61–70 of 114 posts
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They give out signing bonuses to drivers (as much as $2000) and free credits to new riders (as much as $50). Launching in new markets gets expensive quickly with that model.
Yeah my Uber driver when I was in SF gave me $50 Lyft credit, so I just switched over, used the credit and then went back to Uber when it was finished.
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> But the real play here is to use taxi service as a pretext/generator for building up an on-demand courier service [1] with superior returns So people will drive their sedans around the city delivering flowers and cakes and laundry? And instead of picking up flowers at the flower store, or laundry from the laundromat down the street, I'll pay $5 more for everything to have it delivered? Uber and Lyft's master plan f…
I pay extra to get my groceries delivered because it saves me time. I also tested same-day delivery services from Amazon and Apple in the last several months. Amazon is a little different, but my local Apple Store and supermarket are pretty close. However, I used to suffer a grueling commute and it made me hate driving. I'm now happy to pay someone to reduce the time that I have to spend behind the wheel.
That vast majority of Americans do everything they can to save a few bucks, even when it's an inefficient use of resources (time and money).
I'm not sure "nickel and diming" a few wealthy people for home delivery is a $60BB business. There's not a huge barrier to entry and margins are low. But what do I know.
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Are you kidding? Have you ever tried to get a cab outside of Manhattan? It's painful even in the downtown core of major cities. And if you live in the suburbs, you have to call like two hours ahead and there's always a good chance they don't show up. In my experience with Uber, drivers are more courteous, billing is more honest, their cars smell better, and bad drivers are held accountable.
Yes, I've called taxis several times in a tiny (280k) city in Germany - they're there faster than the police would come if you'd call 911, they're reliable, clean, and you can pay via app before the ride. I really don't get what's so good about uber, they're just like taxis, but worse quality, and bending the law.
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Yes, I've called taxis several times in a tiny (280k) city in Germany - they're there faster than the police would come if you'd call 911, they're reliable, clean, and you can pay via app before the ride. I really don't get what's so good about uber, they're just like taxis, but worse quality, and bending the law.
Thats the thing, taxi quality varies a lot depending where you go. In Barcelona they are reasonably priced and reliable. Istanbul non seemed to have a clue where they were going and didn't bother when you showed them on the phone map. London are pricey and snobby about what they will let you carry in their cab.
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I pay extra to get my groceries delivered because it saves me time. I also tested same-day delivery services from Amazon and Apple in the last several months. Amazon is a little different, but my local Apple Store and supermarket are pretty close. However, I used to suffer a grueling commute and it made me hate driving. I'm now happy to pay someone to reduce the time that I have to spend behind the wheel.
> I pay extra to get my groceries delivered because it saves me time. That vast majority of Americans do everything they can to save a few bucks, even when it's an inefficient use of resources (time and money). I'm not sure "nickel and diming" a few wealthy people for home delivery is a $60BB business. There's not a huge barrier to entry and margins are low. But what do I know.
A few? With between 11 and 13 million millionaires in the US, it's a $60 billion business. And that's ignoring the vast number of people in the US earning $150,000+ in a household while not being millionaires; people that can easily afford such services.
And then there's this:
"The Richest Generation in U.S. History Just Keeps Getting Richer"
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-12/the-riches...
The boomers are getting older and richer, and will benefit massively from courier services.
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And even if we do get self-driving cars, people forget that there will be an FDA clinic trial like process before they are allowed on the roads, which will take years. Multiply that by the number of states/countries where you want to operate and by the level of bureaucracy in each country. I'd say that from the day the tech actually works properly (which might be many years away, still), it will take at least 10 year…
Yeah, just like how rigorously Tesla's auto pilot has been vetted?
I'm not saying Tesla should be stopped or that Elon should go to jail. But I think it's a clear case of false advertising, where lives are on the line.
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They are absolutely excited about the time when self-driving cars will be actually here. But the real play here is to use taxi service as a pretext/generator for building up an on-demand courier service [1] with superior returns -- and performance that vastly dwarfs any incumbents. [1] https://rush.uber.com/how-it-works EDIT: after the introduction of courier services, picking up passengers serves as a baseline load…
I'm probably in the minority here but I'm not convinced we are particularly close to real self-driving cars. It's definitely possible but I strongly suspect there are more challenges ahead than most people believe.
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Why not an arms race to burn through the other side's cash, thus gaining monopoly status for a time?
This is the simplest, most conventional business explanation and what their MBAs would be thinking. They won't have many particular incumbent advantages if / when self driving cars arrive; all their carefully tuned business model, investment and product is about how to handle human drivers.
What could give Uber/Lyft an advantage in the robotaxi age would be huge amounts of cash for the enormous investments required to blanket whole cities with cars to locally reach the critical mass of "a robotaxi is always closer than my own car would be", but I don't see how luring users with subsidized prices now would in any way help with that then.
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I'm probably in the minority here but I'm not convinced we are particularly close to real self-driving cars. It's definitely possible but I strongly suspect there are more challenges ahead than most people believe.
I feel that the hype for self-driving cars is the same as it was for VR in the 90s We had to wait another 15-20 years for those feverished VR dreams to become a reality I reckon it'll be the same for self-driving. We are 20-25 years away, not 5-10