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Uber facilitates matching and routing and many other things. Don't you think that those features are worthy of paying for them?

pessimizer 4y ago
Isn't that just a few well understood algorithms and the acres of servers to run them? Is Uber coming up with new math?
Teever 4y ago
Sure, but that's money that is being taken out of my community and I would prefer that it stay here. Why do I need to involve a middle man from another country to facilitate a trip across town?
- sushid 4y ago
  Then ride a cab? You're involving a middle man because they do a pretty damn good job taking you from point A to point B. It's the same reason you might want to use Amazon to buy something and "take money out of your community."
  - Teever 4y ago
    I take the bus, but I noticed lately that I haven't seen a cab in my city in months, whereas pre Uber I used to see dozens of them a day. For better or worse I think that Uber destroyed the cab industry in my city. Either way, I still think that we could have some sort of decentralized ride sharing platform that doesn't suck so much money out of local communities. I think that this would be better for communities and therefore society a a whole.
    - cinntaile 4y ago
      Local cabs need to innovate and provide an app with similar features. If they do that, they'll probably stay in business. If not... Good luck.
      - Apocryphon 4y ago
        The problem is what happens after Uber goes out of business, having taken out the local cab companies?
        cinntaile 4y ago
        In what sense? The taxi's and their drivers will still be there, they're locals. They're not completely dependent on Uber so if a vacuum would arise, it would be filled quite fast I believe.
airbreather 4y ago
Where I live you have to work a full 8 hour shift to be a taxi driver. So the real benefit of Uber was enabling mums to drop off children at school and then work until time to pick them up again (one example), casual self determining work not available to many in other ways. I live fairly central, guy around the corner from me is retired, hangs at home picking up the odd job as he feels like, great for him, plus he can control his income relative to impacts to benefits.
- mantas 4y ago
  > plus he can control his income relative to impacts to benefits In other words, benefits abuse?
  - gruez 4y ago
    If the welfare program says you only get money if you earn under $2000/month, what's wrong with keeping your income just under $2000 month?
    - wdb 4y ago
      Because it indicates you are able to find a job that earns you money
      - airbreather 4y ago
        not if you are retired, the way it works here the marginal tax rate of a pensioner could end up around 80% when means tested pension payments are taken account of. For someone that has worked all their life and paid a shitload of tax I find that a little offensive and have no problem with them optimising their returns in their golden years.
        wdb 4y ago
        Now you are talking about getting welfare subsidies when people are retired? I hope when you are retired you have pension pot or a (paid off) house you can leverage so you need to get welfare money from the government

pessimizer 4y ago

Isn't that just a few well understood algorithms and the acres of servers to run them? Is Uber coming up with new math?

Teever 4y ago

Sure, but that's money that is being taken out of my community and I would prefer that it stay here. Why do I need to involve a middle man from another country to facilitate a trip across town?

sushid 4y ago
Then ride a cab? You're involving a middle man because they do a pretty damn good job taking you from point A to point B. It's the same reason you might want to use Amazon to buy something and "take money out of your community."
- Teever 4y ago
  I take the bus, but I noticed lately that I haven't seen a cab in my city in months, whereas pre Uber I used to see dozens of them a day. For better or worse I think that Uber destroyed the cab industry in my city. Either way, I still think that we could have some sort of decentralized ride sharing platform that doesn't suck so much money out of local communities. I think that this would be better for communities and therefore society a a whole.
  - cinntaile 4y ago
    Local cabs need to innovate and provide an app with similar features. If they do that, they'll probably stay in business. If not... Good luck.
    - Apocryphon 4y ago
      The problem is what happens after Uber goes out of business, having taken out the local cab companies?
      - cinntaile 4y ago
        In what sense? The taxi's and their drivers will still be there, they're locals. They're not completely dependent on Uber so if a vacuum would arise, it would be filled quite fast I believe.

airbreather 4y ago

Where I live you have to work a full 8 hour shift to be a taxi driver. So the real benefit of Uber was enabling mums to drop off children at school and then work until time to pick them up again (one example), casual self determining work not available to many in other ways. I live fairly central, guy around the corner from me is retired, hangs at home picking up the odd job as he feels like, great for him, plus he can control his income relative to impacts to benefits.

mantas 4y ago
> plus he can control his income relative to impacts to benefits In other words, benefits abuse?
- gruez 4y ago
  If the welfare program says you only get money if you earn under $2000/month, what's wrong with keeping your income just under $2000 month?
  - wdb 4y ago
    Because it indicates you are able to find a job that earns you money
    - airbreather 4y ago
      not if you are retired, the way it works here the marginal tax rate of a pensioner could end up around 80% when means tested pension payments are taken account of. For someone that has worked all their life and paid a shitload of tax I find that a little offensive and have no problem with them optimising their returns in their golden years.
      - wdb 4y ago
        Now you are talking about getting welfare subsidies when people are retired? I hope when you are retired you have pension pot or a (paid off) house you can leverage so you need to get welfare money from the government