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This is an ENORMOUS problem in Kenya. Many drivers do this to "protest" Uber as well. Some of the drivers will accept the fare and then just not come if you're

This is an ENORMOUS problem in Kenya. Many drivers do this to "protest" Uber as well. Some of the drivers will accept the fare and then just not come if you're paying by credit card. I would happily pay the minimum fare to give these drivers a 1 star review.

amelius 9y ago
I think it is only fair. These drivers had reasonably good jobs until Uber came along and took part of their income.
- V-2 9y ago
  So it's like protesting against eBay by tricking ordinary people into putting orders you have no intention of ever shipping? Just because someone has a beef with Uber doesn't mean it's a good excuse for making me late by trolling me into a transaction they are not willing to fulfill to begin with. I'm not Uber. It's like getting a job at McDonald's and sabotaging from the inside (because they made your hot-dog stand go bust). If that's the level of social ethics they demonstrated at their prior reasonably good jobs, I'm not too surprised about their losing them.
  - amelius 9y ago
    I don't think that's reasonable. Stuff like this (delaying people) happens with strikes all the time. Besides, Uber has a history of ignoring laws and regulations themselves. These people are being sent into a race to the bottom by an outsider. An outsider who just happened to have attracted a big pile of money in a faraway country.
    - V-2 9y ago
      > Stuff like this (delaying people) happens with strikes all the time. It's not the same thing at all. Strikes may delay people, and they do, but they don't involve deception. Strikes, especially, though not exclusively, transport strikes, are announced - and announced in advance. Even if - say - your local surgery strikes, surely they won't book you an appointment, then trick you into sitting in their waiting room, while noone is actually going to see you.
      - amelius 9y ago
        The comparison to surgeons is not adequate. We're talking here about people with little savings, and little to no other job opportunities. The rebellious acts of these people and the collateral inconveniences they cause are rather small compared to the moral injustice that is imposed on these people. And yes, you, as a client of Uber are also guilty to some extent. Perhaps ask yourself this question: what amount of money would be necessary to put me out of business? Imagine that someone stands up and brings together a bunch of VCs and collects that money. Imagine that you have invested a lot in your current business, and you have nowhere to go if you lost that business. That's the situation we're talking about here.
        V-2 9y ago
        > The comparison to surgeons is not adequate I meant a surgery as in primary care physicians or dentists, not surgeons. It could be a barber though, or whatever really. You're missing the point I laid out explicitly - strikes aren't based on deception, and are announced. And it's for a reason: to maximize the impact it has on the employer, while at the same time minimizing it for the "guilty to some extent" average people. Which is the exact opposite of the strategy you described.
        toomuchtodo 9y ago
        Deception is required when you're fighting against an adversary (Uber) where there is a drastic power imbalance. Uber does not fight fare, so therefore, neither should those fighting against them.
Nanite 9y ago
Recently spent a few weeks in Nairobi, drivers accepting the ride and then spending 10+ minutes parked a few hundred meters down the road seem quite common. Could be misaligned incentives, the cancelation fee is typically half that of a ride within downtown Nairobi. Also my rating took a massive hit, dropped down from 4.8x to 4.6x! over nearly 40 rides. I did occasionally tip for great service, but also encountered some fairly obvious cases of account sharing by drivers, and downright dangerous driving.

amelius 9y ago

I think it is only fair. These drivers had reasonably good jobs until Uber came along and took part of their income.

V-2 9y ago
So it's like protesting against eBay by tricking ordinary people into putting orders you have no intention of ever shipping? Just because someone has a beef with Uber doesn't mean it's a good excuse for making me late by trolling me into a transaction they are not willing to fulfill to begin with. I'm not Uber. It's like getting a job at McDonald's and sabotaging from the inside (because they made your hot-dog stand go bust). If that's the level of social ethics they demonstrated at their prior reasonably good jobs, I'm not too surprised about their losing them.
- amelius 9y ago
  I don't think that's reasonable. Stuff like this (delaying people) happens with strikes all the time. Besides, Uber has a history of ignoring laws and regulations themselves. These people are being sent into a race to the bottom by an outsider. An outsider who just happened to have attracted a big pile of money in a faraway country.
  - V-2 9y ago
    > Stuff like this (delaying people) happens with strikes all the time. It's not the same thing at all. Strikes may delay people, and they do, but they don't involve deception. Strikes, especially, though not exclusively, transport strikes, are announced - and announced in advance. Even if - say - your local surgery strikes, surely they won't book you an appointment, then trick you into sitting in their waiting room, while noone is actually going to see you.
    - amelius 9y ago
      The comparison to surgeons is not adequate. We're talking here about people with little savings, and little to no other job opportunities. The rebellious acts of these people and the collateral inconveniences they cause are rather small compared to the moral injustice that is imposed on these people. And yes, you, as a client of Uber are also guilty to some extent. Perhaps ask yourself this question: what amount of money would be necessary to put me out of business? Imagine that someone stands up and brings together a bunch of VCs and collects that money. Imagine that you have invested a lot in your current business, and you have nowhere to go if you lost that business. That's the situation we're talking about here.
      - V-2 9y ago
        > The comparison to surgeons is not adequate I meant a surgery as in primary care physicians or dentists, not surgeons. It could be a barber though, or whatever really. You're missing the point I laid out explicitly - strikes aren't based on deception, and are announced. And it's for a reason: to maximize the impact it has on the employer, while at the same time minimizing it for the "guilty to some extent" average people. Which is the exact opposite of the strategy you described.
        toomuchtodo 9y ago
        Deception is required when you're fighting against an adversary (Uber) where there is a drastic power imbalance. Uber does not fight fare, so therefore, neither should those fighting against them.

Nanite 9y ago

Recently spent a few weeks in Nairobi, drivers accepting the ride and then spending 10+ minutes parked a few hundred meters down the road seem quite common. Could be misaligned incentives, the cancelation fee is typically half that of a ride within downtown Nairobi. Also my rating took a massive hit, dropped down from 4.8x to 4.6x! over nearly 40 rides. I did occasionally tip for great service, but also encountered some fairly obvious cases of account sharing by drivers, and downright dangerous driving.