I have used it in London, Paris, NYC and they were no cheaper than a taxi.
I used Uber extensively in London this January. I actually found that for long distances, taxis were about 3-4x the price of an UberX (with Pool). London taxis are very expensive.
In NYC, Uber had a long-standing $5-for-anywhere-in-Manhattan offer. I lived there for a few months, and found Uber and Lyft to generally be significantly cheaper than taxi+tip, even disregarding promotions.
Finally, there was a good article on this topic by BusinessInsider at http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-vs-taxi-pricing-by-city-.... It indicates that Uber is generally cheaper than taxi, but that's as of 2014. With UberPool, prices have dropped significantly further yet.
I conclude that UberX/UberPool is generally significantly cheaper than a taxi, and more convenient except in areas where you can easily hail a cab off the street. Looking at the history of consumer goods and transportation, I think that those factors significantly trump comfort.
Comments
I used Uber extensively in London this January. I actually found that for long distances, taxis were about 3-4x the price of an UberX (with Pool). London taxis are very expensive.
In NYC, Uber had a long-standing $5-for-anywhere-in-Manhattan offer. I lived there for a few months, and found Uber and Lyft to generally be significantly cheaper than taxi+tip, even disregarding promotions.
Finally, there was a good article on this topic by BusinessInsider at http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-vs-taxi-pricing-by-city-.... It indicates that Uber is generally cheaper than taxi, but that's as of 2014. With UberPool, prices have dropped significantly further yet.
I conclude that UberX/UberPool is generally significantly cheaper than a taxi, and more convenient except in areas where you can easily hail a cab off the street. Looking at the history of consumer goods and transportation, I think that those factors significantly trump comfort.