New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers • Hacker News Board

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#101

Post by mc32 » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:00 PM UTC

misiti3780 wrote: post #96

mc32 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the opposite. I want a known fee or fare. I don't want to have to think if I need to tip or not tip. Is the tip expected or is it optional gratitude for exceptional service? No, just tell me the amount. Most of the world works this way. Even in places where bribes are routine, there isn't as much tipping. Restaurants are moving away, slowly, from the tipping model, mostly due to increases in base wages, making it…

"Restaurants are moving away, slowly, from the tipping model, mostly due to increases in base wages, making it unpalatable for all but the rich, to pay a premium price and a tip on top of that." they are ?

Yes, see for example: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6439290

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#102

Post by SilasX » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:02 PM UTC

bsder wrote: post #97

SilasX wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMHO, this is a misconception. Most of the benefit of Lyft/Uber comes from app convenience, being cashless, mutual rating to weed out the jerks, carpooling efficiency, transparency (easy to get estimates and know if you overpaid), good customer support, and reliability in getting a ride, all of which are legal and which cab companies could have done. They have a lot of room to raise prices before it outweighs those a…

As much as I hate the serfitude economy companies, the fact that the cab companies have not adopted the app approach boggles my mind . I would have zero problem calling a cab, even with the regulated cab prices, if they had a Lyft/Uber-like app. Hit the button, accepted in 60 seconds, tracked to your door. The fact that the cab companies simply won't do this grinds my gears. This is also why Lyft/Uber grind my gears.…

Curb and Flywheel don't meet your criteria?

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#103

Post by nathanb » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:08 PM UTC

This is actually really cool.

I can't tell you how many people I know whose livelihood essentially depends on their single, aging vehicle not dying. These are often folks whose university debt is, essentially, a monthly car payment.

I would guess that the greatest demand for Lyft drivers is outside or nearly outside normal working hours. If a person with no car can subsidize a long-term rental by spending their after-work hours being a Lyft driver, perhaps arranging to leave work slightly early to help with the after-work rush, that could be a huge benefit to a lot of low-income individuals and families.

It could also be a benefit to families with one car. If one partner uses the car to commute and the other can subsidize a rental, that could provide opportunities to earn something which might otherwise not exist (not every location is amenable to public transportation or cycling).

There are certainly some potential problems with this model. But looking through the eyes of an under-privileged family, I can see this being a huge opportunity too. I just hope the pay rate and the negotiated rental rate and fuel rate are enough to make more than a pittance at the end of the day.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#104

Post by toomuchtodo » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:11 PM UTC

intopieces wrote: post #98

toomuchtodo wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> inviting regulations that drive up costs. Did you mean applying labor regulations where they're supposed to be applied? Of course employing people under labor law has a cost.

Yes, that's precisely what I mean. And that's what makes this kind of move from Lyft so interesting. They're walking a fine line. Banking on the time it takes to be regulated as runway for pivoting to automation. Google says they'll be delivering fully autonomous cars by 2020. If we give Google til 12/31/20, that's more than 5 years out. Seems like Uber/Lyft will be regulated hard before that, unless they've got some…

Ahh, sorry about that! I misunderstood.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#105

Post by lmm » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:11 PM UTC

nommm-nommm wrote: post #73

rodgerd wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What would prevent you from just giving him some cash out of your physical wallet? Perhaps this is just a difference depending on where you are in the world, but I'm not used to people in first world countries carrying cash.

I just spent two weeks in the UK as a tourist. I had a wonderful time. Perhaps it was me? But I used cash much much more than I do in the US. I pulled out my credit card in a pub and got scolded. Perhaps because I was outside the big cities? It might be me but I perceived the culture in smaller town Scotland to be more cash oriented than I am used to in the USA. I personally saw more people pay with cash than I am us…

Small town Scotland, sure, a bit different. But small town Scotland is, by population, a tiny fraction of the UK.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#106

Post by intopieces » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:21 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #104

intopieces wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, that's precisely what I mean. And that's what makes this kind of move from Lyft so interesting. They're walking a fine line. Banking on the time it takes to be regulated as runway for pivoting to automation. Google says they'll be delivering fully autonomous cars by 2020. If we give Google til 12/31/20, that's more than 5 years out. Seems like Uber/Lyft will be regulated hard before that, unless they've got some…

Ahh, sorry about that! I misunderstood.

