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I definitely understand the cabbies' concerns about prices, but this is huge for Uber. As the cabbies seek to shorten the gap between taxi prices and Uber pric

I definitely understand the cabbies' concerns about prices, but this is huge for Uber. As the cabbies seek to shorten the gap between taxi prices and Uber prices and shut down for an entire day, Uber swoops in with a huge customer acquisition push. This won't be the death of the cabs, but I'll love to see how Uber makes out on the deal.

pavel_lishin 15y ago
I hope they're advertising it enough that people who have never heard of Uber actually use them.
- masterzora 15y ago
  That's an excellent point. I don't know what kind of advertising Uber is actually using, but my Twitter anecdata says that there's already starting to be a nice bit of viral push to go with it. I really hope it'll be significant, because I absolutely love Uber and I'm planning on fully supporting them tomorrow.
  - pavel_lishin 15y ago
    Wouldn't it make more sense for Uber's supporters to avoid using them tomorrow, thus freeing up more of their fleet for potential new converts?
- cbailey 15y ago
  I hope their advertising doesn't attract more negative attention from the local government.
pitdesi 15y ago
There have been several times recently where I was unable to use Uber because there were no Ubercabs available. I wonder if the demand will be too much for the system to handle... though presumably they've got all hands on deck tomorrow.
- klochner 15y ago
  If uber wants to make sure everyone who wants a taxi can get one, they should raise prices, otherwise they're ensuring an uber shortage. simple supply/demand economics.
  - potatolicious 15y ago
    Um... you're presuming a fixed supply of uber cars. This simply is not true, especially in the medium/long term. Raising prices amidst extreme demand is a good way to maximize profit on the supply you do have, but expanding your supply to fulfill demand is almost certainly the better course in the long run.
    - klochner 15y ago
      Um, seriously? Uber is dropping their fares only for the duration of the taxi strike, ostensibly to make sure "ordinary folks can get around the city while the taxi drivers strike to get a fair deal." During the strike (viz., the 'short term') there will likely be a shortage of cars, including uber cars. Lowering their prices will only make it harder to get an uber car during the strike.
      - potatolicious 15y ago
        It looks like we're arguing about different things. Someone brought up that Uber cars are already hard to book (strike or no strike), and my point was that instead of raising prices to maximize profit, one would be much better served to expand the fleet instead. In any case, even in the context of the strike, presumably Uber has longer-term plans than just tomorrow - raising their prices, while following the laws of supply/demand, is going to smack of gouging, and will naturally do far more damage in the long run than whatever extra profit they can derive.
        deleted 15y ago
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mcantelon 15y ago
I know I'll never use their services now.

pavel_lishin 15y ago

I hope they're advertising it enough that people who have never heard of Uber actually use them.

masterzora 15y ago
That's an excellent point. I don't know what kind of advertising Uber is actually using, but my Twitter anecdata says that there's already starting to be a nice bit of viral push to go with it. I really hope it'll be significant, because I absolutely love Uber and I'm planning on fully supporting them tomorrow.
- pavel_lishin 15y ago
  Wouldn't it make more sense for Uber's supporters to avoid using them tomorrow, thus freeing up more of their fleet for potential new converts?
cbailey 15y ago
I hope their advertising doesn't attract more negative attention from the local government.

pitdesi 15y ago

There have been several times recently where I was unable to use Uber because there were no Ubercabs available. I wonder if the demand will be too much for the system to handle... though presumably they've got all hands on deck tomorrow.

klochner 15y ago
If uber wants to make sure everyone who wants a taxi can get one, they should raise prices, otherwise they're ensuring an uber shortage. simple supply/demand economics.
- potatolicious 15y ago
  Um... you're presuming a fixed supply of uber cars. This simply is not true, especially in the medium/long term. Raising prices amidst extreme demand is a good way to maximize profit on the supply you do have, but expanding your supply to fulfill demand is almost certainly the better course in the long run.
  - klochner 15y ago
    Um, seriously? Uber is dropping their fares only for the duration of the taxi strike, ostensibly to make sure "ordinary folks can get around the city while the taxi drivers strike to get a fair deal." During the strike (viz., the 'short term') there will likely be a shortage of cars, including uber cars. Lowering their prices will only make it harder to get an uber car during the strike.
    - potatolicious 15y ago
      It looks like we're arguing about different things. Someone brought up that Uber cars are already hard to book (strike or no strike), and my point was that instead of raising prices to maximize profit, one would be much better served to expand the fleet instead. In any case, even in the context of the strike, presumably Uber has longer-term plans than just tomorrow - raising their prices, while following the laws of supply/demand, is going to smack of gouging, and will naturally do far more damage in the long run than whatever extra profit they can derive.
      - deleted 15y ago
        [deleted]
      - deleted 15y ago

mcantelon 15y ago

I know I'll never use their services now.