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Not in Seattle or just about anywhere else the US. Befofe Uber, unless you were at one of the few cabs stands, waiting 1 hour for a cab, that may or may not ev

Not in Seattle or just about anywhere else the US. Befofe Uber, unless you were at one of the few cabs stands, waiting 1 hour for a cab, that may or may not even show up was not uncommon. Uber and Lyft have changed people's lives in most places they operate.

busterarm 9y ago
lolwut How long you had to wait for a cab has nothing to do with driving a cab being a good income. I've been in cabs pre-Uber all across the US. In places like Buffalo, Albany (any college town, really), all over Long Island, DC, LA, etc., I've talked to loads of cab drivers pre-Uber and they were making okay money. I used to take 20-minute cab trips in Long Island that cost $100. The zone and per passenger system in Albany made fares very expensive. I knew a student cabbie in Buffalo who paid his tuition and then some ferrying drunks between the campus' and the bars.
- pnw_hazor 9y ago
  Airline pilots used to make more money too when airline pricing was regulated. Cabs suck ass in most areas of the country because of government regulations granted them exclusive rights at the expense of the consumer. Turns out the consumer will use Uber or Lyft instead of cabs if given a choice. Nothing is stopping cabs from competing. Also, see Cable TV/broadband Companies.
  - busterarm 9y ago
    This was never up to debate. My comments were purely based on the parent commenter saying that "driving a cab was never a decent living, ask any cabbie", which is false. This is a derail. Does raise an interesting discussion of whether consumer convenience should always be optimized for though. If you look at clothing, it's convenient and cheap because of an exploitative labor market built on appalling wages and child labor. Maybe I don't want the pilot of my plane or driver of my car working under those conditions though... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_pilot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_pilot

busterarm 9y ago

lolwut How long you had to wait for a cab has nothing to do with driving a cab being a good income. I've been in cabs pre-Uber all across the US. In places like Buffalo, Albany (any college town, really), all over Long Island, DC, LA, etc., I've talked to loads of cab drivers pre-Uber and they were making okay money. I used to take 20-minute cab trips in Long Island that cost $100. The zone and per passenger system in Albany made fares very expensive. I knew a student cabbie in Buffalo who paid his tuition and then some ferrying drunks between the campus' and the bars.

pnw_hazor 9y ago
Airline pilots used to make more money too when airline pricing was regulated. Cabs suck ass in most areas of the country because of government regulations granted them exclusive rights at the expense of the consumer. Turns out the consumer will use Uber or Lyft instead of cabs if given a choice. Nothing is stopping cabs from competing. Also, see Cable TV/broadband Companies.
- busterarm 9y ago
  This was never up to debate. My comments were purely based on the parent commenter saying that "driving a cab was never a decent living, ask any cabbie", which is false. This is a derail. Does raise an interesting discussion of whether consumer convenience should always be optimized for though. If you look at clothing, it's convenient and cheap because of an exploitative labor market built on appalling wages and child labor. Maybe I don't want the pilot of my plane or driver of my car working under those conditions though... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_pilot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_pilot