8 ms·

Firefly raises $30M to bring more ads to Ubers, Lyfts and taxis

24 points by jbredeche 7y ago

pmoriarty 7y ago
More ads. Just what we fucking need.
ativzzz 7y ago
I sat in a ride a few weeks ago with a monitor in front of me hanging on the backseat, that I had no way to turn off, playing ads the whole time. I guess this is ride sharing's path to being profitable, more intrusive advertising. Or pay a premium to get an ad-free ride. If this is the future of ride sharing, looks like owning a car isn't going out of style anytime soon. I don't like this, but it seems being advertised to at every possible moment is the price we pay for our societies' current modern development
- deogeo 7y ago
  > being advertised to at every possible moment is the price we pay for our societies' current modern development It's the opposite - advertising is a parasitic phenomenon, leeching talent and resources that could otherwise be spent more productively, and what we get in return is an information environment skewed to make us spend money, and a landscape marred by this visual cancer. But ads are in no way a fact of life we have to get used to - they can be defeated, or at least kept at bay. Some cities have banned them: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5338 http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5338
  - A2017U1 7y ago
    Ads considered harmful.
- NullPrefix 7y ago
  Did you give 5 stars for the ride?
- mandeepj 7y ago
  > I had no way to turn off, playing ads the whole time Carry a paper napkin or restickable mouse pad with you
  - JohnFen 7y ago
    Or tell the driver that if he doesn't turn off the screen, you're not taking the ride. And follow through.
    - wuliwong 7y ago
      I'm not totally sure how the rating system works but I think that behavior could get you locked out pretty quickly? I would think giving a low rating for the ride is still effective and doesn't jeopardize your ability to still use the service. You could also just ask the driver to turn the screen off without threatening to cancel the trip as a first step.
      - JohnFen 7y ago
        With Lyft and Uber, maybe. Since I already don't use Uber and will no longer use Lyft, I am personally only concerned about the impact with real taxi services and didn't consider ride-sharing in my response. That was an oversight. But, with real taxis anyway, this is what I will do. > You could also just ask the driver to turn the screen off without threatening to cancel the trip as a first step. Yes, that is the actual approach I'd take. It's always nice to start as nonconfrontational as possible. But since I won't be taking the ride if the screen is on, the entire exchange has to be complete before the ride actually starts.
- twinkletwinkle_ 7y ago
  I'm giving that driver 1 star every time, until my rides are ad free or I can't take any more rides.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- antisemiotic 7y ago
  >that I had no way to turn off Some people didn't realize that Black Mirror isn't an instruction manual.
- notfromhere 7y ago
  Not surprising, this already exists in cabs and Uber's whole plan is "like cabs but worse for the drivers".
- sawmurai 7y ago
  I smell a business idea: properly sized covers for these monitors
rajeshp1986 7y ago
I wonder why Uber and Lyft hasn't come with their own version of screens on the back showing ads.
- sjg007 7y ago
  Maybe they will.. uberAd ride or something. Might be cheaper than the regular uber or become a pool default.
joeblubaugh 7y ago
These LED grids are bright, often animated, and distracting to other drivers and cyclists. Cities and DMVs should regulate their use.
JohnFen 7y ago
> He also described the Firefly approach as a “win-win-win scenario” — not just for drivers and advertisers, but also for local businesses, nonprofits and local governments, to whom the company has committed 10% of its inventory. It's interesting how he left customers out of this description. I guess "win-win-win-lose" probably didn't test well. I'll avoid using any service that adopts this, and can only hope that there will remain at least one who doesn't.
cwkoss 7y ago
Any Uber with advertising in the passenger cabin instantly gets 1-star rated.
spookybones 7y ago
I am going to wear an iPad around my neck, sit in the middle seat, and display ads in the Uber driver’s rearview mirror. This is the last frontier.
roflchoppa2 7y ago
this crud is dangerous for motorists and distracts drivers with images on motorways. Im surprised this is permitted in California, and not seen as a misuse of the laws that keep screens away from drivers. (ie no double DIN displays showing movies, cellphones, etc)
Nextgrid 7y ago
> Firefly raises $30M to bring more cancer to Ubers, Lyfts and taxis Fixed that for you. It’s a shame that 30M is being burned to make the daily routing even worse for hundreds of thousands of people instead of improving it.
rchaud 7y ago
How much longer before they turn on the webcams on the tablets they'll be giving drivers (I assume this is how it'll work) to ensure that users are actually watching the ads?
nathanaldensr 7y ago
More ads! Just what the world needs! Congrats, folks!

