4 ms·

> But the folks who had a few too many beers and missed the last Caltrain and would otherwise drive home drunk if Uber didn't exist? The innocent folks that wou

by dpark 11y ago

> But the folks who had a few too many beers and missed the last Caltrain and would otherwise drive home drunk if Uber didn't exist? The innocent folks that would otherwise have been killed by a drunk driver if Uber didn't exist? This is quite a stretch. Uber is eliminating drunk driving fatalities now? Those same people couldn't have called a cab before Uber existed?

neuronexmachina 11y ago
> Uber is eliminating drunk driving fatalities now? Those same people couldn't have called a cab before Uber existed? Speaking for myself, I take Uber/Lyft regularly but would have never even considered attempting to call a cab and dealing with the cost/uncertainty inherent to that. I'd much rather not spend an hour waiting outside for a cab that ultimately decides not to show up. Rather than deal with cabs, I would simply just not have had a drink if I didn't have a designated driver.
eli 11y ago
I share your skepticism but that's actually an official Uber position: https://newsroom.uber.com/us-illinois/dui-rates-decline-in-uber-cities/ https://newsroom.uber.com/us-illinois/dui-rates-decline-in-u...
ttruett 11y ago
Not knowing where you live / have lived... I think people in big cities forget how hard it is to find a taxi elsewhere. I can remember a specific example several years ago in Nashville (which is quickly becoming a big city) where after waiting for 15+ minutes downtown I had to start calling companies telling them to send a car to my corner. Before Uber came to Chattanooga (a decent-sized city) calling a taxi wasn't even a viable option unless it was for a scheduled 4AM airport pickup.
fapjacks 11y ago
Just as a point on a graph and being totally honest, I take a Lyft nowadays when I otherwise have (stupidly) driven drunk before there was such a thing as Lyft. I agree that they're not saving the planet, but they almost certainly are preventing deadly harm. At least potentially if not kinetically.

by dpark 11y ago

neuronexmachina 11y ago

> Uber is eliminating drunk driving fatalities now? Those same people couldn't have called a cab before Uber existed? Speaking for myself, I take Uber/Lyft regularly but would have never even considered attempting to call a cab and dealing with the cost/uncertainty inherent to that. I'd much rather not spend an hour waiting outside for a cab that ultimately decides not to show up. Rather than deal with cabs, I would simply just not have had a drink if I didn't have a designated driver.

eli 11y ago

I share your skepticism but that's actually an official Uber position: https://newsroom.uber.com/us-illinois/dui-rates-decline-in-uber-cities/ https://newsroom.uber.com/us-illinois/dui-rates-decline-in-u...

ttruett 11y ago

Not knowing where you live / have lived... I think people in big cities forget how hard it is to find a taxi elsewhere. I can remember a specific example several years ago in Nashville (which is quickly becoming a big city) where after waiting for 15+ minutes downtown I had to start calling companies telling them to send a car to my corner. Before Uber came to Chattanooga (a decent-sized city) calling a taxi wasn't even a viable option unless it was for a scheduled 4AM airport pickup.

fapjacks 11y ago

Just as a point on a graph and being totally honest, I take a Lyft nowadays when I otherwise have (stupidly) driven drunk before there was such a thing as Lyft. I agree that they're not saving the planet, but they almost certainly are preventing deadly harm. At least potentially if not kinetically.