4 ms·

> One of the big ones is reasonable regulation of taxi and driver quality. I can only imagine that someone who rarely or never travels would say something like

by wyager 9y ago

> One of the big ones is reasonable regulation of taxi and driver quality. I can only imagine that someone who rarely or never travels would say something like this. The main reason I switched to uber is that taxis are universally horrible, both in terms of drivers and vehicles. It's gotten much better since uber forced them to compete, but they still generally suck. So maybe you're right, and that was the reason for taxi medallions; but guess what? It didn't work. > Uber has shifted capital and maintenance costs entirely away from cab companies and on to random people desperate enough to drive for Uber. Again, this is something that I can't imagine hearing from someone who actually uses Ubers on a regular basis. Most Uber drivers I've talked to love the platform, and a good portion of them are e.g. students working a side job, none of them "desperate" people.

wpietri 9y ago
It is frustrating that you ignore the meat of what I wrote, pick on a couple of things you can object to, and carry on carping. I'll try one more reply and see how it goes. > I can only imagine that someone who rarely or never travels would say something like this. Your imagination is poor. I've lived on 4 continents and am on an extended trip even as I write this. We're talking about different kinds of regulation. You apparently care about things being shiny; most regulation, though, is about setting a minimum bar. In the early, high-growth days of something, regulation is rarely useful because everybody's on their best behavior. It becomes more important when things settle down into a relatively steady state. Then, the incentive to shave nickels and dimes can come out elsewhere. E.g., taxis face significant safety inspections and maintenance requirements because when you use a car as a commercial vehicle, you put a lot more miles on it and you are more likely face safety issues. We don't yet see these problems with UberX because it has only been going for a few years, and because Uber has a strong incentive to keep from becoming an obvious disaster until growth slows and revenue gains come more from exploiting their market position. > Most Uber drivers I've talked to love the platform Gosh, might they have some incentive to only say happy things to you? Gosh, might there be some selection bias in your sample? Gosh, might people not talk about their pain and fears to random strangers?

by wyager 9y ago

wpietri 9y ago

It is frustrating that you ignore the meat of what I wrote, pick on a couple of things you can object to, and carry on carping. I'll try one more reply and see how it goes. > I can only imagine that someone who rarely or never travels would say something like this. Your imagination is poor. I've lived on 4 continents and am on an extended trip even as I write this. We're talking about different kinds of regulation. You apparently care about things being shiny; most regulation, though, is about setting a minimum bar. In the early, high-growth days of something, regulation is rarely useful because everybody's on their best behavior. It becomes more important when things settle down into a relatively steady state. Then, the incentive to shave nickels and dimes can come out elsewhere. E.g., taxis face significant safety inspections and maintenance requirements because when you use a car as a commercial vehicle, you put a lot more miles on it and you are more likely face safety issues. We don't yet see these problems with UberX because it has only been going for a few years, and because Uber has a strong incentive to keep from becoming an obvious disaster until growth slows and revenue gains come more from exploiting their market position. > Most Uber drivers I've talked to love the platform Gosh, might they have some incentive to only say happy things to you? Gosh, might there be some selection bias in your sample? Gosh, might people not talk about their pain and fears to random strangers?