Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

Post by jacalata » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 8:31 PM UTC

ykler wrote: post #61

mmanfrin wrote: post #3

Honestly I wish they wouldn't try to compete on price. Maybe I'm alone with this, but I'd rather not feel obligated to tip a driver because the ride is so cheap. Pay them a living wage, let me pay the exact fee, and let me not have to carry goddamn cash like I used to in the era of Taxis. e: Addressing common replies: "This is for people commuting already" -- okay, point taken; my point about Uber/Lyft still stands.…

They want to stay below the IRS caps on cost reimbursement for drivers ( https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/standard-... ). If drivers make more than that, they would have to carry special insurance and maybe be vetted.

Post by ddlatham » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 8:31 PM UTC

imgabe wrote: post #19

iamcasen wrote: post #2

Uber and Lyft have had to tackle so many legal issues already. Drastically improving and modifying how they deal with drivers on a daily basis from both an operational and legal standpoint. If what the article says is true about google vetting problem drivers with mere user reviews, they don't know what they are getting into. I think the idea is great of course, and I imagine it would cut down on freeway traffic duri…

If this is strictly to more easily facilitate carpooling during rush hour, there's some precedent. In the Washington DC area, for at least a decade, possibly more, there have been "Slug Lines" outside the city for people commuting in. The idea is you go to a specific place via public transportation or park there, then drivers heading into the city pick you up so they can use the HOV lane. There's a similar setup in t…

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 8:33 PM UTC

saalweachter wrote: post #67

dragonwriter wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

EDIT: Oh, nevermind.

Keeping up with everything Google is doing is itself a full time job. I barely have time to keep up with all of the gazillion announcements in my own tiny corner of the world that affect my day job, so I'm usually as surprised as anyone when something "big" happens in a different part of the company.

Post by sp332 » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 8:34 PM UTC

ancap wrote: post #32

mmanfrin wrote: post #3

Honestly I wish they wouldn't try to compete on price. Maybe I'm alone with this, but I'd rather not feel obligated to tip a driver because the ride is so cheap. Pay them a living wage, let me pay the exact fee, and let me not have to carry goddamn cash like I used to in the era of Taxis. e: Addressing common replies: "This is for people commuting already" -- okay, point taken; my point about Uber/Lyft still stands.…

"Living wage"? Are you suggesting that uber and other drivers are all dead? \s (I know "living wage" is the hip buzzword, but it is a poor phrase, is hyperbolic, and creates a false picture that when these workers finish their shift they are going to go find some secluded gutter to die in from malnutrition)

Post by kylec » Tue, Aug 30, 2016, 8:35 PM UTC

mmanfrin wrote: post #3

Honestly I wish they wouldn't try to compete on price. Maybe I'm alone with this, but I'd rather not feel obligated to tip a driver because the ride is so cheap. Pay them a living wage, let me pay the exact fee, and let me not have to carry goddamn cash like I used to in the era of Taxis. e: Addressing common replies: "This is for people commuting already" -- okay, point taken; my point about Uber/Lyft still stands.…

    "Tipping isn't obligatory" -- yes, it kind of is. Uber used to bar drivers
    form asking, but they recently lost a lawsuit over that rule and so now Uber
    drivers will occasionally ask for tips (which will cause it to slowly become
    the norm).