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> Uber could follow the regulations, charge approximately the same as a taxi, and still make a moderate profit. That's what they're doing here in Berlin and I
by hocuspocus 10y ago
> Uber could follow the regulations, charge approximately the same as a taxi, and still make a moderate profit.
That's what they're doing here in Berlin and I really wonder if they make a profit, especially when the competing apps are also funded by deep pockets that don't necessarily try to make direct profits.
- Cthulhu_ 10y agoThat's the real problem - Uber has a load of investor money they can use to artificially keep a low price, establish their name, push competition out of the market by undercutting, etc. Until they start to want to make real money.
- M_Grey 10y agoUnfortunately they're going to have to do a lot of establishing to change the associations with that name, now. Short of Kalanick being struck by a freak bolt of lightning, that seems unlikely to happen. Far from it, a place that toxic is going to keep bleeding over time.
- mynewtb 10y agoI assure you that you could ask 100 people in Berlin and no one would have any idea what you are talking about.
- M_Grey 10y agoBetween Applebaum, Waymo, and the crash that got the Waymo suit mentioned in every article about the crash for a couple of days... well, maybe they'll hear about it sooner or later. Certainly any Uber competitors must be sitting in a room with their marketing departments and thinking about how to capitalize on this, once they're past the "Hand them lots of rope and give them space," phase.
- Sargos 10y agoOnly the tech elite even know who that person is. Everyone I know loves Uber and we use it everywhere we go, especially when on vacation in other countries as it's easy and reliable with no need to spend an hour researching and setting up local apps and services.
- monkmartinez 10y agoI read HN regularly and I don't know what you are talking about.
- M_Grey 10y agohttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/29/is-lyft-really-the-woke-alternative-to-uber https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/29/is-lyft-r... You may be right, but I don't think this is all as obscure as some people would like to think. That's an article that seems to recognize that many of its readers will be familiar with what I'm talking about.
- FullMtlAlcoholc 10y agoI wonder if the Walmart strategy of destroying your competition by undercutting prices can work for Uber. Is the barrier to entry for an app-enabled personal transportation service that high?Therr are also many substitutions for the service suxh as driving one's own car, carpooling, actual ridesharing via a platform, mass transit, biking, etc. There are already open source implementations of this and ride sharing. I apologize if this sounds misinformed, but as tech advances and platforms such as these become more mature, could we not use some of the principles established by blockchain to create a rating system that is open/transparent so that drivers and passengers can just directly transact with each other? Personally, I like Uber/Lyft's service but I dont find the price to be a. bargain. As it is, I primarily use it for transportation if there's is a chance that I may be drinking alcohol or when parking is going to close to thr cost of a ride
- dexterdog 10y ago> I wonder if the Walmart strategy of destroying your competition by undercutting prices can work for Uber. Big difference though because Walmart doesn't incur a massive loss to do that.
- FullMtlAlcoholc 10y agoThe individual stores may, but you are right the company as a whole doesn't.