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I know, and it saddens me. I attended Gencon this last weekend. I had a great time. But one story is the following: We were staying with some friends 2mi away

I know, and it saddens me. I attended Gencon this last weekend. I had a great time. But one story is the following: We were staying with some friends 2mi away from Lucas Oil station. As much as I don't like Uber (1), I installed it and used it to get a ride in the morning so my wife and I could run games. We called a taxi - they were a noshow. So Uber it was. We get a gentleman who was in his upper 60's. He retired a few years ago, but medical bills meant he couldn't relax any. He instead had to go to "work". But who would hire someone at that age? Walmart greeter? There are no walmarts nearby in the 'hood. So, he did Uber. This wasn't some upbeat 20 something doing 'awesome rides in their spare time'. This was someone doing the dregs of employment without any protections thereof. Injured on the job? LOL you're not on a job. Work or die. Unemployment protections are nice.... If you were "unemployed". In the end, "gig economy" job-non-jobs only serve to make everyone poorer, except for a few in Silicon Valley. And when their stunt is up, the SV con-artists will move on to their next game of arbitrage. Who that next group who's made poorer is, is anyone's guess. (1) After giving him 5 stars, I uninstalled uber.

refurb 8y ago
Your preference is that the Uber job wasn’t an option for him at all?
- maxxxxx 8y ago
  I think the preference is that he shouldn't have to work because of medical issues.
- crankylinuxuser 8y ago
  It's not an "Uber job". It's an "Uber shitty one-at-a-time contract that looks like a job but really isnt". If you study your history, Uber is playing out exactly like how unregulated taxis played out in the 1910's and '20s. Scammers, lack of insurance, injuries, kidnappers, rapists, fare games were what the scene looked like then. The public demanded regulation, and thats what we got. In some locations, regulation went way too far (NY medallion garbage). Long story short, Uber is an old scam. And in those kinds of scams, everyone except the company owner lose. The customer loses because of lack of insurance and higher risk. The "employee" loses because the money they get doesn't cover wear and tear of vehicle, gas, and minimum wage.

refurb 8y ago

Your preference is that the Uber job wasn’t an option for him at all?

maxxxxx 8y ago
I think the preference is that he shouldn't have to work because of medical issues.
crankylinuxuser 8y ago
It's not an "Uber job". It's an "Uber shitty one-at-a-time contract that looks like a job but really isnt". If you study your history, Uber is playing out exactly like how unregulated taxis played out in the 1910's and '20s. Scammers, lack of insurance, injuries, kidnappers, rapists, fare games were what the scene looked like then. The public demanded regulation, and thats what we got. In some locations, regulation went way too far (NY medallion garbage). Long story short, Uber is an old scam. And in those kinds of scams, everyone except the company owner lose. The customer loses because of lack of insurance and higher risk. The "employee" loses because the money they get doesn't cover wear and tear of vehicle, gas, and minimum wage.