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LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

libretaxi.org

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Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#51

Post by timthelion »

throwanem wrote: post #50
timthelion wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd rather be a hermit. Edit: Unfortunately, its kinda hard to afford land out in the wilderness, given that you god damn capitalists have destroyed nature.

FOR SALE: One-room cabin, rural Montana. Lovely vistas, no neighbors. One previous owner. Great fixer-upper! Manual typewriter provided; must supply own explosives, packaging, target list, and postage.

No neighbors? “The honest truth is that I am not really politically oriented. I would have really rather just be living out in the woods. If nobody had started cutting roads through there and cutting the trees down and come buzzing around in helicopters and snowmobiles I would still just be living there and the rest of the world could just take care of itself. I got involved in political issues because I was driven to it, so to speak. I’m not really inclined in that direction.” - https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/theresa-kintz-interv...

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#52

Post by espadrine »

aylons wrote: post #34
reubensutton wrote: post #6

My concern with this is the problem of ensuring the safety of the person driving the cab and the real identity of the rider. Lots of drivers will be reluctant because they can be stiffed on the bill. Lots of passengers will be reluctant to use it due to the inherent risk of riding with what is essentially a stranger.

So, we may finally have found a good completely legal application for Bitcoin and blockchain contracts? A blockchain-based rating system could be the killer app here.

How would a blockchain possibly help with that?

If it was proof-of-work, why would anyone trust that spending CPU time correlates with saying the truth?

If it was proof-of-stake, how can you guarantee that bad actors won't simply create a new public key?

And regardless, who would switch to an app that drains their battery?

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#53

Post by exDM69 »

superquest wrote: post #49
exDM69 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see what you're implying but there are lots of places in the world where it's common to hail a ride from a complete stranger and men and women alike do so. There's always a risk of being a victim of a crime when hailing a ride from a stranger and while Uber/Lyft somewhat mitigate the risk, it's not completely safe either.

True — which is why I said "works less well" and not "doesn't work". And you're absolutely right that safety is relative ;) Author was also implying that they were visiting Russia. It's much harder to assess safety when you're not a resident, especially when you don't speak the language. And the fact that because many people in a culture engage in some behavior says little about its safety — e.g. riding scooters in S…

> Author was also implying that they were visiting Russia.

Yes, Russia especially is one of those places where every car on the road is a potential taxi and a lot of people use them.

I haven't visited personally but friends of mine who have did tell about their experiences on hailing rides from strangers without knowing the language. Don't take my anecdote as a safety recommendation or evidence of it.

It's a matter of cultural differences.

Uber/Lyft provides you with a sense of safety, but if you end up being a victim of a crime in an Uber in Russia, I'm not sure how much they can or will help you afterwards.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#54

Post by jasode »

>, pay cash upon arrival.

Paying cash is a non-starter. I haven't been to a bank ATM in over 10 years. I don't even know what my card's secret PIN is to make a cash withdrawal. Being virtually cashless by using credit-cards for everything is very common in professional circles.

A credit-card is simpler and the exact line-item amount showing up on my monthly statement helps me keep track of travel expenses. (Also, many credit cards transactions will download to the Quicken ledger for people that use that personal finance software.)

Paying by credit also helps keep drivers accountable and reduces fraud.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#56

Post by Chris2048 »

throwanem wrote: post #47
Chris2048 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We need a "CryptoCab" app. Secure, signed verification of driver id. And the app will even pick a random location near your intended destination to disguise your true destination.

You can do that second one already. Nothing requires that where you have a hire car drop you off be where you are actually going. Just, you know, tell the driver another place. (And don't let the app use background location data.)

You'd need to be familiar enough with the place to know the name of nearby places though.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#57

Post by anc84 »

superquest wrote: post #39
colinbartlett wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Certainly a valid concern but I will say that the willingness of both rider and driver to share a ride with a stranger varies from country to country. I spent quite a lot of time in Russia before Uber took hold there and taking random rides from strangers, negotiating a price up front, was extremely common. Even as a tourist, I did it hundreds of times and it was generally accepted as safe by the populous. Sure, inci…

This works less well for women ...

Maybe in the US. Not every country in the world is as creepy.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#58

Post by tom_mellior »

espadrine wrote: post #55

In France, a somewhat similar effort is being built: https://le.taxi . Except that it bootstraps its security on the existing vetting process for taxi companies.

... and on the existing mechanisms to ensure that the driver has insurance, does not cut prices in a race to the bottom that harms everybody, and does not cheat on taxes.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#59

Post by exDM69 »

Chris2048 wrote: post #22
reubensutton wrote: post #6

My concern with this is the problem of ensuring the safety of the person driving the cab and the real identity of the rider. Lots of drivers will be reluctant because they can be stiffed on the bill. Lots of passengers will be reluctant to use it due to the inherent risk of riding with what is essentially a stranger.

We need a "CryptoCab" app. Secure, signed verification of driver id. And the app will even pick a random location near your intended destination to disguise your true destination.

Cryptography can be used to maintain trust, not establish it. If there's no party checking who the driver is (in real life), having a cryptographic certificate isn't much of a guarantee apart from "it's the same guy it was yesterday".

And if these certificates can be created ad-hoc, then you can always create a new one if you get a zero star review.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#60

Post by eriknstr »

thinkloop wrote: post #31
darpa_escapee wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If there is one thing people love to be paid in, it is a collectible whose value widely varies daily based on when its larger holders game the system or when online drug markets get shutdown.

It's likely/possible for the drivers to be insulated from that with something like bitpay that auto-converts to currency.

But if you auto-convert to currency then what's the point of using bitcoin at all?
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