24 points by jbredeche 7y ago

More ads. Just what we fucking need.

I sat in a ride a few weeks ago with a monitor in front of me hanging on the backseat, that I had no way to turn off, playing ads the whole time. I guess this is ride sharing's path to being profitable, more intrusive advertising. Or pay a premium to get an ad-free ride. If this is the future of ride sharing, looks like owning a car isn't going out of style anytime soon. I don't like this, but it seems being advertised to at every possible moment is the price we pay for our societies' current modern development

deogeo 7y ago
> being advertised to at every possible moment is the price we pay for our societies' current modern development It's the opposite - advertising is a parasitic phenomenon, leeching talent and resources that could otherwise be spent more productively, and what we get in return is an information environment skewed to make us spend money, and a landscape marred by this visual cancer. But ads are in no way a fact of life we have to get used to - they can be defeated, or at least kept at bay. Some cities have banned them: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5338 http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5338
- A2017U1 7y ago
  Ads considered harmful.
NullPrefix 7y ago
Did you give 5 stars for the ride?
mandeepj 7y ago
> I had no way to turn off, playing ads the whole time Carry a paper napkin or restickable mouse pad with you
- JohnFen 7y ago
  Or tell the driver that if he doesn't turn off the screen, you're not taking the ride. And follow through.
  - wuliwong 7y ago
    I'm not totally sure how the rating system works but I think that behavior could get you locked out pretty quickly? I would think giving a low rating for the ride is still effective and doesn't jeopardize your ability to still use the service. You could also just ask the driver to turn the screen off without threatening to cancel the trip as a first step.
    - JohnFen 7y ago
      With Lyft and Uber, maybe. Since I already don't use Uber and will no longer use Lyft, I am personally only concerned about the impact with real taxi services and didn't consider ride-sharing in my response. That was an oversight. But, with real taxis anyway, this is what I will do. > You could also just ask the driver to turn the screen off without threatening to cancel the trip as a first step. Yes, that is the actual approach I'd take. It's always nice to start as nonconfrontational as possible. But since I won't be taking the ride if the screen is on, the entire exchange has to be complete before the ride actually starts.
twinkletwinkle_ 7y ago
I'm giving that driver 1 star every time, until my rides are ad free or I can't take any more rides.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
antisemiotic 7y ago
>that I had no way to turn off Some people didn't realize that Black Mirror isn't an instruction manual.
notfromhere 7y ago
Not surprising, this already exists in cabs and Uber's whole plan is "like cabs but worse for the drivers".
sawmurai 7y ago
I smell a business idea: properly sized covers for these monitors

rajeshp1986 7y ago

I wonder why Uber and Lyft hasn't come with their own version of screens on the back showing ads.

sjg007 7y ago
Maybe they will.. uberAd ride or something. Might be cheaper than the regular uber or become a pool default.

joeblubaugh 7y ago

These LED grids are bright, often animated, and distracting to other drivers and cyclists. Cities and DMVs should regulate their use.

JohnFen 7y ago

> He also described the Firefly approach as a “win-win-win scenario” — not just for drivers and advertisers, but also for local businesses, nonprofits and local governments, to whom the company has committed 10% of its inventory. It's interesting how he left customers out of this description. I guess "win-win-win-lose" probably didn't test well. I'll avoid using any service that adopts this, and can only hope that there will remain at least one who doesn't.

cwkoss 7y ago

Any Uber with advertising in the passenger cabin instantly gets 1-star rated.

spookybones 7y ago

I am going to wear an iPad around my neck, sit in the middle seat, and display ads in the Uber driver’s rearview mirror. This is the last frontier.

roflchoppa2 7y ago

this crud is dangerous for motorists and distracts drivers with images on motorways. Im surprised this is permitted in California, and not seen as a misuse of the laws that keep screens away from drivers. (ie no double DIN displays showing movies, cellphones, etc)

Nextgrid 7y ago

> Firefly raises $30M to bring more cancer to Ubers, Lyfts and taxis Fixed that for you. It’s a shame that 30M is being burned to make the daily routing even worse for hundreds of thousands of people instead of improving it.

rchaud 7y ago

How much longer before they turn on the webcams on the tablets they'll be giving drivers (I assume this is how it'll work) to ensure that users are actually watching the ads?

nathanaldensr 7y ago

More ads! Just what the world needs! Congrats, folks!