5 ms·

Cool. I have to say, though, that not having to negotiate a price is a key benefit of Uber. The price is the price, no quibbling, no bait and switch. Similarl

by mprev 8y ago

Cool. I have to say, though, that not having to negotiate a price is a key benefit of Uber. The price is the price, no quibbling, no bait and switch. Similarly, paying by cash feels like a step back.

gerbilly 8y ago
In all friendliness let me offer a counterpoint to your post: You guys are so funny! Afraid of negotiating a price? Really? Perhaps it's time we became grown ups? To me uber is just an extension of the habit of calling your parents to pick you up after soccer practise. Also soon there won't be any cash at all, and so no anonymity in any financial transaction, thanks for promoting that!
- otikik 8y ago
  I am not afraid. But I don't enjoy it either and I'd rather not do it. The same way you tell others "time to grow up" I can tell you "time to get civilized".
  - gerbilly 8y ago
    But you could argue that's what civilization is based on, normal people making deals with each other face to face.
    - Bartweiss 8y ago
      I... don't think you can really argue that. Personal transactions, based on reputation and persuasion and goods-on-hand, predate agriculture and settled habitation. In fact, they predate humanity by quite a bit. Definitions of civilization vary, but all of them that I know involve sedentary agriculture, written communication, and social stratification or organized government. Pretty much all of that represents a move away from face-to-face dealing by equals. I can certainly believe that civilization effectively sacrifices positive human interactions and free association in the name of reliability and (sometimes) efficiency. And I'm very open to the idea that a society full of Homeowner's Associations and impossible-to-override checklists is abandoning normal human interaction for no real benefit. But I think that's hard to address without conceding that this is part of the same process as calling the cops instead of starting a fistfight; civilization is in large part the process of adding more intermediaries to our interactions.
- icebraining 8y ago
  I don't know where you live; around here, taxis have had regulated prices for decades, so you don't negotiate either. The only real difference is that you can ask one to come to you rather than aimlessly walk around looking for one.
- chrisseaton 8y ago
  > Afraid of negotiating a price? Really? I'm not afraid of it - I'm just at a disadvantage in terms of information. When I fly into some random city where I don't know anything about what a normal taxi fare is I can't negotiate can I? It's also just something I don't want to do - I don't want to have a stand-up argument with someone about money, thanks. I also don't want to unblock a toilet but that doesn't mean I'm somehow afraid of it. But some people are afraid of a negotiation, yes. A vulnerable person, stuck somewhere alone in the dark getting into a belligerent argument with a taxi driver could be an extremely frightening experience. Taxis also requires you to carry physical cash, which again makes you vulnerable - to robbery. And again that probably is much more of a concern to people more vulnerable than you. > To me uber is just an extension of the habit of calling your parents to pick you up after soccer practise. Good? That was a great system when I was a child. It was safe, friendly and didn't involve any cash. If we can replicate the same great system for independent adults that's fantastic.
  - kwhitefoot 8y ago
    > Taxis also requires you to carry physical cash, That's a bit stone age. Here in Scandinavia I never take cash when I go to one of the other countries, all the taxis take plastic.
