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These are good arguments, so it comes down to the question whether this type of business could be profitable in the first place. As a frequent user of these se

These are good arguments, so it comes down to the question whether this type of business could be profitable in the first place. As a frequent user of these services I would be fine with paying a bit more. What I most enjoy is the ability to get a ride within 1 minute timeframe and very comfortably through the app. Ideal to not lose any daily time when going to work and back. Taxis require more organising and waiting time. There is definite value for me. Are there enough other people who find value in this? I am not sure, but we definitely will find out. Do you think Uber blindly believes they can ask customer's more money or reduce their costs or are they deceitful? Regarding starting from higher price point. This seems like a solvable issue. I in general don't think we need specialist drivers or so called taxi to exist unless for niche crowds. It seems a lot more optimal if most people can go in and out when they want and do it. This must be cheaper and optimal due to scale and algorithms ability to select fitting driver's from a huge pool. One thing unnoted is though future potential for self driving transport. Right now I will be long on Uber though. My life has gotten so much easier with ride hailing services (I don't have a car and I find it cheaper to ride hail than to maintain a car anyway) so it definitely makes sense for me to invest in them.

arcticbull 7y ago
> I in general don't think we need specialist drivers or so called taxi to exist unless for niche crowds. It seems a lot more optimal if most people can go in and out when they want and do it. This must be cheaper and optimal due to scale and algorithms ability to select fitting driver's from a huge pool. Cars are idle 99% of the time because individuals who just wanna jump in and make a few extra bucks are at work during the day. I don't think Uber even pretends to have an ad-hoc fleet of anything other than professional drivers. > One thing unnoted is though future potential for self driving transport. That'll be so much worse for Uber. At best, if they deliver it first, they'll see a temporary first-mover advantage. Then every other automaker in the world will jump into the fray, and likely individuals won't own cars at all and it'll be either more commoditized (or less so) depending on what kind of ride people want. The automakers may even cut Uber out -- why sell to their competition? I don't think it's a margin improvement play but an existential threat.
- arcticbull 7y ago
  > This must be cheaper and optimal due to scale and algorithms ability to select fitting driver's from a huge pool. FWIW I did point out why it wouldn't be optimal: insurance can't be pooled and depreciation of the personal vehicle may far outstrip any benefits gained from Uber. If average drivers ran the numbers I think they'd be really disappointed.

arcticbull 7y ago

> I in general don't think we need specialist drivers or so called taxi to exist unless for niche crowds. It seems a lot more optimal if most people can go in and out when they want and do it. This must be cheaper and optimal due to scale and algorithms ability to select fitting driver's from a huge pool. Cars are idle 99% of the time because individuals who just wanna jump in and make a few extra bucks are at work during the day. I don't think Uber even pretends to have an ad-hoc fleet of anything other than professional drivers. > One thing unnoted is though future potential for self driving transport. That'll be so much worse for Uber. At best, if they deliver it first, they'll see a temporary first-mover advantage. Then every other automaker in the world will jump into the fray, and likely individuals won't own cars at all and it'll be either more commoditized (or less so) depending on what kind of ride people want. The automakers may even cut Uber out -- why sell to their competition? I don't think it's a margin improvement play but an existential threat.

arcticbull 7y ago
> This must be cheaper and optimal due to scale and algorithms ability to select fitting driver's from a huge pool. FWIW I did point out why it wouldn't be optimal: insurance can't be pooled and depreciation of the personal vehicle may far outstrip any benefits gained from Uber. If average drivers ran the numbers I think they'd be really disappointed.