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Similarly, "ridesharing" is a marketing slogan created by Uber to aid their attempts to not have their operations be classified as taxis/cabs in order to evade

Similarly, "ridesharing" is a marketing slogan created by Uber to aid their attempts to not have their operations be classified as taxis/cabs in order to evade regulations. Language often targets conclusions!

chrischen 4y ago
A lot of people parroting this line, but I suspect you guys all did not use or were not in the market for Uber or Lyft. Their main offering pre-pandemic was in fact Uber Pool and Lyft Line, which was indeed shared rides. This was extremely popular and was the default option in the app.
- i_am_proteus 4y ago
  Your suspicions are not correct (I personally hired many taxis through both Uber and Lyft prior to 2020). I challenge your assertion that shared rides were the "main" offering: Uber Pool was 20% of rides in 2016.zero] Use "ride-hailing" or just call these things what they are: taxis. [zero]https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/uber-says-that-20-of-its-rides-globally-are-now-on-uber-pool/ https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/uber-says-that-20-of-its-r...
  - Izkata 4y ago
    It may not be what people selected, but at least in Lyft it was the default and cheapest option. Pre-2020 all my Lyft rides were shared.
  - chrischen 4y ago
    Your article was from 2016, a mere 2 years after the launch of POOL. Shared rides became the default option and by 2019 I didn’t know a single person that rented out a whole car just for themselves unless they also had a group of people more than 2.
- DiogenesKynikos 4y ago
  > parroting this line The line is true. "Ridesharing" used to mean something completely different. > Their main offering pre-pandemic was in fact Uber Pool and Lyft Line, which was indeed shared rides. First, this used to be known as "splitting a cab," not "ridesharing." Second, Uber was branding its service as "ridesharing" long before it launched Uber Pool. Uber Pool was only added a few years after Uber spread across the US. This article is an example of how "ridesharing" was used in the pre-Uber days: [0]. A typical passage from the article: > It's not that there's a shortage of rideshare sites on the Internet. One of the largest sites in Canada is Carpool.ca, which thousands of people and hundreds of employers and universities use to organize carpools. 0. https://www.thestar.com/business/small_business/leadership/2008/04/28/buddy_can_you_spare_a_ride.html https://www.thestar.com/business/small_business/leadership/2...
  - chrischen 4y ago
    Uber was originally called UberCab, and I guess given the lack of medallions they had they couldn’t be called a cab. Strictly speaking Uber was ride sharing. You could turn Uber on from your commute from A to B and also ferry a few passengers during that time… granted I’m not sure if it was possible to see the routes ahead of time.
- rhino369 4y ago
  Pool and Line came pretty late in the game after the regulations changed. Uber absolutely used ride sharing to claim they weren’t taxis before Pool.

chrischen 4y ago

A lot of people parroting this line, but I suspect you guys all did not use or were not in the market for Uber or Lyft. Their main offering pre-pandemic was in fact Uber Pool and Lyft Line, which was indeed shared rides. This was extremely popular and was the default option in the app.

i_am_proteus 4y ago
Your suspicions are not correct (I personally hired many taxis through both Uber and Lyft prior to 2020). I challenge your assertion that shared rides were the "main" offering: Uber Pool was 20% of rides in 2016.zero] Use "ride-hailing" or just call these things what they are: taxis. [zero]https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/uber-says-that-20-of-its-rides-globally-are-now-on-uber-pool/ https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/uber-says-that-20-of-its-r...
- Izkata 4y ago
  It may not be what people selected, but at least in Lyft it was the default and cheapest option. Pre-2020 all my Lyft rides were shared.
- chrischen 4y ago
  Your article was from 2016, a mere 2 years after the launch of POOL. Shared rides became the default option and by 2019 I didn’t know a single person that rented out a whole car just for themselves unless they also had a group of people more than 2.
DiogenesKynikos 4y ago
> parroting this line The line is true. "Ridesharing" used to mean something completely different. > Their main offering pre-pandemic was in fact Uber Pool and Lyft Line, which was indeed shared rides. First, this used to be known as "splitting a cab," not "ridesharing." Second, Uber was branding its service as "ridesharing" long before it launched Uber Pool. Uber Pool was only added a few years after Uber spread across the US. This article is an example of how "ridesharing" was used in the pre-Uber days: [0]. A typical passage from the article: > It's not that there's a shortage of rideshare sites on the Internet. One of the largest sites in Canada is Carpool.ca, which thousands of people and hundreds of employers and universities use to organize carpools. 0. https://www.thestar.com/business/small_business/leadership/2008/04/28/buddy_can_you_spare_a_ride.html https://www.thestar.com/business/small_business/leadership/2...
- chrischen 4y ago
  Uber was originally called UberCab, and I guess given the lack of medallions they had they couldn’t be called a cab. Strictly speaking Uber was ride sharing. You could turn Uber on from your commute from A to B and also ferry a few passengers during that time… granted I’m not sure if it was possible to see the routes ahead of time.
rhino369 4y ago
Pool and Line came pretty late in the game after the regulations changed. Uber absolutely used ride sharing to claim they weren’t taxis before Pool.