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Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

blog.lyft.com

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Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#161

Post by baddox »

nxzero wrote: post #132
omginternets wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, but why would this be the least of my concerns? What's the greater concern here?

Getting robbed, kidnapped, raped, killed, etc. - I personally had a "ghost" cabbie try to swipe my credit card data using a card swipper, demand to take me to an ATM, etc. - lucky, nothing "bad" happened; after the fact, called in his ID number and it wasn't real. This is a bigger issues in some areas, Uber first introduced a panic button in countries were cabbie attacks were a larger issue, but believe they're even…

Depends what you mean by "greater concern." Obviously getting robbed, kidnapped, raped, or killed are among the worst possible outcomes of any scenario, but when I think of "greater concern" I tend to consider the likelihood of each outcome and not just the desirability.

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#162

Post by thrownaway2424 »

odbol_ wrote: post #159
thrownaway2424 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always wondered why they don't toll the reverse direction as well.

They charge you for the privilege to visit SF, not to leave it.

Well that doesn't make any sense either, because there is no toll at the southern entrances to SF on 101 and 280.

I'm not looking for an answer here because I know the answer. The answer is that car drivers are the most self-entitled bunch of externalists the world has ever seen. If there was any sense in this system the toll at the existing toll plaza on the Bay Bridge would have been raised until congestion disappears, but that hasn't happened. On the other hand BART fares are indexed to inflation, because only the riff-raff ride transit.

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#163

Post by iMiiTH »

dmix wrote: post #118
nxzero wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people are more concerned about getting somewhere than reading contracts, seeing proof of insurance, etc. -- this based on seeing how commuter sharing systems work in the wild. If you're super concerned, next time you flag down a taxi make sure you make sure they're not a "rogue" cabbie; them being uninsured is the the least of your concerns.

> Most people are more concerned about getting somewhere than reading contracts Indeed. I'd also add "Getting somewhere cheap ..." as a primary incentive for these rides. I've used Craigslist "ride shares" between Montreal Toronto ($30) on a number of occasions. I fully understood the risks I was taking compared to paying 3x as much for a safer train ride ($100). The vehicle is advertised as being a Mercedes mini-bus…

MontrealToronto is around $45 on VIA, no? Or are you talking about a round trip?

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#164

Post by rdtsc »

chockablock wrote: post #19

No driver background checks or vehicle inspections, per the TOS [0]: "The Carpool Platform is operated by Clara Rides, Inc., not Lyft, Inc. Clara Rides, Inc. is not a Transportation Network Company or a transportation service. Clara Rides and Lyft do not conduct criminal background checks on Carpool Drivers, perform vehicle inspections on vehicles used for Carpool Rides, or provide insurance for Carpool Rides." [0] h…

DC has had a carpooling system since 1975 (it is called slugging, drivers pick up "slugs" ;-) so they can drive on I-66 during rush hour).

And guess what, nobody checks drivers' backgrounds.

Granted state of Virginia already has vehicle inspections (mandatory every year) so maybe the answer is to just have those in each state.

But yeah the system works fine. An acquintance working for the DHS hasn't driven herself to work in 15 years because she has been slugging.

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#165

Post by jacquesm »

muzz wrote: post #131
massysett wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have health insurance, so treatment for my bodily injuries is covered. Someone else is driving, so if his negligence results in a wreck I generally won't be liable to the other driver. I won't be responsible for fixing his vehicle. That covers most garden-variety car wrecks, so there is little need to be concerned about my friend's insurance. I suppose if I were really on top of things, I would ask my friends for p…

> I have health insurance, so treatment for my bodily injuries is covered No, that's not how it typically works. If the injury was caused by car accident, your insurer will likely deny the claim. This happened to me when someone rear-ended me and I went to the ER to get checked out; I didn't want to file a claim with the other party's auto insurance but had to for payment of the ER visit.

Depends on your location more than anything else. Health insurance coverage varies wildly from one country to another.

