4 ms·

I love simply raising my arm to have a driver arrive to take me anywhere, having a conversation in a way that two only two total strangers can, & arriving at my

by derrida 11y ago

I love simply raising my arm to have a driver arrive to take me anywhere, having a conversation in a way that two only two total strangers can, & arriving at my destination for the equivalent of one hours work on minimum wage (Sydney). Cabs. I love that this is profitable, and is a job that lots of folk can get. One cabbie I talked to once used to program VAX machines.

saiya-jin 11y ago
good that you enjoy it, but this is about France, most socialistic country in western Europe with crippling national strikes all the time (not condemning, just observing since I am rarely affected). People there generally often have the perception that their own job security should be held above everybody's convenience, rights and so on (it's also heavily unionized, which kind of makes sense with whole picture of the country and mentality). It's just not a very competitive job market
ebiester 11y ago
So, because you live and travel around populated places, you don't see the problem. Therefore, it must not exist. In SF, it's great if you life in the mission, bad if you live in the Richmond. (Actually, there's a good app that works with the cabs there, but before that...) In Boston, don't live in Dorchester or JP. Calling a cab here is unreliable. Living in a more sparse city, the only way to get a cab is dispatch. It's terrible.
- derrida 11y ago
  I guess someone could do something about that. Stallman thinks Uber is a good candidate for a GPL clone. Smartphones, servers & drivers.
- cowsandmilk 11y ago
  > In Boston, don't live in Dorchester or JP. Calling a cab here is unreliable. I one time opened the Uber app in Dorchester. A driver accepted me. I watched him drive around the fens in circles for the next half hour (literally, Park Drive to Fenway to Park Drive to Fenway). So I cancelled the fare. And Uber then charged me a $10 fee because I cancelled more than 5 minutes after the driver accepted. Don't know what the fuck that was all about, but the one time I tried in Dorchester, Uber was horrid.
- rtpg 11y ago
  >Living in a more sparse city, the only way to get a cab is dispatch. It's terrible. Isn't Uber basically dispatch? Or are there extra fees involved? Serious question
  - ebiester 11y ago
    It's essentially dispatch, but done in a customer-friendly way.
mseebach 11y ago
Good thing you can have that exact same experience on Uber, word-for-word except replace "hitting a button on my smartphone" for "raising my arm". Then add the benefit of Uber also working a bit away from those busy downtown streets where just raising your arm is actually enough to get a cab.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]

by derrida 11y ago

saiya-jin 11y ago

good that you enjoy it, but this is about France, most socialistic country in western Europe with crippling national strikes all the time (not condemning, just observing since I am rarely affected). People there generally often have the perception that their own job security should be held above everybody's convenience, rights and so on (it's also heavily unionized, which kind of makes sense with whole picture of the country and mentality). It's just not a very competitive job market

ebiester 11y ago

So, because you live and travel around populated places, you don't see the problem. Therefore, it must not exist. In SF, it's great if you life in the mission, bad if you live in the Richmond. (Actually, there's a good app that works with the cabs there, but before that...) In Boston, don't live in Dorchester or JP. Calling a cab here is unreliable. Living in a more sparse city, the only way to get a cab is dispatch. It's terrible.

derrida 11y ago
I guess someone could do something about that. Stallman thinks Uber is a good candidate for a GPL clone. Smartphones, servers & drivers.
cowsandmilk 11y ago
> In Boston, don't live in Dorchester or JP. Calling a cab here is unreliable. I one time opened the Uber app in Dorchester. A driver accepted me. I watched him drive around the fens in circles for the next half hour (literally, Park Drive to Fenway to Park Drive to Fenway). So I cancelled the fare. And Uber then charged me a $10 fee because I cancelled more than 5 minutes after the driver accepted. Don't know what the fuck that was all about, but the one time I tried in Dorchester, Uber was horrid.
rtpg 11y ago
>Living in a more sparse city, the only way to get a cab is dispatch. It's terrible. Isn't Uber basically dispatch? Or are there extra fees involved? Serious question
- ebiester 11y ago
  It's essentially dispatch, but done in a customer-friendly way.

mseebach 11y ago

Good thing you can have that exact same experience on Uber, word-for-word except replace "hitting a button on my smartphone" for "raising my arm". Then add the benefit of Uber also working a bit away from those busy downtown streets where just raising your arm is actually enough to get a cab.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]