2 ms·

Totally agree on Uber/Lyft. Taxis were / are awful in pretty much every place I've been (maybe not Germany). I don't agree with all the shitty tactics that thes

Totally agree on Uber/Lyft. Taxis were / are awful in pretty much every place I've been (maybe not Germany). I don't agree with all the shitty tactics that these companies use to seduce drivers or the opaque pricing systems they have but they have improved on the taxi experience. For DoorDash and the ride-sharing companies I really wish there were some sort of localized non-profits that provided these services with none of the underhanded and sleazy tactics these companies use to try and achieve profitability.

hn_throwaway_99 4y ago
> For DoorDash and the ride-sharing companies I really wish there were some sort of localized non-profits that provided these services In Austin, TX there actually was, it was called Ride Austin. In 2016 Austin voters passed a resolution requiring drivers to be fingerprinted, so Uber and Lyft left until the city was overruled by state government about a year later (this happens all the time - Austin passes some liberal ordinance that the conservative state government later rescinds). In the time that Uber and Lyft were gone, we had lots of services that popped up to try to take their place, and Ride Austin was probably the best known. I liked it - it paid drivers better and there was an option to contribute to local charities. It was a non-profit but I believe it was essentially kicked off by a local tech billionaire (Joe Leimandt, who has been featured on other stories on HN). But that said, the app and service were never as good as Uber/Lyft, and though I tried to support them when Uber/Lyft came back, they weren't really able to compete and eventually closed down. Thus, as much as I like the idea of a local nonprofit providing this service, I think the Ride Austin example is as good a one as any to show why it's not really feasible.

2 ms·

Totally agree on Uber/Lyft. Taxis were / are awful in pretty much every place I've been (maybe not Germany). I don't agree with all the shitty tactics that thes

by lancesells 4y ago

hn_throwaway_99 4y ago
> For DoorDash and the ride-sharing companies I really wish there were some sort of localized non-profits that provided these services In Austin, TX there actually was, it was called Ride Austin. In 2016 Austin voters passed a resolution requiring drivers to be fingerprinted, so Uber and Lyft left until the city was overruled by state government about a year later (this happens all the time - Austin passes some liberal ordinance that the conservative state government later rescinds). In the time that Uber and Lyft were gone, we had lots of services that popped up to try to take their place, and Ride Austin was probably the best known. I liked it - it paid drivers better and there was an option to contribute to local charities. It was a non-profit but I believe it was essentially kicked off by a local tech billionaire (Joe Leimandt, who has been featured on other stories on HN). But that said, the app and service were never as good as Uber/Lyft, and though I tried to support them when Uber/Lyft came back, they weren't really able to compete and eventually closed down. Thus, as much as I like the idea of a local nonprofit providing this service, I think the Ride Austin example is as good a one as any to show why it's not really feasible.