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How is that a counterexample when they started when Uber and Lyft couldn't operate? Are there examples of local services that sprouted up and had to compete wit

• AlexandrB 8y ago
  No one can compete with Lyft and Uber because the latter are heavily subsidized - effectively providing $2 of service for $1 of revenue. Once they run out of runway - and the self-driving pipe dream hasn’t yet materialized - we’ll see a real competitive market emerge in the ridesharing industry.
  • RhodesianHunter 8y ago
    Somewhat ironically, one of the few cases where increased competition will not coincide with better prices for the consumer.
• hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
  You are implying an argument I did not make. I was replying to the statement "The cost of entry into this space is much greater than I think most people realize. It's not "building an app". It's building a balanced, efficient marketplace." My point is that building a balanced, efficient marketplace is actually not that difficult. The fact that Uber and Lyft can kill the competition now by burning through multiple billions in VC funding is irrelevant to that. In the end, I think the ride-sharing business will look a lot like the airlines: lots of people traveling, but not a particularly great business.
  • foobar1962 8y ago
    Most of the "cost of entry" - building the marketplace, approval from government etc - has already been paid by the earlier players.
• reubenmorais 8y ago
  Yes, Brazil/South America have 99Taxi and Cabify, although most drivers and users have 2 or 3 apps and switch around depending on promotions, price of a specific route, etc.