6 ms·

Uber raises its minimum age for California drivers to 25

27 points by mikece 3y ago

catiopatio 3y ago
This makes perfect sense to me, as someone who lives in a college town and witnesses the uptick in terrible driving when the students return. Fortunately, my anecdotal experience isn’t necessary to make this call. Insurance companies are well aware of the same issue and price insurance accordingly.
- tracker1 3y ago
  Anecdotally, I've seen some pretty garbage over 40yo drivers too. Driving in the center lane, interacting with a cell phone, going 15mph under the speed limit.
  - catiopatio 3y ago
    Surprised you didn’t use the perennial “boomer” to describe anyone over 40. The statistics don’t lie. Drivers under 25 are much higher risk than drivers over 40.
    - tracker1 3y ago
      I know, experience counts for everything. Also, I'm 48yo and gen-x, so don't refer to myself as a boomer. ;-)
thebigspacefuck 3y ago
I didn’t realize it was other wise. Under 25 your brain hasn’t fully developed and you can’t be trusted to rent a car, but you can take a strangers life in your hands.
- danielfoster 3y ago
  Just because your brain is not fully developed does not mean you are incapable of making good decisions. Keep in mind the minimum age for a commercial pilot’s license is 18 years old. A number of under-25s have been hired by airlines in the past or fly planes in the military. I also rented cars multiple times as a 21-year-old in the US and without paying a risk surcharge as well.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    Statistically, the under-25 set tends to be pretty poor at risk assessment and judgement. Of course, that doesn't mean all people under 25. There's a huge amount of variability and a whole lot of extremely responsible and capable young adults. The process you need to go through to get a pilot's license -- especially a commercial one -- is pretty rigorous and I would have confidence that anyone, of any age, who does it is qualified. The process you need to go through to get a driver's license is very far from rigorous, and I don't assume that just because someone has one, at any age, that means they're good at it. So the statistics are more relevant. There's a very good reason why car insurance premiums are higher for people under 25.
    - danielfoster 3y ago
      I totally agree with you. My point is I see people (usually boomers) sometimes make the logical fallacy of assuming not fully developed brain = undeveloped brain. Probably Uber should have some sort of extended test or trial period, limited working hours, special speed monitoring, or other safety controls in place for younger drivers. Of course this would be too cost-prohibitive. It’s also unfortunate to see a large group of people dismissed based on a single statistic, when in reality brain development is a much more complex process.
      - htrp 3y ago
        > Probably Uber should have some sort of extended test or trial period, limited working hours, special speed monitoring, or other safety controls in place for younger drivers. Of course this would be too cost-prohibitive. They literally have an always on track of your location with them while you are driving for them, it wouldn't be too much to hook that into a OBDII interface to monitor safe driving.
- halfdan 3y ago
  Ah yes, hence why Americans get their drivers permit at 16 and can shoot weapons and deploy to war shortly after.
  - 8f2ab37a-ed6c 3y ago
    You can drive a tank at 17 in the Army, if I'm not mistaken.
- runnerup 3y ago
  19 year olds helm aircraft carriers.
edmundsauto 3y ago
HN loves to hypothesize how Uber is so expensive to run, I'm wondering how much insurance costs them to provide. What does this group think - for a $10 ride, how much goes to paying for premiums, claims, and administration?
- consumer451 3y ago
  I don't know the answer to your question, but it did make me learn that a driver is covered as soon as they are available on the app. I find it interesting that they were able to cover drivers under 25, considering the whole rental car under 25 thing. https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/insurance/ https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/insurance/
  - s1artibartfast 3y ago
    I imagine that at ubers scale it would make sense to self insure
    - consumer451 3y ago
      Yeah, derp. My brain is failing me these days.
gumballindie 3y ago
Is uber still a thing? Every driver i speak to on the rare occasion i use it tells me they dread uber, and prefer bolt. Also my experience with uber has been abysmal.
- tchbnl 3y ago
  Never heard of Bolt, and looking them up, they're not even in the US. So I'd say Uber is very much still a thing.
- dcgudeman 3y ago
  Are you seriously asking this question? A quick googling shows that Uber is by far the largest ridesharing company by revenue, $31 billion in 2022. Bolt has revenue of $1.3 billion. For you to ask that shows that you are insincere in your analysis of this subject or deeply ignorant.

