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Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

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Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#261

Post by criddell »

secure wrote: post #38
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Talk to your drivers about it. So far they've all told me that they get more passengers thanks to the app, and the pay from Uber's base rate outweighs unpredictable tips. [edit] NYC, and the drivers are pretty candid about still picking up rides from black car dispatchers and competitors. I have no reason to question their honesty.

All drivers I’ve talked to (mostly in the London area) told me they are very unhappy with their pay, but because Uber is so cheap, they can’t drive for their old cab companies anymore (all business moved to Uber).

What shocks me is how slowly the taxi companies are responding to the Uber threat. I use Uber when I can and the price has nothing to do with it. It's better cars, better service, and friendlier drivers (usually).

Every time I get in some yellow cab that's a 5 year old Crown Vic with torn seats, rattles everywhere, and a driver that can't (or won't) tell me how much my ride is going to cost, I remember why I normally take Uber.

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#262

Post by mratzloff »

hosh wrote: post #248
mintplant wrote: post #132

I've noticed Google Maps will sometimes give me Uber ads when I'm looking up directions ("this route only $N on Uber" or such). Idle speculation but I wonder if this was a mistake for Uber -- perhaps Google has seen a high rate of click-through on these and will now try to get in on that action themselves.

I've noticed that too, and wondered about the connection with this. I wonder if this was a similar play as when they opened that 411 service back in the day. Turned out, they were using it as a way to amass a large collection of voice samples. I kinda wonder how valuable ride sharing data would be. They might necessarily have to make a profit directly on that. It might have something to do with their self-driving car…

Route length, duration, complexity, etc. They're collecting baseline and training data for AI cars.

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#263

Post by criddell »

SamChoi wrote: post #48
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.…

If you've had a nice ride than it makes sense to tip but no one should feel pressured out of obligation.

For the past six or eight months, I've tipped every Uber driver. Not out of a sense of obligation though, but because he or she took great care of me.

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#264

Post by colejohnson66 »

xapata wrote: post #250
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 The driver can put up a sign asking for a tip, but I don't feel obliged to give one. I don't tip the cook in a restaurant. I don't tip the receptionist at a hotel. I don't tip the farmhands who picked the vegetables I eat at the supermarket. I don't tip the truck driver who unloaded all the goods I buy. I wish all of these people earned a higher wage and I'd be happy…

What's appalling to me is that tipping (regardless of QoS) is even still a thing. Tipping was made big during the Great Depression. After the economy rose back up, tipped wages should've been rose back up to match minimum. Effectively abolishing the ridiculous idea of tipping even if your service sucks. Thankfully, a few states have realized how ridiculous the current system is and made it mandatory tipped wages (before tips) are the same as non tipped wages (California being one of them).

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#265

Post by themartorana »

Throwaway585250 wrote: post #214
doomtop wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your privilege is showing. Not everyone who "chose" the job they have really has a choice. It's just not that simple. BOH employee pay rates are generally not based on the assumption of tips the way they are for FOH employees. And don't forget, BOH employees don't have to deal with the way some people treat service workers.

Yours is showing too, along with an unhealthy dose of smugness. GP literally chose to be homeless instead of licking the boots of the wealthy for table scraps, which is a degree of courage above and beyond what could have been expected of him, but it was still courage. Saying that his ability to do this is privileged, is like claiming a man who saves a baby from a burning house is showing his able privilege: true, te…

I agree - having to rely on the kindness of someone with more disposable income - or worse, the shaming of another person - for your income while the business owner gets to keep more money as profit is abhorrent.

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#266

Post by honkhonkpants »

mseebach wrote: post #12
speg wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I took an Uber home from the train station last week and it was less than $15. I'm not sure how much a taxi would've been, probably at least $25. I don't feel good about it. How can someone provide good service if they're taking home so little? I fear that soon Uber will be overrun with poor service because all the quality drivers have been driven out by low costs.

Use UberExec or UberBlack instead. Yes, you pay more for the car, but drivers also make substantially more (and are required to be better).

Uber Black is about 2x the price of a taxi in Oakland, and about 4x the price of Uber X. The mininum fare is $15. The wait times are usually 10-15 minutes vs 2-5 minutes for the trip I regularly take.

There might be a case for that service but the drivers are so rare that it's hard to say.

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#267

Post by criddell »

yefim wrote: post #9

How are they vetting drivers? I wouldn't trust a driver if all they had to do to qualify is download the Waze app.

I probably would. It's not like Taxi companies have a great track record of choosing their drivers.

Most people are decent. If they are giving you a ride in their private car, then consider that they are taking a chance on you as well.

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#268

Post by yazaddaruvala »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #196
euyyn wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're saying all that as if, right before Drummond stepping back, Uber hadn't announced that they'd start doing self-driving cars, pretty much forcing him to step down out of conflict of interest.

I'm not sure I understand, are you saying this is some tit-for-tat move after Uber acquired Otto? Sounds a bit Machiavellian even for Uber and Google. Would love to hear the actual back story if that is the case.

I think the gp was just saying,

Google and Uber started in different places, and therefore there didn't seem to be a conflict 5-10 years ago. i.e. Google = fully autonomous car research; Uber = practical service for transportation.

However, as they both iterate and approach their logical local-optimums they find more and more that there is actual competition. i.e. Uber and also Google = a service "driven by" a fully autonomous car fleet.

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#269

Post by valleyer »

iamdave wrote: post #208
serge2k wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's pretty much 20% here it seems. Then they raised the minimum wage. So restaurants added a 20% service fee on to cover it. Okay, fine. That's actually the outcome I wanted. Except some places left the tip line. So now people still tip out of obligation. Never ends.

I'm curious where people stand on the "To Insure Proper Service" backronym? I've always bucked back on that by saying "Well, taking some sense of pride in your work, even if that work is bringing people their food and are enjoying the experience of your establishment should insure proper service, otherwise why not work elsewhere?" but I'm not sure that's a very charitable stance to take so I've been wondering what ot…

I'm against that backronym only because it would properly be "ensure", not "insure".

Re: Google Takes on Uber with New Ride-Share Service

#270

Post by [deleted] »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #205
bluejekyll wrote: post #186

> Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., began a pilot program around... So, basic question, What is the difference between Alphabet and Google again? It seems like everything is still being branded as Google. I know it's slightly off topic, but I am honestly confused as to when something is not Google.

It's just your average shell company thing. People only make a big deal of it because it's a thing Google did.

[deleted]
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