    - chrisseaton 8y ago
      Well that's my point - taxis in some countries are stuck with coins and bank notes and bartering like you're a medieval squire looking for a horse.
    - Bartweiss 8y ago
      Ostensibly, almost all taxis in America take cards also - the problem isn't a failure to install readers. (It is true that Uber introduces credit card support in countries where taxis commonly lack it, or where a tourist's plastic is incompatible with directly paying on local systems.) In the US, though, the problem isn't a shortage of readers. It's partly that instead of drivers swiping cards, there are often car-installed readers in the passenger area, which are a pain to fix when drunk or angry riders break them. But it's largely a tax/overhead scheme, where drivers say their reader is broken so that they can get cash and underreport fares. In many places they're required to inform passengers in advance when they can't take plastic, but that doesn't mean they actually do so - and the problem was even worse before ubiquitous cell phones enabled "I'll stay here and we'll call the cops". Even with most taxi companies launching their own ride-hail apps, a significant selling point of Uber is avoiding common issues like drivers demanding cash or inflating costs with longer routes.
- defertoreptar 8y ago
  What exactly is the counterpoint here?
  - gerbilly 8y ago
    * An argument against the disneyfication of everyday life where all the risk is taken out of face to face interactions with other people. To me this reduces us all to the level of automatons in a machine controlled by large companies. * An argument that a cashless society will remove all anonymity in financial transactions.
    - defertoreptar 8y ago
      Ok there are no doubt people who value those things. There are an equal or greater number of consumers who value the opposite position: 1) "My time is more important to me than haggling over a price with a shopkeeper." Or, "I don't find the process of bargaining interesting, and I'd rather save that time and energy for other creative or human-connection type activities." 2) "Avoiding the time/inconvenience overhead of dealing with cash and change holds more utility to me than the promise of anonymity, and the credit card rewards are a plus."
    - Retra 8y ago
      >where all the risk is taken out of face to face interactions with other people All of the risk is not in taxi fare negotiation, nor is that the source of all face-to-face interactions with other people. Seems like you're trying to argue a mountain out of a mole hill.
    - ghaff 8y ago
      I'm not going to argue for a cashless society. (Which I agree would be bad even though I primarily use credit cards for the convenience.) I actually don't use taxis/Uber/Lyft all that much when I travel. If there are good transit options, I usually do that. Or I just walk around a city. However, when I do need to, making the ride higher friction, requiring me to have local currency, potentially being overcharged, etc. are not really a source of exciting travel experiences for me. I'm somewhat with you on disneyfication and I don't do cruises, rarely go to a resort, and haven't been to a Disney theme park in many decades. But taxi rides seem an odd hill to die on with respect to this question.
r00fus 8y ago
That price can surge though. And some AI controls the surges to benefit Uber, not the cabbie not you. Without some form of strong niche, it's going to be tough to break through the market. Perhaps an app like LibreTaxi can go directly to governments and get funding there.
- capitalsigma 8y ago
  Surge pricing is a feature. A taxi at noon on Tuesday is worth less than a taxi at 10 pm on New Year's Eve. The latter subsidizes the former.

