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There isn't an "Uber driver" in that sense any more than there is a "person". Early on it was part-time and more gig labor. When you're being leased the vehicl

There isn't an "Uber driver" in that sense any more than there is a "person". Early on it was part-time and more gig labor. When you're being leased the vehicle via Uber themselves [https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/vehicle-solutions/ https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/vehicle-solutions/] it's definitely pushing towards real job. I wonder how many of those locked-out drivers are paying for those cars on the lease program, or if they get preference. Take a taxi, people!

elmerfud 2y ago
But you're acting like this is an "on an iPhone" experience that's new to the world. The idea of being leased equipment from someone for contract or gig labor is not new and hasn't been new for many many decades. So if you're complaining about the idea that companies who hire contract labor or gig work style labor can also lease out equipment necessary to do that labor, should the person choose to lease it from them, then where have you been for the past 50 60 years or more. Because no one is required to lease equipment from Uber in order to work for Uber it's just an option. There are great many professions that work like this and have for much longer than Uber has been a thing. Often times mechanics are this way. They can lease their tools through an employer-sponsored program but they have no control on whether the employer needs them to work every day and if they'll get paid in many situations. Because often times that that work is also gig work if no one needs their car fixed you can show up and not get anything. That's only one of a great many examples of jobs that are like this. When you have flexibility your employer has flexibility as well. I think there's a great many jobs that have stupid conditions on employment and I wouldn't work them unless I absolutely had no other option. Uber is one of those things. People like the flexibility but flexibility can cut both ways. Often I hear Uber drivers talking about how they're their own Boss but if you're accepting work orders from someone else you're at the mercy of them for the work. This is the same thing in many salons. To work there you have to buy a seat and pay for that and pay for equipment oftentimes that is on a loan or a lease and you're your own Boss but you have a very limited control on when or if you will get customers. Which is another job that I wouldn't work unless I had no choice at all. So this is not pushing toward a real job in any sense anymore than any of these other flexible gig work style jobs which permeate our society. So if you're against this as a whole then you should have been against it for the past 70 plus years. But if you feel this is some new Uber phenomenon you are greatly mistaken and need to learn how many of the jobs in the market work.
- lazyasciiart 2y ago
  How was that comment acting like this is an "on an iPhone" experience that's new to the world?
- quantified 2y ago
  That's a strange take. Please provide evidence for how I'm acting? I wondered about something, that's all I see. I think Uber is a pain to many for both making a market and setting the terms. Let the market decide what the prices and availability should be, that would be more "ride-sharing". They're just a super-informal taxi company. The fact that they weren't prosecuted for breaking laws along the way shows what hold money has on policy-making. A driver is a contractor of some form to Uber, Uber sets the prices. Uber can screw around as much as they like, because they set all the terms. I'm not disagreeing with the day labor analogy, though it's not even a day here, it's just whenever Uber throws them a bone. You can say the drivers are all stupid if they thought it should be any different. I'd never be an Uber driver except if I thought I could get someone to split gas money with me for some trip, actual "ride sharing".
kortilla 2y ago
Taxis suck swamp ass. Until they can’t scam you by taking circuitous routes, they are severely inferior.
- tombert 2y ago
  Tangential, but about three years ago my wife and I went to Mexico for two weeks to deal with some immigration stuff. We made very liberal use of the "Didi" app, which I actually recommend because it was generally quite good, and most drivers would take us on direct paths and it was fine. One day, when returning back to the hotel from Walmart, which was about a 15 minute drive, we got a Didi, the driver came, and it took more than 45 minutes because he was taking the longest path he could find. There was no traffic as far as I could tell, and Didi would still pay a "per mile" charge. The exchange rate in Mexico is so in your favor as a US citizen that I didn't really complain about it because it only ended up being an extra $6 or so, but I did feel a little taken advantage of. I greatly prefer knowing my cost before I get in the cab.
goostavos 2y ago
I begrudgingly take a taxi whenever I leave the Seattle airport (it's significantly faster than Uber/Lyft because they're already queued). I'm continuously blown away by how it's still a dice roll to see if we're going to do the "credit card machine no work" game at the end. Pair that with the general disgusting state of the cars and, yeah, I ain't takin' no taxi unless it's the only option.