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#166

Post by whoopdedo »

rdtsc wrote: post #164
chockablock wrote: post #19

No driver background checks or vehicle inspections, per the TOS [0]: "The Carpool Platform is operated by Clara Rides, Inc., not Lyft, Inc. Clara Rides, Inc. is not a Transportation Network Company or a transportation service. Clara Rides and Lyft do not conduct criminal background checks on Carpool Drivers, perform vehicle inspections on vehicles used for Carpool Rides, or provide insurance for Carpool Rides." [0] h…

DC has had a carpooling system since 1975 (it is called slugging, drivers pick up "slugs" ;-) so they can drive on I-66 during rush hour). And guess what, nobody checks drivers' backgrounds. Granted state of Virginia already has vehicle inspections (mandatory every year) so maybe the answer is to just have those in each state. But yeah the system works fine. An acquintance working for the DHS hasn't driven herself to…

Sluggers also don't exchange any money.

http://slug-lines.com/Slugging/Etiquette.asp

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#167

Post by crdb »

chockablock wrote: post #19

No driver background checks or vehicle inspections, per the TOS [0]: "The Carpool Platform is operated by Clara Rides, Inc., not Lyft, Inc. Clara Rides, Inc. is not a Transportation Network Company or a transportation service. Clara Rides and Lyft do not conduct criminal background checks on Carpool Drivers, perform vehicle inspections on vehicles used for Carpool Rides, or provide insurance for Carpool Rides." [0] h…

Background checks? I had 2 UberX/Grab (the Singaporean Lyft) drivers who openly admitted to being ex-cons - and that in Singapore too. One even laughed that British prisons were like a 5* hotel compared to Asian ones.

If these companies perform background checks, what are they checking for?

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#168

Post by repsilat »

username223 wrote: post #154
phil248 wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could improve your comment by acknowledging that most businesses cajole, skirt, finagle or ignore regulations when it suits their purpose and they think they can get away with it. Uber and AirBnB did not invent this game.

> Uber and AirBnB did not invent this game. True, but most businesses (outside finance) have other ways to make money besides cajoling, skirting, finagling or ignoring laws (or the latinate "regulations," as you prefer).

> or the latinate "regulations," as you prefer

"Regulation" (at least in the US) is a broader category, covering both "laws" passed by elected lawmakers and "rules" made by unelected public servants.

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#169

Post by putlake »

crdb wrote: post #167
chockablock wrote: post #19

No driver background checks or vehicle inspections, per the TOS [0]: "The Carpool Platform is operated by Clara Rides, Inc., not Lyft, Inc. Clara Rides, Inc. is not a Transportation Network Company or a transportation service. Clara Rides and Lyft do not conduct criminal background checks on Carpool Drivers, perform vehicle inspections on vehicles used for Carpool Rides, or provide insurance for Carpool Rides." [0] h…

Background checks? I had 2 UberX/Grab (the Singaporean Lyft) drivers who openly admitted to being ex-cons - and that in Singapore too. One even laughed that British prisons were like a 5* hotel compared to Asian ones. If these companies perform background checks, what are they checking for?

Being an ex-con should not disqualify you from driving a cab. Especially in a country like the US that has obscene incarceration rates, and where who ends up in prison is a factor of race and wealth more than the seriousness of the crime.

An ex-con has paid his or her "debt to society" by being in prison. If we don't let them get a job and earn a living, how will they get rehabilitated in society?

Edit: typo/car/cab.

Re: Lyft Carpool: A New Way to Commute

#170

Post by codezero »

Someone on HN tried to make a similar service in Africa (I can't remember who you are, sorry!) and found that eventually the commuters just worked together to commute and cut out the middle-person.

$10 per ride is really not a lot of incentive to drive an hour to the city with company that you don't want, who may not want to listen to your music/podcast, or smell your farts, or listen to you sing along to Rebecca Black.

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