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Ben Thompson just released a great post that talks about exactly this issue, including moats in the space.[0] Essentially, there is no two-sided marketplace adv
by gringoDan 8y ago
Ben Thompson just released a great post that talks about exactly this issue, including moats in the space.[0] Essentially, there is no two-sided marketplace advantage here like there is with Uber or Lyft (the drivers -> customers -> more drivers flywheel).
I like the idea of this playing out with 1-2 companies offering several different transportation verticals in each city. Rather than checking Uber, Lyft, Via, Bird, Lime, etc. to try to get from point A to point B, I can check an app that gives me the prices for ridesharing, scooters, e-bikes, whatever...and then I choose one of those options from the given company.
The moat here is to be the best aggregator for the entire network. Netflix has enough good shows for me that I don't pay for Hulu to watch the one show there that I'd like to see. The same idea exists here, just in the physical world.
[0] https://stratechery.com/2018/the-scooter-economy/ https://stratechery.com/2018/the-scooter-economy/
HN Discussion of the post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17284094 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17284094
- webrender 8y agoworth noting that the Transit app already aggregates all the options you mentioned, although it redirects to each respective app for payment.