20+ Differences between Taxi And Uber (Explained)

We can not imagine a world without the presence of taxis and cabs. Taxis and cabs have smoothened life.

One does not need to have a car to travel anywhere. We all know how Taxis work. With Uber, we have gone further from our traditional system of Taxis.

Whatever the traditional system of Taxis lacks, that is backed up by Uber. For example, finding a Taxi in a lonely place can be difficult, but finding an Uber at that place can be very easy as one can find and book cabs with the help of the Uber app.

Comparison Between A Taxi And An Uber

Parameter	Taxi	Uber
Meaning & Purpose	Traditional ride service is responsible for taking a customer to their desired destination.	A modern company offering pre-booked ride services that take customers to their desired destinations.
Emergence	Taxis emerged way earlier than Uber. It is believed to have originated in the 1700s.	Uber has come only recently. It was launched in the year 2009 by Garret Camp, Oscar Salazar, and Travis Kalanick.
Ownership	Taxi companies own typical Taxis. Unlike Uber, drivers do not own the car they drive.	Drivers who drive Uber cars are the sole owner of them.
Types	There are not any types of Taxis.	Uber cars and rides can be classified into nine categories: Uber X, Uber Comfort, Uber XL, Uber SUV, Uber Pool, Uber Black, Uber Black SUV, Uber WAV, and Uber Taxi.
Color	Yellow color is the classic feature of Taxis.	Uber comes in a large variety of colors.
Booking	One has to be physically present near a Taxi to book it.	One needs to have access to the Uber app to book a cab.
Information	There is no way of knowing any information relating to the Taxi or its driver.	Uber provides detailed information relating to the car and its driver.
Prices	The prices of Taxis are comparatively lower than the prices of Uber.	In comparison with Taxis, the prices of Uber are higher.
Price calculation	Taxis mainly use meters to calculate the price of a ride. These meters are fitted inside Taxis.	Uber uses a multiplier model to calculate the prices of its rides.
Prices during peak hours	During times of high demand, Taxis prices are lowered.	During times of high demand, Uber’s prices are increased by two times.
Rejection	There is no foundation for Taxis drivers to take the customer to his destination. They can reject a customer whenever they want.	Once an Uber ride is booked, it becomes mandatory for the driver to take the client to his desired destination.
Tracking	There is no way of knowing the route when traveling with a Taxi.	Uber offers the map and full information about the ride.
Ride rating	It is not possible for anyone to rate their Taxi ride on any platform.	Uber motivates its customers to rate their rides with Uber.
Driver’s rating	One can not see anything about a driver, such as his experience & capabilities when traveling in a Taxi.	Uber gives a detailed view of a driver’s experience and capabilities on its app.
Operates in	Taxis are available in almost every country.	Uber is present in a total of 71 countries.

Major Differences Between A Taxi And An Uber

What exactly is a Taxi?

A Taxi is a traditional transportation method that has been used for ages. It is estimated that it was the 1700s when Taxis originated. A Taxi is usually yellow in color, and it has to be near people for them to book it.

There is no way of knowing a Taxi’s or its driver’s information unless told by the driver himself. The clients must remember important things such as the car’s number and the driver’s name. Thus, if someone forgets their things in a Taxi, it becomes very difficult to access them.

Features of Taxis

The traces of the origin of Taxis lead us back to the 1700s.

The color yellow is a classic feature of Taxis.

Many companies offer Taxi services in the United States of America (USA). There are estimated to be more than 32000 different Taxi companies in the USA.

One of the major advantages of a Taxi is that one does not have to wait for Taxis like in the case of Uber. It is physically near a person who lets him book a Taxi. But that also becomes a major disadvantage if someone is in a place where Taxis are unavailable. He can not get one.

Taxis usually use meters to calculate ride prices. At times they are cheaper than Uber, especially during peak hours.

Key Differences Taxi

A Taxi is a car whose driver is supposed to take you to your desired destination.
To book a typical Taxi, you must physically be near the driver.
There is a high possibility of drivers rejecting people if they do not desire to go to a certain location.
There is no way of having detailed information about a Taxi and its drivers.

What exactly is an Uber?

Uber is a modern way of booking a Taxi that has covered all the drawbacks of a traditional Taxi. The traces of the origin of Uber lead us back to 2009.

It is believed to be founded by Garret Camp, Oscar Salazar, and Travis Kalanick. Unlike a typical Taxi, an Uber can be booked anytime, anywhere through the Uber app.

One of the significant advantages of Uber is that it provides details of the car and driver on the app, so in case anyone forgets something in his drive, he can access his belongings by contacting the driver.

Features of Uber

Uber was founded in 2009 by Garret Camp, Oscar Salazar, and Travis Kalanick.
Uber cars come in a variety of colors.
Uber is a particular company offering its services in almost 71 countries worldwide.
One of the major advantages of Uber is that it provides detailed information on the grounds of the car and its driver.
Uber calculates its prices and increases them by two times during peak hours.

Key Differences Uber

An Uber is a pre-booked car whose driver is supposed to take you to your desired destination.
To book an Uber, one needs to book it through the Uber app.
There is no way for Uber drivers to reject their clients.
Detailed information on the car and its drivers is available on the Uber app.

The Contrast Between A Taxi And An Uber

Origin of the word

Taxi – The word Taxi originated from the ancient Greek word “τάξις,” which means “payment.”

Uber – The word Uber originated from the German word “Über,” which means “above, across, over.”

