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Ride Austin is far from "way better" on par when the service works maybe but hardly better. This past Saturday none of the ride sharing services could handle d

by wh-uws 10y ago

Ride Austin is far from "way better" on par when the service works maybe but hardly better. This past Saturday none of the ride sharing services could handle demand and all went down. No riders could request and an no drivers could accept. Also when the service does work glitches like seeing the login screen when you are already logged in are routine. Source: I'm in Austin right now for sxsw and I'm a former Austin resident. Also this whole debacle was a clear and present tax grab for the city please dont pretend it wasn't. Now on balance Uber and Lyft ran an AWFUL campaign against the regulations when they already do background checks but still that was always about money.

ghaff 10y ago
In all fairness, SXSW is a pretty severe stress test. FWIW, it can be hard to get personal transportation in a heavy rainstorm in NYC too.
wavefunction 10y ago
I disagree with your "tax grab" angle since there is no evidence of that. Unless you mean that the city of Austin was somehow going to make money off fingerprinting?
- thomasrognon 10y ago
  "(A) Each TNC operating in the City of Austin shall pay an annual fee calculated by the department based on one of the following methods of that TNCs choosing: (1) The total of the permit fee paid by taxicab companies times the number of persons driving for the TNC; (2) One (1) percent of the TNCs annual local gross revenues, or a comparable percentage of a TNCs portion of driver fares; or (3) Based on total miles driven. (B) Except for any TNC participating in the Safety Assurance Program, each TNC shall pay an additional fee of one (1) percent of the TNCs annual local gross revenue for the Compliant Driver Education Fund to be used to assist and incent drivers to become compliant." Also, it was about much more than just fingerprinting. Fingerprinting was emphasized because it would have affected Uber and Lyft's business model the most by reducing the supply of drivers due to higher onboarding friction. Here's the ordinance: https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm%3Fid=245769 https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm%3Fid=245769 Some more interesting parts: - "A TNC shall establish a driver-training program designed to ensure that each driver safely operates his or her vehicle prior to the driver being able to offer service" - "during periods of abnormal market disruptions, dynamic pricing shall be prohibited." - ...and the whole reporting section where they have to hand over all their internal operating data to the city
  - wavefunction 10y ago
    It seems like the money was going to be used to administer the industry, which seems fair? A tax grab for me implies taking some money from some entity for a completely different reason. Like, paying for a civic ice rink with the money.

by wh-uws 10y ago

ghaff 10y ago

In all fairness, SXSW is a pretty severe stress test. FWIW, it can be hard to get personal transportation in a heavy rainstorm in NYC too.

wavefunction 10y ago

I disagree with your "tax grab" angle since there is no evidence of that. Unless you mean that the city of Austin was somehow going to make money off fingerprinting?

thomasrognon 10y ago
"(A) Each TNC operating in the City of Austin shall pay an annual fee calculated by the department based on one of the following methods of that TNCs choosing: (1) The total of the permit fee paid by taxicab companies times the number of persons driving for the TNC; (2) One (1) percent of the TNCs annual local gross revenues, or a comparable percentage of a TNCs portion of driver fares; or (3) Based on total miles driven. (B) Except for any TNC participating in the Safety Assurance Program, each TNC shall pay an additional fee of one (1) percent of the TNCs annual local gross revenue for the Compliant Driver Education Fund to be used to assist and incent drivers to become compliant." Also, it was about much more than just fingerprinting. Fingerprinting was emphasized because it would have affected Uber and Lyft's business model the most by reducing the supply of drivers due to higher onboarding friction. Here's the ordinance: https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm%3Fid=245769 https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm%3Fid=245769 Some more interesting parts: - "A TNC shall establish a driver-training program designed to ensure that each driver safely operates his or her vehicle prior to the driver being able to offer service" - "during periods of abnormal market disruptions, dynamic pricing shall be prohibited." - ...and the whole reporting section where they have to hand over all their internal operating data to the city
- wavefunction 10y ago
  It seems like the money was going to be used to administer the industry, which seems fair? A tax grab for me implies taking some money from some entity for a completely different reason. Like, paying for a civic ice rink with the money.