5 ms·

I still wonder why Uber is a thing. It makes no sense, it does not feel like something capable of reliable service and it got almost no use cases. Is it just a

by Artlav 9y ago

I still wonder why Uber is a thing. It makes no sense, it does not feel like something capable of reliable service and it got almost no use cases. Is it just a passing fad of some sort, like fidget spinners?

rmc 9y ago
VC money is try to see how far you can go by ignoring existing laws
mavidser 9y ago
> it got almost no use cases You don't think calling cabs to your location, paying with your stored card, knowing the fixed cost beforehand is a valid usecase?
- ionised 9y ago
  Uber didn't invent these things. My local taxi places have been doing them for years.
- Artlav 9y ago
  I just can't imagine that random people who play what is essentially a glorified computer game would be reliable enough to show up at 4AM and get me to the airport safely. Or provide a reliable service in any other emergency or inconvenient situation - you don't use a taxi to go to the grocery store or to commute to work, you use it in emergencies. I can see how an app to call a taxi and track rides is a good thing, but i can't see how having random people provide the actual rides is a good idea.
icebraining 9y ago
It's a cab company. What's there to understand?
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  I think GP is trying to understand why it has so much media exposure. It has so much media exposure because on the one hand, it spends a lot of money on aggressively marketing itself (thus people talk about them), and on the other hand, in many places their business is entirely based on breaking local laws (thus people talk about them). Plus, they're beloved Silicon Valley unicorn (more talking) known for pulling off shady shit left and right (even more talking). But beyond that, they're just a taxi company with a nice app and shitty attitude.
DanBC 9y ago
It's just a cab company. Depending where you live it might be better than the existing cab companies. It's cheaper than some cab companies, but that's because it doesn't always comply with local regulation and because it's burning money from capital investors. Uber doesn't make much sense in the UK, where you have the choice of taxis (can pick up from the side of the road, must use taximeters for pricing) and cabs (can't pick up from side of road, can pre-arrange a price).
chx 9y ago
It's a company built to exploit people's ignorance of how much it costs to drive your own car.
- user5994461 9y ago
  I am certainly surprised to not hear more about this and there has never been any study. It should be fairly easy to compare the income with the costs of running a car. That being said, regular taxis used to be ripped off by the medallion and the car rental, so they might not do better.
  - chx 9y ago
    The study should be fairly easy, check https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/11/22/mr-money-mustache-uber-driver/ https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/11/22/mr-money-mustache... There are calculators out there for this kind of stuff, in Canada I found https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/payroll/benefits-allowances/automobile/automobile-motor-vehicle-allowances/automobile-allowance-rates.html https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/busines... and http://caa.ca/car_costs/ http://caa.ca/car_costs/ both of which strongly point towards 0.5 CAD per km.
    - user5994461 9y ago
      The french tax allowance: http://www.journaldunet.com/management/guide-du-management/1200431-bareme-kilometrique-2018-calculer-ses-indemnites/ http://www.journaldunet.com/management/guide-du-management/1... Around 0.4 euro/km for long distances. edit: that articles makes no sense to me. I recall having a minimum charge around £6 in London. How can he have trips paying only 3 dollars?

by Artlav 9y ago

rmc 9y ago

VC money is try to see how far you can go by ignoring existing laws

mavidser 9y ago

> it got almost no use cases You don't think calling cabs to your location, paying with your stored card, knowing the fixed cost beforehand is a valid usecase?

ionised 9y ago
Uber didn't invent these things. My local taxi places have been doing them for years.
Artlav 9y ago
I just can't imagine that random people who play what is essentially a glorified computer game would be reliable enough to show up at 4AM and get me to the airport safely. Or provide a reliable service in any other emergency or inconvenient situation - you don't use a taxi to go to the grocery store or to commute to work, you use it in emergencies. I can see how an app to call a taxi and track rides is a good thing, but i can't see how having random people provide the actual rides is a good idea.

icebraining 9y ago

It's a cab company. What's there to understand?

TeMPOraL 9y ago
I think GP is trying to understand why it has so much media exposure. It has so much media exposure because on the one hand, it spends a lot of money on aggressively marketing itself (thus people talk about them), and on the other hand, in many places their business is entirely based on breaking local laws (thus people talk about them). Plus, they're beloved Silicon Valley unicorn (more talking) known for pulling off shady shit left and right (even more talking). But beyond that, they're just a taxi company with a nice app and shitty attitude.

DanBC 9y ago

It's just a cab company. Depending where you live it might be better than the existing cab companies. It's cheaper than some cab companies, but that's because it doesn't always comply with local regulation and because it's burning money from capital investors. Uber doesn't make much sense in the UK, where you have the choice of taxis (can pick up from the side of the road, must use taximeters for pricing) and cabs (can't pick up from side of road, can pre-arrange a price).

chx 9y ago

It's a company built to exploit people's ignorance of how much it costs to drive your own car.

user5994461 9y ago
I am certainly surprised to not hear more about this and there has never been any study. It should be fairly easy to compare the income with the costs of running a car. That being said, regular taxis used to be ripped off by the medallion and the car rental, so they might not do better.
- chx 9y ago
  The study should be fairly easy, check https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/11/22/mr-money-mustache-uber-driver/ https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/11/22/mr-money-mustache... There are calculators out there for this kind of stuff, in Canada I found https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/payroll/benefits-allowances/automobile/automobile-motor-vehicle-allowances/automobile-allowance-rates.html https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/busines... and http://caa.ca/car_costs/ http://caa.ca/car_costs/ both of which strongly point towards 0.5 CAD per km.
  - user5994461 9y ago
    The french tax allowance: http://www.journaldunet.com/management/guide-du-management/1200431-bareme-kilometrique-2018-calculer-ses-indemnites/ http://www.journaldunet.com/management/guide-du-management/1... Around 0.4 euro/km for long distances. edit: that articles makes no sense to me. I recall having a minimum charge around £6 in London. How can he have trips paying only 3 dollars?