Meaning & purpose

Taxi: A traditional cab service that aims to take the customer to his destination.

Uber – A pre-booked modern cab service that aims to take the customer to his destination.

Emergence

Taxi: Taxis emerged before Uber did. They are believed to have emerged during the 17th century.

Uber – Uber was launched in the year 2009 by a group of three people: Garret Camp, Travis Kalanick, and Oscar Salazar.

Ownership

Taxi: People who drive Taxis do not own those cars. It is the Taxi companies that own those Taxi cars.

Uber – Drivers of Uber cars are the owners of those cars. The Uber company does not own Uber cars.

Color

Taxi: Yellow is the hallmark color of traditional taxis.

Uber – Uber cabs come in a large variety of colors.

Types

Taxi – There are no types of Taxis.

Uber – There are nine different types of Uber cabs: Uber X, Uber Comfort, Uber XL, Uber SUV, Uber Pool, Uber Black, Uber Black SUV, Uber WAV, and Uber Taxi.

Booking

Taxi: To book a typical Taxi, one must physically be near one. One can do nothing to book one in the areas or in the timings where Taxis are not easily available.

Uber – To book an Uber, one has to go to the Uber app, fill in the details and book it. Uber cabs are available everywhere and at all times.

Information

Taxi: Information relating to Taxis and their drivers is not available anywhere. The customer must remember important information such as car number and driver’s name.

Uber – Uber provides complete details relating to a ride to its customers.

Calculation of Prices

Taxi: The calculation of prices of a Taxi ride is mostly done by the meters fitted inside a Taxi.

Uber – The calculation of prices of an Uber ride is done by Uber’s multiplier model.

Prices

Taxi: The prices of taxis are comparatively lower than that of Uber.

Uber – In comparison with Taxis, the prices of Uber are higher.

Prices during peak hours

Taxi: During times of high demand, surprisingly, the prices of Taxis get cheaper than usual.

Uber – Uber charges more for rides booked during high demand. It increases the price rates by two times.

Rejection

Taxi: Taxi drivers can reject customers any time they want. They are not bound to take customers to their destinations every time.

Uber – Once an Uber ride is booked, it can not be rejected by a driver or by Uber authorities.

Tracking

Taxi: Customers can not track their Taxi rides. This is a major advantage, especially to those people who are new in an area and have just blindly trusted a driver.

Uber – Uber app allows tracking the route toward the customer’s destination. For example, those who are newly visiting a city or a country know where they are traveling and if the route is correct.

Rating

Taxi: There is no way any customer can rate its Taxi service.

Uber – Uber provides the option of rating the ride and the driver.

Driver’s rating

Taxi: One can not know about a driver’s experience and record of his capability when traveling in a Taxi.

Uber – Uber shows its drivers’ experience and capabilities through ratings on its app.

Operates in

Taxi: Taxi services are largely present in almost every country.

Uber – Uber operates in almost 71 countries around the world.

Types of Uber

1. Uber X – Uber X is the primary and most used Uber service, which provides travel for four people in a regular car.

2. Uber Comfort – As the name suggests, Uber Comfort is known for comfortable car rides. It usually includes new cars, comfortable seating, and drivers with experience.

3. Uber XL – It is generally a bigger car with up to six people to sit or four with luggage.

4. Uber SUV – As the name suggests, Uber SUV provides an SUV that allows six people to travel.

5. Uber Pool – It is one of the affordable methods of traveling through Uber. This method of traveling lets people get in an Uber car with all the passengers going the same way and just having different stoppages.

6. Uber Black – This luxury ride in a black car aims to provide its clients a luxury experience.

7. Uber Black SUV – It is a luxury black colored SUV whose aim is the same as the Uber Black.

8. Uber WAV – The WAV in Uber WAV stands for “wheelchair accessible vans,” which is an accessible method of traveling for people who use a wheelchair and have difficulty traveling.

9. Uber Taxi – This service lets people book a typical yellow-colored taxi.

Conclusion

Taxi and Uber are two of the most widely used ride-hailing services worldwide. Taxis are the original and traditional ride-hailing services.

Whereas Uber is a recent and modern ride-hailing service. The traditional transportation system, i.e., Taxis, lacks many things backed up by the modern transportation system, i.e., Uber.

The major difference between a Taxi and an Uber is that the former requires the physical absence of the customer to be booked, while the latter can be booked via a mobile app.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What are some of the major countries where Uber operates?

Some of the major countries where Uber operates are the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), Spain, Germany, India, South Africa, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

Q2. When did Taxis and Uber emerge?

Taxis emerged before the emergence of Uber. The traces of the origin of Taxis can be found as early as the 17th century. On the other hand, Uber emerged in the year 2009 through Garret Camp, Oscar Salazar, and Travis Kalanick.

Q3. What are the major differences between a Taxi and an Uber?

The major differences between a Taxi and an Uber are as follows.
1. Taxis are booked when customers are physically present at the site, while Uber takes pre-booking through its app.
2. Taxis are not owned by their drivers, whereas Uber cars are owned by their drivers.
3. Taxis are generally yellow, while Uber comes in many colors.
4. During the time of high demand, Taxis fares are reduced, whereas Uber increases its prices by twice during high demand.
5. Taxis operate in almost every country, while Uber operates in 71 countries.
6. There is no way of knowing important information about a Taxi ride, but Uber provides detailed information on the same ground.