6 ms·
Uber is getting more expensive with time as they try to consolidate losses. For my commute to work nowadays Express Pool costs the same as UberX did a year ago.
by justfor1comment 8y ago
Uber is getting more expensive with time as they try to consolidate losses. For my commute to work nowadays Express Pool costs the same as UberX did a year ago. And of course express pool includes overtly long sight seeing detours and dangerous pick up/drop off points. This is getting prohibitively expensive and I plan to switch to an electric scooter + public transit in a few months.
- warp_factor 8y agoThis is a good summary of the VC economy: Use it as long as it is subsidized by VC Money, then switch back to whatever you used before.
- alexpetralia 8y agoAlso the part about one VC passing the buck to the next, allowing them all to benefit reputationally from asset inflation - until the bubble pops. Then only the last ones holding the bag lose. Edit: VC is actually not passing to VC, but larger investment funds like PE.
- bduerst 8y agoIn the case of unicorns that don't meet expectations, it's usually the employees who were compensated in stock or options left holding the bag, since investors try to lock in preferred payout.
- josefx 8y agoThat only works if the VC money runs out before your alternative goes out of business. A company with enough reserves killing local competition by undercuting it so much that everyone trying to compete has to lose money isn't unheard of.
- burlesona 8y agoI highly recommmend the electric scooter. So fast and so fun. I got this one: https://ecorecoscooter.com/product/l5 https://ecorecoscooter.com/product/l5
- komali2 8y agoOr, a bicycle. You can get a good one on craigslist for a hundred bucks if you're patient. You may get a bit sweatier but you'll get an exercise ;) Or, there's no hills, and you go your own pace, and it's fine. Having tried both I do feel bicycles are safer - those tiny scooter wheels shake me to pieces.
- bamboozled 8y agoAnother thing I like about bikes is that it can be really therapeutic to perform your own tweaks, maintenance and repairs. Yesterday fitted new break pads and it’s such a pleasure to ride and is satisfying as hell.
- bambax 8y agoI built an electric bike from an inexpensive normal bike + Bafang motor. Total cost <$1000. I have never been happier with a vehicle. This is really the best of all worlds.
- komali2 8y agoOh snap, got a blog post or anything? Would love to kick a motor on to help on the incline home.
- bambax 8y agoThere are a million tutorials online, just google "bafang tutorial"; I found this video informative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf6BMf28ats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf6BMf28ats but again, there are many many others. One point important mentioning though is that once you put a motor on the bike you kind of have to use it all the time, because 1/ you lose the front derailleur, 2/ motor + battery weight around 6-8 kg, and 3/ the engine is always engaged. It's possible to use the bike with zero assistance, on flat ground, if you need it (for example if the battery dies), but it's not something you want to do all the time. So, it's not really a sport anymore. Yet it's extremely pleasant. Also: you can buy Bafang motors on Aliexpress or Alibaba; I find sellers on Alibaba much more professional, and most will agree to sell just one item.
- komali2 8y ago> dangerous pick up/drop off points Dangerous in what way? By what measure? > public transit How does the previous danger measurement compare to your average ride on public transit?
- justfor1comment 8y agoI have had pick up points on ramps of highways which I am describing as dangerous. As you can see this is not a danger I would face on public transit.
- rockinghigh 8y ago> Express Pool costs the same as UberX did a year ago This is very unlikely.
- sct202 8y agoI could see it if op is including discounts. Uber and Lyft for me go thru cycles of heavy promos followed by dry spells.
- aviv 8y agoIf a couple dollar difference is that big of a deal, you need to focus your effort on making more money, not switching to a cheaper alternative. The problem is not Uber raising prices, it's you wasting time commuting to the wrong job. I mean this in a good way, not trying to be rude.
- brockwhittaker 8y agoI would normally agree but the difference could be around $5 each way for 250 work days a year. A few thousand dollars a year is quite a lot.
- aviv 8y agoIf $5 each way is a lot of money, it's a sign you are not making enough money. Optimizing life to save that $5 increase is exactly the mindset that keeps people living paycheck to paycheck. Increase the top line, expenses don't matter if you focus your effort on making more money.
- ghaff 8y agoSeriously? I’d argue that kicking a $5 per day Starbucks habit is hardly a sign that you need to make a career change. It seems a lot closer to plugging a mindless money leak if it’s just something you do by default.
- aviv 8y agoYou should kick it because caffeine (and the cow milk most people consume it with) is bad for you, not because it costs $5. And yes, especially after a certain age, you should have a job where a few random $5 charges you don't recognize on your credit card statement are something you ignore and don't even bother disputing.
- ghaff 8y agoIt’s not about some random $5 charges. It’s about money spending habits that, to use the current meme, don’t bring you joy and collectively can add up to a considerable amount of money.