elmerfud 2y ago

But you're acting like this is an "on an iPhone" experience that's new to the world. The idea of being leased equipment from someone for contract or gig labor is not new and hasn't been new for many many decades. So if you're complaining about the idea that companies who hire contract labor or gig work style labor can also lease out equipment necessary to do that labor, should the person choose to lease it from them, then where have you been for the past 50 60 years or more. Because no one is required to lease equipment from Uber in order to work for Uber it's just an option. There are great many professions that work like this and have for much longer than Uber has been a thing. Often times mechanics are this way. They can lease their tools through an employer-sponsored program but they have no control on whether the employer needs them to work every day and if they'll get paid in many situations. Because often times that that work is also gig work if no one needs their car fixed you can show up and not get anything. That's only one of a great many examples of jobs that are like this. When you have flexibility your employer has flexibility as well. I think there's a great many jobs that have stupid conditions on employment and I wouldn't work them unless I absolutely had no other option. Uber is one of those things. People like the flexibility but flexibility can cut both ways. Often I hear Uber drivers talking about how they're their own Boss but if you're accepting work orders from someone else you're at the mercy of them for the work. This is the same thing in many salons. To work there you have to buy a seat and pay for that and pay for equipment oftentimes that is on a loan or a lease and you're your own Boss but you have a very limited control on when or if you will get customers. Which is another job that I wouldn't work unless I had no choice at all. So this is not pushing toward a real job in any sense anymore than any of these other flexible gig work style jobs which permeate our society. So if you're against this as a whole then you should have been against it for the past 70 plus years. But if you feel this is some new Uber phenomenon you are greatly mistaken and need to learn how many of the jobs in the market work.

lazyasciiart 2y ago
How was that comment acting like this is an "on an iPhone" experience that's new to the world?
quantified 2y ago
That's a strange take. Please provide evidence for how I'm acting? I wondered about something, that's all I see. I think Uber is a pain to many for both making a market and setting the terms. Let the market decide what the prices and availability should be, that would be more "ride-sharing". They're just a super-informal taxi company. The fact that they weren't prosecuted for breaking laws along the way shows what hold money has on policy-making. A driver is a contractor of some form to Uber, Uber sets the prices. Uber can screw around as much as they like, because they set all the terms. I'm not disagreeing with the day labor analogy, though it's not even a day here, it's just whenever Uber throws them a bone. You can say the drivers are all stupid if they thought it should be any different. I'd never be an Uber driver except if I thought I could get someone to split gas money with me for some trip, actual "ride sharing".

kortilla 2y ago

Taxis suck swamp ass. Until they can’t scam you by taking circuitous routes, they are severely inferior.

tombert 2y ago
Tangential, but about three years ago my wife and I went to Mexico for two weeks to deal with some immigration stuff. We made very liberal use of the "Didi" app, which I actually recommend because it was generally quite good, and most drivers would take us on direct paths and it was fine. One day, when returning back to the hotel from Walmart, which was about a 15 minute drive, we got a Didi, the driver came, and it took more than 45 minutes because he was taking the longest path he could find. There was no traffic as far as I could tell, and Didi would still pay a "per mile" charge. The exchange rate in Mexico is so in your favor as a US citizen that I didn't really complain about it because it only ended up being an extra $6 or so, but I did feel a little taken advantage of. I greatly prefer knowing my cost before I get in the cab.

goostavos 2y ago

I begrudgingly take a taxi whenever I leave the Seattle airport (it's significantly faster than Uber/Lyft because they're already queued). I'm continuously blown away by how it's still a dice roll to see if we're going to do the "credit card machine no work" game at the end. Pair that with the general disgusting state of the cars and, yeah, I ain't takin' no taxi unless it's the only option.