by mprev 8y ago

Cool. I have to say, though, that not having to negotiate a price is a key benefit of Uber. The price is the price, no quibbling, no bait and switch. Similarly, paying by cash feels like a step back.

gerbilly 8y ago

In all friendliness let me offer a counterpoint to your post: You guys are so funny! Afraid of negotiating a price? Really? Perhaps it's time we became grown ups? To me uber is just an extension of the habit of calling your parents to pick you up after soccer practise. Also soon there won't be any cash at all, and so no anonymity in any financial transaction, thanks for promoting that!

otikik 8y ago
I am not afraid. But I don't enjoy it either and I'd rather not do it. The same way you tell others "time to grow up" I can tell you "time to get civilized".
- gerbilly 8y ago
  But you could argue that's what civilization is based on, normal people making deals with each other face to face.
  - Bartweiss 8y ago
    I... don't think you can really argue that. Personal transactions, based on reputation and persuasion and goods-on-hand, predate agriculture and settled habitation. In fact, they predate humanity by quite a bit. Definitions of civilization vary, but all of them that I know involve sedentary agriculture, written communication, and social stratification or organized government. Pretty much all of that represents a move away from face-to-face dealing by equals. I can certainly believe that civilization effectively sacrifices positive human interactions and free association in the name of reliability and (sometimes) efficiency. And I'm very open to the idea that a society full of Homeowner's Associations and impossible-to-override checklists is abandoning normal human interaction for no real benefit. But I think that's hard to address without conceding that this is part of the same process as calling the cops instead of starting a fistfight; civilization is in large part the process of adding more intermediaries to our interactions.
icebraining 8y ago
I don't know where you live; around here, taxis have had regulated prices for decades, so you don't negotiate either. The only real difference is that you can ask one to come to you rather than aimlessly walk around looking for one.
chrisseaton 8y ago
> Afraid of negotiating a price? Really? I'm not afraid of it - I'm just at a disadvantage in terms of information. When I fly into some random city where I don't know anything about what a normal taxi fare is I can't negotiate can I? It's also just something I don't want to do - I don't want to have a stand-up argument with someone about money, thanks. I also don't want to unblock a toilet but that doesn't mean I'm somehow afraid of it. But some people are afraid of a negotiation, yes. A vulnerable person, stuck somewhere alone in the dark getting into a belligerent argument with a taxi driver could be an extremely frightening experience. Taxis also requires you to carry physical cash, which again makes you vulnerable - to robbery. And again that probably is much more of a concern to people more vulnerable than you. > To me uber is just an extension of the habit of calling your parents to pick you up after soccer practise. Good? That was a great system when I was a child. It was safe, friendly and didn't involve any cash. If we can replicate the same great system for independent adults that's fantastic.
- kwhitefoot 8y ago
  > Taxis also requires you to carry physical cash, That's a bit stone age. Here in Scandinavia I never take cash when I go to one of the other countries, all the taxis take plastic.
  - chrisseaton 8y ago
    Well that's my point - taxis in some countries are stuck with coins and bank notes and bartering like you're a medieval squire looking for a horse.
  - Bartweiss 8y ago
    Ostensibly, almost all taxis in America take cards also - the problem isn't a failure to install readers. (It is true that Uber introduces credit card support in countries where taxis commonly lack it, or where a tourist's plastic is incompatible with directly paying on local systems.) In the US, though, the problem isn't a shortage of readers. It's partly that instead of drivers swiping cards, there are often car-installed readers in the passenger area, which are a pain to fix when drunk or angry riders break them. But it's largely a tax/overhead scheme, where drivers say their reader is broken so that they can get cash and underreport fares. In many places they're required to inform passengers in advance when they can't take plastic, but that doesn't mean they actually do so - and the problem was even worse before ubiquitous cell phones enabled "I'll stay here and we'll call the cops". Even with most taxi companies launching their own ride-hail apps, a significant selling point of Uber is avoiding common issues like drivers demanding cash or inflating costs with longer routes.
defertoreptar 8y ago
What exactly is the counterpoint here?
- gerbilly 8y ago
  * An argument against the disneyfication of everyday life where all the risk is taken out of face to face interactions with other people. To me this reduces us all to the level of automatons in a machine controlled by large companies. * An argument that a cashless society will remove all anonymity in financial transactions.
  - defertoreptar 8y ago
    Ok there are no doubt people who value those things. There are an equal or greater number of consumers who value the opposite position: 1) "My time is more important to me than haggling over a price with a shopkeeper." Or, "I don't find the process of bargaining interesting, and I'd rather save that time and energy for other creative or human-connection type activities." 2) "Avoiding the time/inconvenience overhead of dealing with cash and change holds more utility to me than the promise of anonymity, and the credit card rewards are a plus."
  - Retra 8y ago
    >where all the risk is taken out of face to face interactions with other people All of the risk is not in taxi fare negotiation, nor is that the source of all face-to-face interactions with other people. Seems like you're trying to argue a mountain out of a mole hill.
  - ghaff 8y ago
    I'm not going to argue for a cashless society. (Which I agree would be bad even though I primarily use credit cards for the convenience.) I actually don't use taxis/Uber/Lyft all that much when I travel. If there are good transit options, I usually do that. Or I just walk around a city. However, when I do need to, making the ride higher friction, requiring me to have local currency, potentially being overcharged, etc. are not really a source of exciting travel experiences for me. I'm somewhat with you on disneyfication and I don't do cruises, rarely go to a resort, and haven't been to a Disney theme park in many decades. But taxi rides seem an odd hill to die on with respect to this question.

r00fus 8y ago

That price can surge though. And some AI controls the surges to benefit Uber, not the cabbie not you. Without some form of strong niche, it's going to be tough to break through the market. Perhaps an app like LibreTaxi can go directly to governments and get funding there.

capitalsigma 8y ago
Surge pricing is a feature. A taxi at noon on Tuesday is worth less than a taxi at 10 pm on New Year's Eve. The latter subsidizes the former.