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Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

nytimes.com

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Re: Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

#2
That is just rubbing salt in the self inflicted wounds.

I think that this could probably be the first real danger for Uber, especially if their self driving cars effort is killed.

The major costs in taxi operation are fuel and humans. Electricity solves the first, self driving second.

And they can even escape regulation if they present themselves as ultra short term rent a car service.

Re: Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

#4

That is just rubbing salt in the self inflicted wounds. I think that this could probably be the first real danger for Uber, especially if their self driving cars effort is killed. The major costs in taxi operation are fuel and humans. Electricity solves the first, self driving second. And they can even escape regulation if they present themselves as ultra short term rent a car service.

> The major costs in taxi operation are fuel and humans.

What about vehicles themselves?

Re: Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

#7
post #3

Undoubtedly the market for ride sharing built with autonomous vehicles will afford for multiple winners -- but this certainly looks like a strong contender for the first.

I think it will be a commodity market. Not excited as an investor, very excited as a customer though.

Re: Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

#8
I feel like Lyft is the underdog coming back to strike the killer blow to Uber... The year Uber has had I wouldn't be surprised to see them disappear altogether by 2018/2019. Lyft seems to be doing things a lot better, but helps that their CEO isn't out starting fires instead of putting them out.

Re: Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

#9

That is just rubbing salt in the self inflicted wounds. I think that this could probably be the first real danger for Uber, especially if their self driving cars effort is killed. The major costs in taxi operation are fuel and humans. Electricity solves the first, self driving second. And they can even escape regulation if they present themselves as ultra short term rent a car service.

> The major costs in taxi operation are fuel and humans. What about vehicles themselves?

It'd be a factor, but not a major one.

Say you expect to spend $30,000 on the car and $20,000 on repairs over a lifetime of 10 years (that's probably well on the high side, say you picked out a shitbox that always breaks down).

At $15/h wage and $50/week in petrol, running the car 40 hours a week (probably on the low side, a lot of taxi drivers I know have 2-3 drivers to a car and would run it more like 120 hours), you're looking at $195,000 in wage/petrol expenses over those 10 years. Almost 4x the total cost of the car.

Re: Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

#10

Didn't Lyft also do basically the same thing in China? I feel like Lyft is a living testament to collaboration being a better business strategy than domination

I think the outcome of this Uber vs Lyft battle in a few years will be a better testament - who knows, maybe Lyft will fall and Uber will stay at the top.
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