Off topic: I'm always looking for ways to make myself better understood. I think by using the term "we", I gave the impression that I'm personally concerned about costs and that I actively support businesses skirting labor laws to save costs. Not my intention, but I can see how one could concluce that.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#107

Post by nommm-nommm » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:24 PM UTC

lmm wrote: post #105

nommm-nommm wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just spent two weeks in the UK as a tourist. I had a wonderful time. Perhaps it was me? But I used cash much much more than I do in the US. I pulled out my credit card in a pub and got scolded. Perhaps because I was outside the big cities? It might be me but I perceived the culture in smaller town Scotland to be more cash oriented than I am used to in the USA. I personally saw more people pay with cash than I am us…

Small town Scotland, sure, a bit different. But small town Scotland is, by population, a tiny fraction of the UK.

Of course! But I was replying to "people in first world countries" and giving my personal experiences. :)

I've also been all across small town USA :)

I really hope I don't offend. I don't mean to.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#108

Post by AnimalMuppet » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:47 PM UTC

jonknee wrote: post #78

chc wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What common use would you find for it that I couldn't do just as well with a credit card?

Cash has great privacy, works at cash only places, small merchants are happy to receive it because it means no fees, you get a discount when buying gas, the aforementioned tipping (good luck giving the valet a credit card!), it works when the power is out and a lot more I'm sure. Cash is pretty great. Even if you don't carry it you should definitely keep some at home.

Imagine that you're on a date. You've got a nice evening planned, only to run into a state-wide blackout. Now the trick is to get food at all. You see this restaurant with a lot of cars out front. Turns out they have gas grills, so they can cook some kinds of food. (Not french fries, though - that machine's electric). They're working by candlelight, adding up the tab on a hand calculator, pouring pop out of bottles, and they are not taking credit cards.

Been there, done that. Only once, but yeah, it happens.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#109

Post by amyjess » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:49 PM UTC

matt_kantor wrote: post #75

amyjess wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard stories of Uber drivers demanding cash tips out of customers and giving low ratings to any customers who decline (IIRC, Uber's TOS forbids this, but that's almost impossible to enforce). That doesn't happen with Lyft: because tipping is built into the app, nobody asks for cash. I don't carry cash, so I'd be screwed if I rode Uber and a driver threatened me with a 1-star rating if I didn't fork over cash.

It's anecdote-vs-anecdote, but I use Uber often in the Bay Area and have never experienced nor heard of this. If a driver ever asked this of me I would give them a bad rating along with an explanation. I'd expect the driver to get canned pretty quickly if passengers report such behavior and passenger reputation to be restored if the drivers gave them 1-star ratings. As far as I understand it, driver reputation is far…

That might work for the ones who are explicit about it, but there are also the subtler ones.

Like the drivers who won't ask but will still give you a low rating if you don't offer a tip. And then you have the ones in the middle, who have tip jars sitting in the middle of their car. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/uber-driver-complaints-e...

Also, while you or I might complain, a lot of people are either too scared to speak up or just figure that a big company like Uber won't care, so this kind of stuff just goes unreported.

Re: New Initiatives for Lyft Drivers

#110

Post by AnimalMuppet » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 9:55 PM UTC

fweespeech wrote: post #60

larrys wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would prevent you from just giving him some cash out of your physical wallet? In general you are getting a ride from someone. Other than the fact that with legacy taxis you tip, (just like at a restaurant) where it doesn't really relate to quality of service, I don't see how much extra someone can do that would make a ride tipworthy.

Even in the US, I don't know anyone who regularly carries cash anymore. Why would you want the hassle? Or risk it being lost/stolen?

I want it so that I don't have the hassle.

You want to buy a bottle of coke from a vending machine? Most of them don't have card readers.

You want to tip the valet/bellman/maid? Most of them don't have card readers; even if they do, it's still inconvenient to make them dig it out.

Feeling compassionate toward the beggar on the corner? Think he's got a card reader?

Want to pay the babysitter? Does she carry a card reader?

Then there's the other side of risk. Ever had your identity stolen? (I have, though not from a dodgy card reader.) And if you think chip and pin is going to make that impossible, I expect that the crooks will find a way.