27 points by mikece 3y ago

This makes perfect sense to me, as someone who lives in a college town and witnesses the uptick in terrible driving when the students return. Fortunately, my anecdotal experience isn’t necessary to make this call. Insurance companies are well aware of the same issue and price insurance accordingly.

tracker1 3y ago
Anecdotally, I've seen some pretty garbage over 40yo drivers too. Driving in the center lane, interacting with a cell phone, going 15mph under the speed limit.
- catiopatio 3y ago
  Surprised you didn’t use the perennial “boomer” to describe anyone over 40. The statistics don’t lie. Drivers under 25 are much higher risk than drivers over 40.
  - tracker1 3y ago
    I know, experience counts for everything. Also, I'm 48yo and gen-x, so don't refer to myself as a boomer. ;-)

thebigspacefuck 3y ago

I didn’t realize it was other wise. Under 25 your brain hasn’t fully developed and you can’t be trusted to rent a car, but you can take a strangers life in your hands.

danielfoster 3y ago
Just because your brain is not fully developed does not mean you are incapable of making good decisions. Keep in mind the minimum age for a commercial pilot’s license is 18 years old. A number of under-25s have been hired by airlines in the past or fly planes in the military. I also rented cars multiple times as a 21-year-old in the US and without paying a risk surcharge as well.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  Statistically, the under-25 set tends to be pretty poor at risk assessment and judgement. Of course, that doesn't mean all people under 25. There's a huge amount of variability and a whole lot of extremely responsible and capable young adults. The process you need to go through to get a pilot's license -- especially a commercial one -- is pretty rigorous and I would have confidence that anyone, of any age, who does it is qualified. The process you need to go through to get a driver's license is very far from rigorous, and I don't assume that just because someone has one, at any age, that means they're good at it. So the statistics are more relevant. There's a very good reason why car insurance premiums are higher for people under 25.
  - danielfoster 3y ago
    I totally agree with you. My point is I see people (usually boomers) sometimes make the logical fallacy of assuming not fully developed brain = undeveloped brain. Probably Uber should have some sort of extended test or trial period, limited working hours, special speed monitoring, or other safety controls in place for younger drivers. Of course this would be too cost-prohibitive. It’s also unfortunate to see a large group of people dismissed based on a single statistic, when in reality brain development is a much more complex process.
    - htrp 3y ago
      > Probably Uber should have some sort of extended test or trial period, limited working hours, special speed monitoring, or other safety controls in place for younger drivers. Of course this would be too cost-prohibitive. They literally have an always on track of your location with them while you are driving for them, it wouldn't be too much to hook that into a OBDII interface to monitor safe driving.
halfdan 3y ago
Ah yes, hence why Americans get their drivers permit at 16 and can shoot weapons and deploy to war shortly after.
- 8f2ab37a-ed6c 3y ago
  You can drive a tank at 17 in the Army, if I'm not mistaken.
runnerup 3y ago
19 year olds helm aircraft carriers.

edmundsauto 3y ago

HN loves to hypothesize how Uber is so expensive to run, I'm wondering how much insurance costs them to provide. What does this group think - for a $10 ride, how much goes to paying for premiums, claims, and administration?

consumer451 3y ago
I don't know the answer to your question, but it did make me learn that a driver is covered as soon as they are available on the app. I find it interesting that they were able to cover drivers under 25, considering the whole rental car under 25 thing. https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/insurance/ https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/insurance/
- s1artibartfast 3y ago
  I imagine that at ubers scale it would make sense to self insure
  - consumer451 3y ago
    Yeah, derp. My brain is failing me these days.

gumballindie 3y ago

Is uber still a thing? Every driver i speak to on the rare occasion i use it tells me they dread uber, and prefer bolt. Also my experience with uber has been abysmal.

tchbnl 3y ago
Never heard of Bolt, and looking them up, they're not even in the US. So I'd say Uber is very much still a thing.
dcgudeman 3y ago
Are you seriously asking this question? A quick googling shows that Uber is by far the largest ridesharing company by revenue, $31 billion in 2022. Bolt has revenue of $1.3 billion. For you to ask that shows that you are insincere in your analysis of this subject or deeply ignorant.