.

Have you never visited the countryside @Keyansier ? Some people live miles from the nearest town. If you live in an isolated cottage /small hamlet there's not going to be a line of Uber/taxi drivers just waiting for weeks for the occasional job to come up

I'm not entirely sure that poster has ever visited reality.

I can't get an Uber in London for love nor money at the moment. Haven't been able to for months and months.

I'm not really a fan of the countryside to be honest, I don't like it but I have been a few times. But I didn't know it was to the level where shops shut in the afternoons and you have to book a taxi to the airport weeks in advance.

No uber here either - at least 60 miles away. We have some local taxis but they are a nightmare. Cost a fortune and thats if you can get one - most would not take me the three miles out of town i live - because it is more profitable to stay in town doing shorter drives.

So ….. as I said ….. don’t get one, then.

I don’t get what the big, chippy drama is.

Beyond the pale! 😳😱🤯🤣

That is a typical post from Keyansier. Ignore him.

I just accept that if I want to go out in the evening I have to drive due to the unreliability of taxis where we live. I'm happy to sacrifice some of the conveniences of city living - Uber, better public transport, Deliveroo etc for the clean air, peace and quiet and stunning views.

My OH lives literally in the middle of nowhere
in two years I’ve seen one bus ( I think the bus stop is 45 min walk away) and one police car - no idea where the nearest police station is
would be a nightmare to have to call an ambulance
they don’t have a dustbin lorry coming by as the lorry wouldn’t get down the lane
no pavements. No streetlights
taxis / Uber and food delivery is unheard of

if you don’t have a car then you’re literally stuck

not everywhere is accessible

Thar's the thing isn't it - there are pros and cons of both cities and villages, you just need to weigh them up. Rural life is never going to be as convenient as city life.

What amuses me as a former rural dweller (village of 50 houses with 2 buses a day) and now Londoner I am always amused by peiple who move to either place and then complain about intrinsic features of either.

Surely though the point is that Uber isn't available in lots of very ordinary places that aren't rural?

I don't think anyone is surprised that Uber or taxis arent going to cover tiny farming hamlets in Worcester or picture postcard villages in the Cotswolds. But for many people living in very ordinary towns they don't exist either.

Our town is around 30,000 people, adjacent to some smaller towns, less than 20miles from a city centre. Close to countryside but definitely not rural. We have four major supermarkets, a college and high schools nearby. No Uber, no deliveroo. Couple of local taxi firms that tend to require pre booking and don't run at all sun-tues unless it's something very specific like an airport run.

Im so rural there’s one bus in the morning, one in the afternoon and one at 5:30

no uber, no deliveroo, no just eat,

no shop, no school for 2 miles.

and i love it!!

@Proteinpudding that isn't a surprise all. I expect the market for cabs and takeaway in those types of town is already served.

Businesses like Uber and Deliveroo exist by identifying and meeting unapped demand, the model only really works in very densly populated urban centres. There needs to be enough regular business to incentivise the drivers and riders to enter tne market. Which means generally a lot of short frequent journies. Not weekly takeaways or airport trips.

@Ginmonkeyagain we aren't served by taxis that's the point! By two firms I meant two taxis (one man bands) If you want to travel here you need to drive.

But if there was enough consistent demad Uber would operate in your town. The fact they don't shows there isn't enough demand to make it worth their while.

@Ginmonkeyagain I know how supply and demand works? Don't you think i'd be aware, having made the choice to move and live here?
The thread is about people not comprehending that. There's always so many Mumsnet threads where people post 'just get an Uber!' or 'just get a taxi' often having a go at the poster for their apparent lack of initiative without any self awareness that it isn't an option for vast swathes of the country.

I agree with @Ginmonkeyagain here. If people want Uber (and deliveroo, etc) in their area then there needs to be more drivers and if people want drivers then they need to use the service. If they don't, then it probably is unlikely to happen.

@Proteinpudding has it exactly.

Far too many city dwelling posters simply don't get that less urban areas just don't have these services.

I'm not complaining that we don't because I prefer to have the clean air, lovely views, quiet neighbours and less busy roads 365 days a year than the city amenities that I wouldn't use regularly.

We chose to live where we do because we both drive.

The whole point of the thread was to point out that too many posters suggest "just get an uber / taxi" as the solution to a situation without understanding that it simply isn't an option for so many people ......and refuse to accept it
when the poster says they can't.