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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

#11

Post by saulrh »

prostoalex wrote: post #4
panzer_wyrm wrote: post #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.

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

Car costs $30k-$60k lifetime (repairs and such). Not many taxi services run luxury vehicles. Paying a single person full-time probably runs $30k-$40k/year, and you're probably running two to keep the duty cycle up. Gas is probably another $10k/year. Car lasts, what, five or ten years? Fifteen if you're careful and buy for reliability? Yes, people and fuel are the most expensive components.

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

#12

Post by avaer »

Moshe_Silnorin wrote: post #7
scep12 wrote: 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.

If it's a commodity like telecoms -- and not like rice -- then I'm not too excited as a consumer either.

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

#14

Post by alistproducer2 »

When I use lyft now, I'm coming across drivers that only drive for lyft. The tide has definitely shifted against Uber. I'm not really sure there's a way back at this point. The one advantage Uber had was network effect, but in my experience that has diminished. Lyfts come just as fast as Ubers now because they have enough drivers on the road to support the response time. I'll never go back to Uber.

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

#15

Post by [deleted] »

prostoalex wrote: post #4
panzer_wyrm wrote: post #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.

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

[deleted]

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

#16

Post by maxerickson »

saulrh wrote: post #11
prostoalex wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Car costs $30k-$60k lifetime (repairs and such). Not many taxi services run luxury vehicles. Paying a single person full-time probably runs $30k-$40k/year, and you're probably running two to keep the duty cycle up. Gas is probably another $10k/year. Car lasts, what, five or ten years? Fifteen if you're careful and buy for reliability? Yes, people and fuel are the most expensive components.

New York City cabs seem to stay in service about 6 years, with 400,000+ miles on them at that point.

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

#17

Post by CaliforniaKarl »

avaer wrote: post #12
Moshe_Silnorin wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

If it's a commodity like telecoms -- and not like rice -- then I'm not too excited as a consumer either.

Then maybe "commodity" isn't the right word. Maybe "utility"? Or, in the future, "monopoly"?

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

#18

Post by tptacek »

alistproducer2 wrote: post #14

When I use lyft now, I'm coming across drivers that only drive for lyft. The tide has definitely shifted against Uber. I'm not really sure there's a way back at this point. The one advantage Uber had was network effect, but in my experience that has diminished. Lyfts come just as fast as Ubers now because they have enough drivers on the road to support the response time. I'll never go back to Uber.

If Lyft had a black car option, I'd use them constantly; I wonder what keeps them from rolling that out.

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

#19

Post by Cyph0n »

tptacek wrote: post #18
alistproducer2 wrote: post #14

When I use lyft now, I'm coming across drivers that only drive for lyft. The tide has definitely shifted against Uber. I'm not really sure there's a way back at this point. The one advantage Uber had was network effect, but in my experience that has diminished. Lyfts come just as fast as Ubers now because they have enough drivers on the road to support the response time. I'll never go back to Uber.

If Lyft had a black car option, I'd use them constantly; I wonder what keeps them from rolling that out.

Why do you need black cars specifically? More professional?
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