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New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

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Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#411

Post by TeMPOraL »

taysic wrote: post #406
TeMPOraL wrote: post #395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For blind people, these often-derided services are the difference between a full life where we can participate Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understand, a big difference between old "Taxi mafia" and Uber is that the former will service people with disabilities, because they're forced to do so even if it's unprofitable by the same regulations that grant them semi-monopoly, while Uber will happily ignore t…

From what I understand Uber is much more affordable than cabs on average which can make a big difference to people. In the city I live near, there used to be such a shortage of cabs, waiting for an hour as they drove by you or after you called was not uncommon.

True. It should definitely work this way in dense areas with lots of potential customer base. And taxis definitely seem to be in sad state in many places around the world.

What I meant is that a regular taxi is obliged to serve a customer even in a more remote area of the city, while Uber can just ignore it. Similarly, taxi networks usually are obliged to have cars adapted to people with disabilities, which again increases their costs, but ensures there is service available for people with special need.

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#412

Post by distances »

pdx6 wrote: post #304
SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is still stupid, because vending machines have had ways to return change for decades. It's just bad design.

Fare boxes don’t vend change because it is another moving part that can break. Waiting for change creates dwell time multiplied by cash boarding. Agencies can buy fare boxes that give change but this only makes sense on lower ridership systems.

All trams in Berlin have ticket vending machines that give change. And Berlin definitely doesn't fit the "lower ridership" category.

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#413

Post by fiatjaf »

matchbok wrote: post #347
fiatjaf wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It'll be interesting to see how these prices change when they are no longer subsidized by venture capitalists, contractor drivers, and society at large. You say that without realizing that public transport has been subsidized by the State and "society at large" for a hundred years.

The public benefits to a working transit system are nearly innumerable. The benefits to VC money funding Uber benefits the owners of Uber and exactly nobody else, while we all see more traffic, congestion, pollution, waste, and more.

You do you take that for granted?

Anyway, it's irrelevant.

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#414

Post by fiatjaf »

beefield wrote: post #390
fiatjaf wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It'll be interesting to see how these prices change when they are no longer subsidized by venture capitalists, contractor drivers, and society at large. You say that without realizing that public transport has been subsidized by the State and "society at large" for a hundred years.

My wild guess without any sources whatsoever is that if you properly calculate all the subsidies and externalities for cars (urban land use, pollution, congestion, fossil fuel industry subsidies possibly including wars in middle east etc), it is quite fair to say that compared to that, public transport is practically unsubsidized.

Well, if you're adding these biased unprovable speculative distance consequences to the account, maybe we can also add the entire corruption of the State transport-related agencies, costs related to second, third and forth-level bureaucracy, the corruption of the vote system, election costs, loss of freedom in all the domains of life, brainwashed minds of citizens, wars.

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#415

Post by jaredklewis »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #395
ctoth wrote: post #150

I cannot drive. I take Uber to and from work every day using a Uber pass. If my alternative were public transit, a bus to a train to another bus or train depending, it would take me 1.5 hours per trip, for a total of 3 hours a day. I would not work in the corporate world if this were the case. Does this study capture these positive externalities? For blind people, these often-derided services are the difference betwe…

> For blind people, these often-derided services are the difference between a full life where we can participate Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understand, a big difference between old "Taxi mafia" and Uber is that the former will service people with disabilities, because they're forced to do so even if it's unprofitable by the same regulations that grant them semi-monopoly, while Uber will happily ignore t…

Well, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t cost uber any more or less to serve blind people, perhaps aside from some initial investment in getting their app to work with VoiceOver (appears to work fine).

Obviously it costs uber far more to serve people in wheelchairs. So yes, making life better for parapalegics might make life worse (or at least more expensive) for blind people.

And here we have the double edge of regulation. It is not a very precise tool. Want a benefit for some group, but don’t want to have to, you know, actually pay for it? Easy! Just add a new regulation that makes all business owners pay for it! Voila, taxi regulations.

Imagine instead if the government simply gave disabled a stipend to help fund their transportation costs. A diverse market would emerge. Some businesses, eager to tap into the fountain of government stipends, would charge higher prices and offer wheelchair friendly vehicles. Other businesses would offer cheaper services, which would benefit groups like the blind. And not just the blind but single mothers, veterans, and even just regular ol’ people that want to go somewhere.

Regulations make taxis more expensive for everyone, including groups that deserve a break like the blind or the poor.

Stipends paid for by tax raises can be targeted at specific groups, like the very rich.

