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Uber drivers gang up to cause surge pricing, research says

telegraph.co.uk

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Re: Uber drivers gang up to cause surge pricing, research says

#161

Post by Fej »

akgerber wrote: post #132
arstin wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea my experience with biking in Chicago is that at least cabs are clearly marked as such so you know they might cut you off at any moment and you'll cuss at each other. Uber drivers will just stealthily swerve into your lane and full stop. Plus the GPS systems here will take you down these speed bump residential roads and do crazy contortions to drop off on a one-way road. On the flip side though, when I first moved…

In NYC, Uber drivers are required to be licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, and you can report their dangerous driving to the commission, who will fine them. It seems like a much better system.

It's almost like people have been through this problem before and devised regulations to fix it.

Don't get me wrong, I always use Uber or Lyft over a cab. Taxi regulations are often cited as awful. But this particular one is a good one.

Re: Uber drivers gang up to cause surge pricing, research says

#162

Post by godzillabrennus »

bbarn wrote: post #10
mikeash wrote: post #5

Obvious in hindsight. This sort of thing is inevitable any time you have dumb software on one side and humans on the other side. I'm mostly a fan of these non-taxi "taxi" services, but it seems like they are slowly and painfully rediscovering why taxis ended up so regulated in the first place.

Yeah, I'm mostly not a fan, now that we're a few years in. Waves of people inexperienced, untrained in shuttling people around a major metro have resulted in downtown Chicago being an utter mess compared to only a few years ago. Chicago forced cab drivers to go through a training and certification course that at least forced them to understand the major routes and grid system we're on, and every time I've been in an…

Chicago cab drivers were the worst. Uber drivers are leagues better.

Last time I was in a cab in Chicago the driver ran a man over in the street and just kept going. When I jumped out to see if the victim was okay the driver yelled to me that I was fare dodging before he sped away....

Re: Uber drivers gang up to cause surge pricing, research says

#164

Post by CodeWriter23 »

frandroid wrote: post #92
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It takes more than one ride dispatch to quell the surge. I've watched bar/club closings stay in surge for 30 minutes while cars stream in to pick up riders. I personally have given 5 surge rides in a row, albeit short rides, just by picking up at a particular hot spot, getting a local, drop them off, go offline, return to hot spot, wash, rinse, repeat.

> go offline So you're priming the surge pump, so to speak, since you know where the ride requests will be anyway.

Actually it's the opposite. When I drop off outside of the surge zone and go back to that zone to make a pickup inside, that helps quell the surge in that hot spot. I've never noticed surging in the neighborhoods I just left when I go back online. If I stayed online in the neighborhoods, I would likely get dispatched around the drop off point, prolonging the surge at the bar.

Re: Uber drivers gang up to cause surge pricing, research says

#166

Post by johndoe90 »

calvinbhai wrote: post #43
cctan wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did Uber in India do about it? Does it affect the prices that much and frequently?

Why would Uber do anything about it? Its in Uber's interests to not solve it. They get more money no? Same with its competitor in India, Ola.

This will be beneficial up to some point in the future, when riders decide to boycott Uber.

Re: Uber drivers gang up to cause surge pricing, research says

#167

Post by web-dev-123 »

toast0 wrote: post #18
bbarn wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I'm mostly not a fan, now that we're a few years in. Waves of people inexperienced, untrained in shuttling people around a major metro have resulted in downtown Chicago being an utter mess compared to only a few years ago. Chicago forced cab drivers to go through a training and certification course that at least forced them to understand the major routes and grid system we're on, and every time I've been in an…

I used to think cabs were terrible drivers, but most of them (especially in heavily regulated markets) are very experienced drivers and simply disregard rules of the road that are inconvenient for them. In contrast, 'ride sharing' drivers seem to have no sense of direction, and are genuinely oblivious to the rules of the road. In short, when in either type of car, I fear for my life.

I guess it depends on where you live? I'm in Boston, and all of my Uber and Lyft drivers have been great.

I recently went on vacation where the only option available was a taxi cab. Within 5 minutes I remembered why Uber and Lyft have become so popular. Our driver was a complete asshole, honking at everyone and almost running down a bicyclist. Plus, the A/C in the van was broken. And because it was a van, you couldn't even roll the windows down. It was a miserable ride.

Re: Uber drivers gang up to cause surge pricing, research says

#169

Post by THE_PUN_STOPS »

jdauriemma wrote: post #81
bbarn wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I'm mostly not a fan, now that we're a few years in. Waves of people inexperienced, untrained in shuttling people around a major metro have resulted in downtown Chicago being an utter mess compared to only a few years ago. Chicago forced cab drivers to go through a training and certification course that at least forced them to understand the major routes and grid system we're on, and every time I've been in an…

So true. Good luck getting a driver to pick you up around Wacker. Upper/lower confuses the heck out of the uninitiated.

For the uninitiated: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wacker_Drive

Chicago has also begotten the most amazingly complicated 3D road diagram in America: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Chicago_...

Re: Uber drivers gang up to cause surge pricing, research says

#170

Post by frandroid »

CodeWriter23 wrote: post #164
frandroid wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> go offline So you're priming the surge pump, so to speak, since you know where the ride requests will be anyway.

Actually it's the opposite. When I drop off outside of the surge zone and go back to that zone to make a pickup inside, that helps quell the surge in that hot spot. I've never noticed surging in the neighborhoods I just left when I go back online. If I stayed online in the neighborhoods, I would likely get dispatched around the drop off point, prolonging the surge at the bar.

Ahhh I see.

So I notice your username, and I'm wondering; are you both a developer and an Uber driver? Are you practicing both jobs at a time?

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