4 ms·

Night School: How regulators undermined a transportation startup

26 points by zmanian 12y ago

Someone1234 12y ago
Didn't like that article. Spent the entire thing waiting for exactly WHY they shut down but got no real explanation. This is the entire meat of the article: > But less than two weeks later, the week of its planned launch, Night School was postponed indefinitely while its founders grappled with the CPUC, which claimed the start-up was not properly licensed as a passenger carrier. And that is literally the only explanation you get for what the regulators did and why it caused them to scuttle the entire project. The entire rest of the article is just crying about other car pooling services and complaining about over-regulation in general. Would like to read an article about Night School and why they weren't able to operate under the regulation, this article just isn't it. It contains little information and a ton of fluff.
- smsm42 12y ago
  That's the only explanation, but why you need more? If CPUC doesn't give your permission to operate, the only choice for you is either go the Uber way and just ignore CPUC or shut down. The founders of Night School couldn't do the former, so they did the latter. As for why CPUC withheld the license, I'm not sure the founders even know. I'm pretty sure they were presented with the very diverse array of paragraphs and checkboxes, without which it is impossible for them to operate, and these achieved their goal - the disruptors despaired and went away, letting the bureaucracy get back to its comfortable slumber. The founders could, of course, try to fight, hire a fixer[1], start a press campaign - but sometimes it's just not worth it. People tried to do good, but the bureaucrats said - no thanks, not on our turf. I think the picture is pretty clear. [1] somebody like this: http://gideonstrumpet.info/?p=7201 http://gideonstrumpet.info/?p=7201
rayiner 12y ago
> The company would use the public school buses that sit unused in parking lots on the weekends, and charge $8 per ride or $15-20 per month for unlimited service (the price points fluctuated). The real outrage would be if a private company were allowed to run a for-profit transit service using public property, and an unlicensed one at that.
- Dystopian 12y ago
  First Student is part of First Group - the company does worldwide bus leasing operations. NightBus was looking to lease busses from them exactly the same way any group of people would charter a schoolbus to go on a trip, or how public schools lease busses to transport children to school.
- smsm42 12y ago
  Of course, it's better than the property is not used at all, and the people remain without proper transportation - but at least the worst is avoided, nobody is making a profit. That would be the worst, and thankfully, it is averted, whatever the cost.

26 points by zmanian 12y ago

Didn't like that article. Spent the entire thing waiting for exactly WHY they shut down but got no real explanation. This is the entire meat of the article: > But less than two weeks later, the week of its planned launch, Night School was postponed indefinitely while its founders grappled with the CPUC, which claimed the start-up was not properly licensed as a passenger carrier. And that is literally the only explanation you get for what the regulators did and why it caused them to scuttle the entire project. The entire rest of the article is just crying about other car pooling services and complaining about over-regulation in general. Would like to read an article about Night School and why they weren't able to operate under the regulation, this article just isn't it. It contains little information and a ton of fluff.

smsm42 12y ago
That's the only explanation, but why you need more? If CPUC doesn't give your permission to operate, the only choice for you is either go the Uber way and just ignore CPUC or shut down. The founders of Night School couldn't do the former, so they did the latter. As for why CPUC withheld the license, I'm not sure the founders even know. I'm pretty sure they were presented with the very diverse array of paragraphs and checkboxes, without which it is impossible for them to operate, and these achieved their goal - the disruptors despaired and went away, letting the bureaucracy get back to its comfortable slumber. The founders could, of course, try to fight, hire a fixer[1], start a press campaign - but sometimes it's just not worth it. People tried to do good, but the bureaucrats said - no thanks, not on our turf. I think the picture is pretty clear. [1] somebody like this: http://gideonstrumpet.info/?p=7201 http://gideonstrumpet.info/?p=7201

rayiner 12y ago

> The company would use the public school buses that sit unused in parking lots on the weekends, and charge $8 per ride or $15-20 per month for unlimited service (the price points fluctuated). The real outrage would be if a private company were allowed to run a for-profit transit service using public property, and an unlicensed one at that.

Dystopian 12y ago
First Student is part of First Group - the company does worldwide bus leasing operations. NightBus was looking to lease busses from them exactly the same way any group of people would charter a schoolbus to go on a trip, or how public schools lease busses to transport children to school.
smsm42 12y ago
Of course, it's better than the property is not used at all, and the people remain without proper transportation - but at least the worst is avoided, nobody is making a profit. That would be the worst, and thankfully, it is averted, whatever the cost.