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> If Uber is limited to US and Canada I fervently hope it's the US only. I will talk to my MLA and show him a nice collection of news about Uber in hope they w

by chx 9y ago

> If Uber is limited to US and Canada I fervently hope it's the US only. I will talk to my MLA and show him a nice collection of news about Uber in hope they will not allow them to operate their scam in Vancouver.

unethical_ban 9y ago
Is Uber a scam, or is ride share, in your opinion? Ride share is a great servicce for people and increases safety in many areas.
- alphaalpha101 9y ago
  Uber is (in my opinion) a scam, and (objectively) not ride sharing. 'Ride sharing' does not even begin to describe Uber. There is no sharing going on whatsoever. It's a taxi company that just ignores the law on principle to gain an advantage, while also spending VC money like crazy in a very illegally anticompetitive manner.
  - perl4ever 9y ago
    I don't see the VC money and avoiding regulation to be essential parts of the business though. I very rarely take a cab, and am not price sensitive. I tried Lyft, albeit not Uber, and like people repeatedly say, the good things about it are (a) you get fast response and a direct way to contact the driver, (b) you see how close they are to you on a moving map, (c) you get an up front estimate, and (d) they don't demand cash. While it might slow them down if they weren't subsidizing drivers, or drivers weren't subsidizing them, it wouldn't change the fact that the things they do are actually worth more than a regular cab, so they could charge more and not less, as far as I'm concerned. If Uber and Lyft are "just taxi companies" then why don't all the other taxi companies just make a similar app and then promote the idea their upstart competitors are regulation-avoiding scum? It ought to be more effective than ignoring why people use them.
    - alphaalpha101 9y ago
      >I don't see the VC money and avoiding regulation to be essential parts of the business though. But it is. The entire reason they're cheaper than taxis is that the VC money is subsidising their losses because they have capital to burn, and they pay no tax and have uncertified and unlicensed drivers. >I very rarely take a cab, and am not price sensitive. I tried Lyft, albeit not Uber, and like people repeatedly say, the good things about it are (a) you get fast response and a direct way to contact the driver, (b) you see how close they are to you on a moving map, (c) you get an up front estimate, and (d) they don't demand cash. Same is true of all the taxis I can think of. Fast response, can contact driver, see them on a map, get an estimate of price, can pay through app, etc. >While it might slow them down if they weren't subsidizing drivers, or drivers weren't subsidizing them, it wouldn't change the fact that the things they do are actually worth more than a regular cab, so they could charge more and not less, as far as I'm concerned. In your area? Perhaps. But Uber could not exist without VC money and breaking the law all over the world. If their service is supposedly worth more, then why are there prices so much lower?
1undo 9y ago
How is it a scam? It gave me a ride to the airport for $26 bucks. I took a cab once and it cost over $50 bucks. My need some tweaks here and therem but overall its a great service for customers
- toomuchtodo 9y ago
  The rates Uber charges are unsustainable, funded with VC money and underpaying drivers, hence posters comment that Uber is a scam. Uber’s play is to wait out taxis going out of business and then charge you $50.
  - icebraining 9y ago
    Because they think no one else can write apps..? Kalanick may be an asshole, but I don't think he's stupid.
- unreal37 9y ago
  The difference, the $24, comes out of driver's pockets. And also, Uber loses money on every ride. That $26 ride to the airport cost Uber $30. :)
- marenkay 9y ago
  The missing $24 were health insurance, car insurance, pension payments for the driver etc. All not being paid. Uber is no ride share service, it is a test project to figure out if modern society will accept a larger lower income working class without any social security, and that is what all investment firms bet on.
  - Tiktaalik 9y ago
    Additionally taxis are regulated so as to create a reasonably universally publicly accessible transportation system. That is that you can call a cab and it will pick you up and you will have an understanding of the price you will pay. In an Uber/Lyft ride hailing system cabs can only be hailed via an app, and will only accept the most profitable rides. Surge pricing may also make the ride only affordable to the relatively wealthy. In such a system, low income persons in relatively remote areas lose transportation options. Part of the extra price of cabs is the price of creating a transportation system that is accessible to everyone, not just the most wealthy.

