7 ms·

Not really, because of information asymmetry. Users of taxi services, like users of medicine, are vastly less informed about the quality of the service than tho

Not really, because of information asymmetry. Users of taxi services, like users of medicine, are vastly less informed about the quality of the service than those that provide it. Contrary to Uber's propaganda, legislation around taxis is not there, for the most part, to increase the revenue of taxi operators.

austerity 12y ago
I don't understand your analogy to medical service. Surely I can assess the quality of taxi service I just received to the highest degree imaginable. And we now have fantastic systems in place to spread this information (e.g. Yelp, Facebook, etc.).
- valarauca1 12y ago
  Just because information can be disseminated to the general public does not mean that it is understood or acknowledged when making a decision.
- noelwelsh 12y ago
  You generally want some guarantees before you consume the service. Most would agree it is suboptimal if the first point you can assess the quality of your taxi service is after being raped and dumped out of town (or waking up deaf because your doctor was an alcoholic, which happened to someone I know; the doctor was of course struck off). As to whether other systems like Yelp or Facebook are substitutes for the licensing process -- well, that is a reasonable argument to put forward. It's not the usual one we hear on HN though, which is just libertarian free-market-uber-alles ranting. One complaint I would have about using Yelp or Facebook is that they are private companies, and thus not accountable to the public in the way that government licensing services are.
justincormack 12y ago
Well arguably in parts of the US it is there due to restrictive practises. Much of the rest of the world has much more deregulated taxi services, with some regulation around non ripoff pricing and safety from being attacked by drivers being the main concerns.
donatj 12y ago
Anyone with a smart phone to use Uber is capable of researching though. If they don't research the onus is on them. I don't just blindly buy products, or hire contractors it's not 1950. I always read reviews first. The people HAVE the power to find competitors in their area. If they donee en try that's not anyone's fault but their own.
- noelwelsh 12y ago
  Like you, I always have a charged battery, a data connection, and the time to conduct research. I also have a PhD in chemistry, and I find this knowledge invaluable for assessing the potential for harm of all food additivies and environmental pollutants. I find this nicely complements my medical training, which of course helps me make the best decisions regarding my health, and my PhD in CS which keeps my data safe online. Of course my 15 years of MMA keeps me safe on the street, and my extensive knowledge of finance means I never have to worry about my bank's financial security. I really don't understand why we need any governmental organisations!
  - donatj 12y ago
    Comparing taxi pricing to food safety is crass. Last I checked there weren't degress in taxi fair-ology.
    - anon1385 12y ago
      It's not about pricing. In Germany one of the issues for Uber was that they weren't ensuring the vehicles had the more frequent mechanical safety checks that the law requires for commercial vehicles (the logic being that they do far more miles). How is the average customer supposed to be able to decide how much risk is involved in the fact that one vehicle hasn't had its breaks inspected in the last X thousand miles, and another has? In the Uber world, how does the customer even get hold of that information? It sounds perfectly reasonable to me to compare failing breaks with contaminated food. Both have the potential to be highly dangerous.
      - 12y ago

austerity 12y ago

I don't understand your analogy to medical service. Surely I can assess the quality of taxi service I just received to the highest degree imaginable. And we now have fantastic systems in place to spread this information (e.g. Yelp, Facebook, etc.).

valarauca1 12y ago
Just because information can be disseminated to the general public does not mean that it is understood or acknowledged when making a decision.
noelwelsh 12y ago
You generally want some guarantees before you consume the service. Most would agree it is suboptimal if the first point you can assess the quality of your taxi service is after being raped and dumped out of town (or waking up deaf because your doctor was an alcoholic, which happened to someone I know; the doctor was of course struck off). As to whether other systems like Yelp or Facebook are substitutes for the licensing process -- well, that is a reasonable argument to put forward. It's not the usual one we hear on HN though, which is just libertarian free-market-uber-alles ranting. One complaint I would have about using Yelp or Facebook is that they are private companies, and thus not accountable to the public in the way that government licensing services are.

justincormack 12y ago

Well arguably in parts of the US it is there due to restrictive practises. Much of the rest of the world has much more deregulated taxi services, with some regulation around non ripoff pricing and safety from being attacked by drivers being the main concerns.

donatj 12y ago

Anyone with a smart phone to use Uber is capable of researching though. If they don't research the onus is on them. I don't just blindly buy products, or hire contractors it's not 1950. I always read reviews first. The people HAVE the power to find competitors in their area. If they donee en try that's not anyone's fault but their own.

noelwelsh 12y ago
Like you, I always have a charged battery, a data connection, and the time to conduct research. I also have a PhD in chemistry, and I find this knowledge invaluable for assessing the potential for harm of all food additivies and environmental pollutants. I find this nicely complements my medical training, which of course helps me make the best decisions regarding my health, and my PhD in CS which keeps my data safe online. Of course my 15 years of MMA keeps me safe on the street, and my extensive knowledge of finance means I never have to worry about my bank's financial security. I really don't understand why we need any governmental organisations!
- donatj 12y ago
  Comparing taxi pricing to food safety is crass. Last I checked there weren't degress in taxi fair-ology.
  - anon1385 12y ago
    It's not about pricing. In Germany one of the issues for Uber was that they weren't ensuring the vehicles had the more frequent mechanical safety checks that the law requires for commercial vehicles (the logic being that they do far more miles). How is the average customer supposed to be able to decide how much risk is involved in the fact that one vehicle hasn't had its breaks inspected in the last X thousand miles, and another has? In the Uber world, how does the customer even get hold of that information? It sounds perfectly reasonable to me to compare failing breaks with contaminated food. Both have the potential to be highly dangerous.
    - 12y ago