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> And then highly paid people like many HN are just not willing to do the math: A taxi driver (or Uber driver) will not be able to drive all working day long. T

> And then highly paid people like many HN are just not willing to do the math: A taxi driver (or Uber driver) will not be able to drive all working day long. They have to wait for new passengers a significant part of their working time. This dynamic changes significantly though when your have app-mediated taxi interactions, instead of waving down a taxi in the street. Taxi drivers end up drastically more efficiently allocating their time, since they don't have to drive around hoping for customers to miraculously appear - instead they just drive directly to the closest customer every time. They can also manage their time to work only when & where there is demand for their services in the moment, instead of driving around the wrong area looking for non-existent customers. You'd also expect that by providing a more convenient/cheaper/better service, this would create more demand for taxis in turn, which makes it easier to find passengers, and so driver time can be even better utilized. None of that requires either Uber specifically or a ruthless gig-worker model - any other app-based taxi service would provide the same benefits - but I think it does make a clear argument for why app-powered taxis in general should be able to bring taxi prices down and provide a better customer experience, without necessarily destroying taxi driver's livelihoods.

usr1106 4y ago
> instead of waving down a taxi in the street. That has never existed in any of the 3 countries I have lived in. Taxis were always ordered by phone. At least since the 1960s drivers were offered trips via radio by the taxi switchboard, in 2000s the available trips appeared on a screen on the dashboard. Well, it might depend also on the density, but at least outside of massive city centers some kind of booking has always been required. > None of that requires either Uber specifically or a ruthless gig-worker model Exactly. > a clear argument for why app-powered taxis in general should be able to bring taxi prices down We are on HN, so I assume few would resist to use IT to optimize a problem. However, my expectations of how much such systems really save costs in the end would be rather moderate. Don't underestimate human optimization if experienced drivers pick their rides from a list. As mentioned, technology for that has existed since the 1960s. Does Uber really offer anything better for the driver?

usr1106 4y ago

> instead of waving down a taxi in the street. That has never existed in any of the 3 countries I have lived in. Taxis were always ordered by phone. At least since the 1960s drivers were offered trips via radio by the taxi switchboard, in 2000s the available trips appeared on a screen on the dashboard. Well, it might depend also on the density, but at least outside of massive city centers some kind of booking has always been required. > None of that requires either Uber specifically or a ruthless gig-worker model Exactly. > a clear argument for why app-powered taxis in general should be able to bring taxi prices down We are on HN, so I assume few would resist to use IT to optimize a problem. However, my expectations of how much such systems really save costs in the end would be rather moderate. Don't underestimate human optimization if experienced drivers pick their rides from a list. As mentioned, technology for that has existed since the 1960s. Does Uber really offer anything better for the driver?