by chx 9y ago

unethical_ban 9y ago

Is Uber a scam, or is ride share, in your opinion? Ride share is a great servicce for people and increases safety in many areas.

alphaalpha101 9y ago
Uber is (in my opinion) a scam, and (objectively) not ride sharing. 'Ride sharing' does not even begin to describe Uber. There is no sharing going on whatsoever. It's a taxi company that just ignores the law on principle to gain an advantage, while also spending VC money like crazy in a very illegally anticompetitive manner.
- perl4ever 9y ago
  I don't see the VC money and avoiding regulation to be essential parts of the business though. I very rarely take a cab, and am not price sensitive. I tried Lyft, albeit not Uber, and like people repeatedly say, the good things about it are (a) you get fast response and a direct way to contact the driver, (b) you see how close they are to you on a moving map, (c) you get an up front estimate, and (d) they don't demand cash. While it might slow them down if they weren't subsidizing drivers, or drivers weren't subsidizing them, it wouldn't change the fact that the things they do are actually worth more than a regular cab, so they could charge more and not less, as far as I'm concerned. If Uber and Lyft are "just taxi companies" then why don't all the other taxi companies just make a similar app and then promote the idea their upstart competitors are regulation-avoiding scum? It ought to be more effective than ignoring why people use them.
  - alphaalpha101 9y ago
    >I don't see the VC money and avoiding regulation to be essential parts of the business though. But it is. The entire reason they're cheaper than taxis is that the VC money is subsidising their losses because they have capital to burn, and they pay no tax and have uncertified and unlicensed drivers. >I very rarely take a cab, and am not price sensitive. I tried Lyft, albeit not Uber, and like people repeatedly say, the good things about it are (a) you get fast response and a direct way to contact the driver, (b) you see how close they are to you on a moving map, (c) you get an up front estimate, and (d) they don't demand cash. Same is true of all the taxis I can think of. Fast response, can contact driver, see them on a map, get an estimate of price, can pay through app, etc. >While it might slow them down if they weren't subsidizing drivers, or drivers weren't subsidizing them, it wouldn't change the fact that the things they do are actually worth more than a regular cab, so they could charge more and not less, as far as I'm concerned. In your area? Perhaps. But Uber could not exist without VC money and breaking the law all over the world. If their service is supposedly worth more, then why are there prices so much lower?

1undo 9y ago

How is it a scam? It gave me a ride to the airport for $26 bucks. I took a cab once and it cost over $50 bucks. My need some tweaks here and therem but overall its a great service for customers

toomuchtodo 9y ago
The rates Uber charges are unsustainable, funded with VC money and underpaying drivers, hence posters comment that Uber is a scam. Uber’s play is to wait out taxis going out of business and then charge you $50.
- icebraining 9y ago
  Because they think no one else can write apps..? Kalanick may be an asshole, but I don't think he's stupid.
unreal37 9y ago
The difference, the $24, comes out of driver's pockets. And also, Uber loses money on every ride. That $26 ride to the airport cost Uber $30. :)
marenkay 9y ago
The missing $24 were health insurance, car insurance, pension payments for the driver etc. All not being paid. Uber is no ride share service, it is a test project to figure out if modern society will accept a larger lower income working class without any social security, and that is what all investment firms bet on.
- Tiktaalik 9y ago
  Additionally taxis are regulated so as to create a reasonably universally publicly accessible transportation system. That is that you can call a cab and it will pick you up and you will have an understanding of the price you will pay. In an Uber/Lyft ride hailing system cabs can only be hailed via an app, and will only accept the most profitable rides. Surge pricing may also make the ride only affordable to the relatively wealthy. In such a system, low income persons in relatively remote areas lose transportation options. Part of the extra price of cabs is the price of creating a transportation system that is accessible to everyone, not just the most wealthy.