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Hm. Not sure I agree here. I think the rates will increase but the fundamental technology of dispatch is probably more efficient than “cruising” as cabs normall

Hm. Not sure I agree here. I think the rates will increase but the fundamental technology of dispatch is probably more efficient than “cruising” as cabs normally do. I’m making no claims on how profitable either company will be but I think they have added value to the transportation industry that isn’t artificial. Disclaimer: I work at Lyft.

jasonlingx 7y ago
The ride hailing tech is not rocket science and it is commoditised. Self driving is the end game here but the ride hailing companies are not in this game. Here in Asia, Grab/Gojek etc has diversified into payments, food delivery, massage etc which brings some semblance of sustainability.
- ulfw 7y ago
  I am sceptical about that though. It’s a copy of the China model of super apps but that’s a way different market. South East Asia isn’t one (pretty unique) country. It’s a whole range of countries, cultures, history, languages, economies, you name it. A super app that does everything for everyone is a bit like Yahoo! in the mid 90s. Might work okay in the beginning but as the markets mature, why bother with one app instead of specialist expert apps.
  - jasonlingx 7y ago
    It’s just good ol’ fashion business of building a brand, trust, loyalty and customer base, then taxing other businesses to sell to them on your platform. But I think the real players in this meta-game are Apple and Google.
tru3_power 7y ago
Cab companies have had the dispatch model way before uber even existed (My dad was a taxi driver when I was growing up)
- SEJeff 7y ago
  Not in the same way however as the GP meant I don’t think. Most cabs get most of their fares from cruising and getting flagged down whereas Uber / lyft get zero of their fares that way. He’s saying the modern dispatch only method is more efficient and I suspect in this regard he’s absolutely right.
  - alkonaut 7y ago
    That’s how most cabs get their business in the US perhaps. I have only ever gotten cabs via booking (phone and app) or simply going to a taxi line at a hotel or airport. I never hailed a cruising taxi in Europe. I don’t even know how to tell an occupied one from a free one here (if it’s even possible). Getting a cab via an app I have done for ten years now.
    - SEJeff 7y ago
      Ah that's really interesting. Well that is a huge difference between the US and Europe I suppose. It really differentiates about how you think about cabs.
    - darkwizard42 7y ago
      To be clear, in my original comment the language I should have used instead of cruising was probably "idle time searching for a fare". Waiting in a hotel line, airport queue etc. are all inefficient and would fall under my definition of cruising.

jasonlingx 7y ago

The ride hailing tech is not rocket science and it is commoditised. Self driving is the end game here but the ride hailing companies are not in this game. Here in Asia, Grab/Gojek etc has diversified into payments, food delivery, massage etc which brings some semblance of sustainability.

ulfw 7y ago
I am sceptical about that though. It’s a copy of the China model of super apps but that’s a way different market. South East Asia isn’t one (pretty unique) country. It’s a whole range of countries, cultures, history, languages, economies, you name it. A super app that does everything for everyone is a bit like Yahoo! in the mid 90s. Might work okay in the beginning but as the markets mature, why bother with one app instead of specialist expert apps.
- jasonlingx 7y ago
  It’s just good ol’ fashion business of building a brand, trust, loyalty and customer base, then taxing other businesses to sell to them on your platform. But I think the real players in this meta-game are Apple and Google.

tru3_power 7y ago

Cab companies have had the dispatch model way before uber even existed (My dad was a taxi driver when I was growing up)

SEJeff 7y ago
Not in the same way however as the GP meant I don’t think. Most cabs get most of their fares from cruising and getting flagged down whereas Uber / lyft get zero of their fares that way. He’s saying the modern dispatch only method is more efficient and I suspect in this regard he’s absolutely right.
- alkonaut 7y ago
  That’s how most cabs get their business in the US perhaps. I have only ever gotten cabs via booking (phone and app) or simply going to a taxi line at a hotel or airport. I never hailed a cruising taxi in Europe. I don’t even know how to tell an occupied one from a free one here (if it’s even possible). Getting a cab via an app I have done for ten years now.
  - SEJeff 7y ago
    Ah that's really interesting. Well that is a huge difference between the US and Europe I suppose. It really differentiates about how you think about cabs.
  - darkwizard42 7y ago
    To be clear, in my original comment the language I should have used instead of cruising was probably "idle time searching for a fare". Waiting in a hotel line, airport queue etc. are all inefficient and would fall under my definition of cruising.