I have a lot of sympathy for the disabled and support policies that benefit them. But the existing regime of Taxi regulations of are extremely poorly thought out and inefficient.

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#416

Post by upvotinglurker »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #411
taysic wrote: post #406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I understand Uber is much more affordable than cabs on average which can make a big difference to people. In the city I live near, there used to be such a shortage of cabs, waiting for an hour as they drove by you or after you called was not uncommon.

True. It should definitely work this way in dense areas with lots of potential customer base. And taxis definitely seem to be in sad state in many places around the world. What I meant is that a regular taxi is obliged to serve a customer even in a more remote area of the city, while Uber can just ignore it. Similarly, taxi networks usually are obliged to have cars adapted to people with disabilities, which again inc…

Based on all the Uber- and taxi-related threads I've read on HN before, in many jurisdictions, taxis are legally "obliged" to accept credit/debit cards, pick up non-white customers (common U.S. anti-discrimination laws), etc., yet they manage to find ways to consistently fail to do so without meaningful consequences. Is there any evidence that they actually fulfill their obligation to serve customers with disabilities?

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#417

Post by upvotinglurker »

DrScump wrote: post #409
goialoq wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most expensive Caltrain pass is $5K/yr total cost of ownership, especially is parking is unsubsidized. http://www.caltrain.com/Fares/farechart.html https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/corolla/2017/st-401668011/cos...

A small car that drives anywhere near that distance will cost >$5K/yr A brand-new, name brand small car

What cars are not name brand? (Self-built?)

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#418

Post by isostatic »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #313
isostatic wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I used to commute I would often have to stand for 40 plus minutes twice a day. It's quite normal for millions of Brits, why is America different?

So I take it you would be perfectly happy commuting into London from Cambridge on a train without being able to sit? Our commutes are a bit longer (20-30 minutes standing isn't the problem, but an hour is). Articles like https://www.the-tls.co.uk/kings-cross-to-cambridge-how-nasty... are written by Brits, not Americans.

Typical trip home would be

Walk to central line - 10 minutes Central line - standing for 15 minutes Change at oxford circus Stand on platform/Victoria line for 10 minutes, manage to squeze on Stand in euston scrum for 10 minutes Go to platform Stand for 30 minutes to first stop Walk 10 minute home

Occasionally I'd get a seat on the central line, or on the euston train. I wouldn't be happy with it, but nor would I be happy with a 2 hour drive instead.

Go back to 2004 when I lived in Tywford, it was standing on the central line to Ealing Broadway, Standing on the platform, then if I was lucky I would get on the 1802 train - most of the time I couldn't actually get on, and ended up standing on the platform for another 30 minutes to get the next train, which was standing room only for for the first 30 minutes.

The author of that article was 57 year old (at the time), did she ask to sit down? I'm surprised the train was so busy at 2207 (I assume that's what time she meant - hardly anyone in the UK writes "1007" unless they are referring to the morning).

Full of bias and inaccuracies (an armed policeman? noone belongs to the same company despite they actually do). I suspect this article is actually a Corbyn-esque lie, but lets assume there had been major problems earlier in the day and the train was full because the previous 2 trains had been cancelled.

Her story basically boils down to 1) Passenger unwilling to stand for 50 minutes on a train that was unusually overcrowded didn't ask for a seat, or sit on the floor 2) Passenger decides to break the law by not offering her ticket when asked (why else would she be engaging with the ticket collector for a few minutes) 3) Passenger complains when the police turn up and tell her that 4) Ticket collector and police officer paragons of virtue and deal patiently with an arrogant person without taking details and charging her for a clear bylaw breach.

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#419

Post by isostatic »

Nursie wrote: post #302
isostatic wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In London taxis are classed as public transport - don't have to pay congestion charges, and the legacy expensive cash-only ones can use bus lanes (but not south of the river at this time of night). The upshot of this is its far cheaper to park outside and get a taxi from outside the zone than to drive all the way in, despite not saving on congestion. The reason it didn't used to be as easy was black cabs are an archa…

Black cabs are not cash only, and are in fact required to have a functioning card reader in the passenger compartment.

"It broke this morning mate"

Re: New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior

#420

Post by Nursie »

isostatic wrote: post #419
Nursie wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Black cabs are not cash only, and are in fact required to have a functioning card reader in the passenger compartment.

"It broke this morning mate"

"I'll take it up with tfl then mate"

Honestly, at this point your criticism is about a decade behind the times.

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