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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

#241

Post by anigbrowl »

jstejada wrote: post #230

If becoming a driver is so easy, what about security for passengers? I'm from a city that has been known to be "dangerous", and the main reason I use Uber there over taxis is for security. How does LibreTaxi prevent bad actors from becoming drivers?

It doesn't. That's one of the differences between a platform and a service. When I deal with someone from Craigslist I can't really know in advance if the person is legit, but I can be prepared for the possibility that they aren't. I don't think you'll be waiting long for the option for people to flag shady drivers.

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

#242

Post by anigbrowl »

jasode wrote: post #54

>, 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, man…

A non-starter for you. Lots of other people like cash. Absent the need to make a profit, the app may gain traction by serving them. I don't find cash that convenient but I like using it, because I value privacy as much as I value convenience.

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

#243

Post by SilasX »

galdosdi wrote: post #175
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.

Shouldn't be an obstacle. This is already exactly how normal, hailable, regulated taxis work (at least in much of the USA, and certainly in NYC -- I can't speak for elsewhere). That's why taxi driver is (at least in the US) a statistically more dangerous occupation than police officer. From the point of view of a driver, this scheme is less dangerous than the status quo, at least there is potentially a little more pa…

I have to disagree that this is "exactly how normal taxis work". Notable differences (many apply to Uber/Lyft also):

1) There's no check to ensure that the vehicle is ensured for commercial rides before they start taking hails.

2) Likewise, no background check.

3) No regulatory body to investigate cases of e.g. scamming passengers out of money or refusal to comply with agreed-upon rates and dropoff. [1]

4) The local PD doesn't stand ready to treat assault on a driver like assault on a police officer, in terms of marshalling resources.

5) No central registry, or even private registry of cars/drivers in operation.

6) Drivers aren't trained in the relevant anti-robbery countermeasures.

7) In NYC, the barrier to prevent the most obvious kinds of robbery.

That makes a big difference in safety of paying cash to a roving operator!

Sadly, I think the "big corp middleman" does add a lot of value that a free app can't replicate without similar investment, scale, and "walled garden"-ness.

[1] I know commenters here like to roll their eyes about the clumsiness and lackadaisical enforcement -- I'm one of them! But it's at least something, which prevents a major scale-up of this behavior.

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

#244

Post by Cyph0n »

valuearb wrote: post #225
Cyph0n wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taxi drivers usually go through checks before they can get their license.

And yet taxi drivers still murder, rape and rob passengers every year. It's like the whole "background checks" thing is just a sop for fear mongers.

Of course they would! Why would you think that a background check would work everytime? And how about a change in behavior long after the checks?

But you cannot deny that some kind of check is better than no checks at all.

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

#245

Post by st3v3r »

uncletammy wrote: post #220
parasanti wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uber is trying to address the Credit Card issues after it noticed that lots of Singaporeans, maids and foreign labor do not have credit cards but still needs the service. They accept cash now. https://www.techinasia.com/uber-cash-payments-singapore

If only there existed a peer-to-peer version of electronic cash that would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution . Maybe one of these days...

Seriously, if these people don't have credit cards, and are paid mostly in cash, how do you expect them to have "magic internet money"?

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

#246

Post by BinaryWaves »

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.

If you read the authors blog post, you would see such fears are more or less due to overthinking and overcomplicating the issue at hand

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

#247

Post by insulinrocks »

homulilly wrote: post #240

Using this looks like a great way to end up stuffed into a suitcase in the bottom of a lake. Part of the appeal of Uber or Lyft is that they ostensibly conduct background checks of some sort to weed out the psychopaths.

This was my first thought. 1 minute driver hiring sounds like something a serial murderer would love.

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

#248

Post by darpa_escapee »

bcook wrote: post #62
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.

I'm not completely sure whether you're referring to cash or Bitcoin.

Cash is liquid whereas Bitcoin is a collectible that can't be used to pay all debts. My last two points about Bitcoin's instability do not apply to cash. Cash doesn't have a few slow gatekeepers that also game the system in their favor when you go to convert your cash into a more liquid form.

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

#249

Post by darpa_escapee »

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.

Bitcoin gatekeepers are slow and have delayed or altered conversions such that they profit due to fluctuations in Bitcoin value.

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

#250

Post by problems »

aphextron wrote: post #218
galdosdi wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shouldn't be an obstacle. This is already exactly how normal, hailable, regulated taxis work (at least in much of the USA, and certainly in NYC -- I can't speak for elsewhere). That's why taxi driver is (at least in the US) a statistically more dangerous occupation than police officer. From the point of view of a driver, this scheme is less dangerous than the status quo, at least there is potentially a little more pa…

>Shouldn't be an obstacle. This is already exactly how normal, hailable, regulated taxis work Except normal hail-able taxis are driven by professional drivers with background checks and large insurance policies. There's no guarantee the person who picks you up with this app will even be a licensed driver. A lot of the value in Uber is that they take care of these things, not just the app side of things.

But do I care as a passenger? I see little or no reason to personally. Perhaps some might be more concerned about their safety, heck, I might be if I was to consider someone other than myself - but me personally? I'm more concerned about cost and privacy.

Keeping those things in check would have me using the service far more, even if it was slightly more risky - I don't believe the risk would be substantial enough for me to care.

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