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It raises some interesting questions. How much do we need these intermediaries, such as Uber, AirBnB, etc.? Could those things be done on something like Craigsl
by hackuser 11y ago
It raises some interesting questions. How much do we need these intermediaries, such as Uber, AirBnB, etc.? Could those things be done on something like Craigslist? A FOSS application?
As I pointed out in the thread on Google's RideWidth, instead of (or in addition to) rideshare companies why can't my municpality license any individual who applies to pickup people on the street who want a ride, and charge them. People wanting a ride could use a special hand signal, with their arm outstretched and thumb pointing up. What do the commercial vendors add or at least, why freeze out individuals doing the same thing?
(I'm not implying they add nothing, I'm asking what it is and whether it's worth the extra cost.)
- shredprez 11y agoPresumably they add a degree of quality control, something government is notoriously ill-equipped to provide. That said, allowing any individual with a car to license themselves and go out in the world to earn their fortune seems even more a Randian dream than the Uber system. If nothing else, Uber's disruption of traditional taxi services has started a conversation. It begs us to rethink how we hire private transportation, how businesses that facilitate these services operate, and how workers who provide these services are compensated. That's a good thing.
- hackuser 11y ago> Presumably they add a degree of quality control, something government is notoriously ill-equipped to provide. On this point, I'm not sure I agree. My water is clean, my roads are safe, my airplanes don't crash, robots drive around Mars and fly to Pluto -- the government seems particularly good at quality control.
- obstinate 11y agoMight not be, but since FOSS almost never originates ideas like this or even creates usable clones of them, we might never know.
- nawitus 11y ago>Could those things be done on something like Craigslist? A FOSS application? How does that change the relevant dynamics, though? If the market would be efficient, then the "FOSS-Uber" drivers would still get paid roughly the same as Uber pays them now. Sure, the drivers might not be creating a profit "to billionaires", but their situation would at most improve marginally.
- kazinator 11y agoHow so? Give half your revenue (or whatever fraction) to some parasite, versus keep all the revenue? No brainer. (Or you mean that with open source, decentralized competition, there would be more drivers doing it and the revenue itself would drop?)
- nawitus 11y agoMy assumption was that the margins drivers will have will be small due to competition. Not sure if Uber's margins are currently small or not.
- ape4 11y agoI'd like to see the drivers cut out Uber with a FOSS app. Uber says they are turning the table on the old fashioned taxi industry. Uber you can be kicked out too.