6 ms·

Uber and Lyft Are Overwhelming Urban Streets, and Cities Need to Act Fast

13 points by sogen 8y ago

bdhess 8y ago
> The bulk of TNC trips — 60 percent — either replace transit, biking, and walking, or would not have been made without the availability of TNCs. I feel like those numbers need to be broken out in order to make a cogent policy argument. Replacing walking/biking/transit is very different from a trip that otherwise wouldn’t be made.
notacoward 8y ago
> The bulk of TNC trips — 60 percent — either replace transit, biking, and walking, or would not have been made without the availability of TNCs. The same could be said of trips in people's own cars. Go ahead, replace "TNCs" in that sentence with "private automobiles" and it's just as true. Sure, it's a problem if TNC drivers go 3mi empty for every 5.2mi with a passenger, but it's a much bigger problem that transportation infrastructure sucks in most cities and zoning is flat-out insane. Attack the 1.6x multiplier in miles for a small population (TNC users) or the 2.5x multiplier for a much larger one (all drivers)? Or just turn a blind eye to the bigger issue because writing about the smaller one gets more clicks?
justboxing 8y ago
Was in an old school taxi cab here in San Francisco last week and I asked the guy what he thought about Lyft and Uber. Usually when I pose that question the cabbie goes on a tirade about how his/her livelyhood is ruined. But this guy's response was different. He said. "There are now more Uber and Lyft drivers in this City than there are people that need a ride."
- DEADBEEFC0FFEE 8y ago
  Doesn't this sort of thing self regulate. If there is not enough passengers, people will stop offering lifts as a primary income. If roads are full and slow, people will use public transport. I realise short term there may be some negative effects on city culture and transit finances. Regulating ride shares is not very different from taxis.

6 ms·

Uber and Lyft Are Overwhelming Urban Streets, and Cities Need to Act Fast

13 points by sogen 8y ago

bdhess 8y ago
> The bulk of TNC trips — 60 percent — either replace transit, biking, and walking, or would not have been made without the availability of TNCs. I feel like those numbers need to be broken out in order to make a cogent policy argument. Replacing walking/biking/transit is very different from a trip that otherwise wouldn’t be made.
notacoward 8y ago
> The bulk of TNC trips — 60 percent — either replace transit, biking, and walking, or would not have been made without the availability of TNCs. The same could be said of trips in people's own cars. Go ahead, replace "TNCs" in that sentence with "private automobiles" and it's just as true. Sure, it's a problem if TNC drivers go 3mi empty for every 5.2mi with a passenger, but it's a much bigger problem that transportation infrastructure sucks in most cities and zoning is flat-out insane. Attack the 1.6x multiplier in miles for a small population (TNC users) or the 2.5x multiplier for a much larger one (all drivers)? Or just turn a blind eye to the bigger issue because writing about the smaller one gets more clicks?
justboxing 8y ago
Was in an old school taxi cab here in San Francisco last week and I asked the guy what he thought about Lyft and Uber. Usually when I pose that question the cabbie goes on a tirade about how his/her livelyhood is ruined. But this guy's response was different. He said. "There are now more Uber and Lyft drivers in this City than there are people that need a ride."
- DEADBEEFC0FFEE 8y ago
  Doesn't this sort of thing self regulate. If there is not enough passengers, people will stop offering lifts as a primary income. If roads are full and slow, people will use public transport. I realise short term there may be some negative effects on city culture and transit finances. Regulating ride shares is not very different from taxis.