They (uber/lyft) work well for my dog emergencies too.
Drivers don't have issues with an uninvited dog passenger? As a dog owner, I find this surprising. But if drivers are OK with it it would be a great option for me because I don't own a car.
Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
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Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#22I’d be more interested to see the reduction in medicab or medivan usage. My father had the misfortune of having a stroke, and transporting him via van is outrageous — you’re talking >$250 for a 15 mile drive, in what amounts to a cargo van with zero service beyond driving. It’s one of those weird markets where the pricing is driven by the Medicaid reimbursement, which is a price floor.
Same situation for me, and I've seen the same with regards to price.
That said, I also suspect the med transport niche is heavily regulated (a la taxi service). Special training for drivers, insurance, etc. I don't think that covers the full $250; just saying they're not identical to a Uber.
Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#23They (uber/lyft) work well for my dog emergencies too.
Drivers don't have issues with an uninvited dog passenger? As a dog owner, I find this surprising. But if drivers are OK with it it would be a great option for me because I don't own a car.
It depends on the city, culturally, and it's a good idea to call and ask first.
Obviously if it's a service dog they're required to transport it, but from knowing people with service dogs, it's still worth calling because some drivers are allergic and would rather you call another
Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#24I've been wondering about this for a while but, is there a reason why Uber or an alternative cannot/should not get into the Ambulance space, if it were able to get qualified staff. I feel like Ambulances/Hospitals charge way too much and using the app/tech at a basic level to connect the ambulances with patients addresses may be a good start for everyone and also the increase in supply may reduce costs.
I think the bigger market would be Uber meets "full assisted transportation."
ATM if my father (who had a stroke in early Oct) has to go to the doc there aren't many options - that I've been made aware of - other than me. My mother can't help him enough (without endangering both of them), and anything more traditional would just pull up and wait at the curb.
Long to short, the country - and 1st World - is getting old. It's a big market. The issue is how well technology is a fit, at least for the next couple generations.
p.s. I should know this but does Uber or Lyft deliver groceries? For less than the market?
Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#25I've personally found this to work great, the only exception being the moment of surprise and confusion when I asked the driver to pull around to the emergency entrance.
Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are a lot of private ambulance services in the US, they're anything but unregulated though as you'd expect with anything in the US medical field (one of the most regulated industries on earth). There's no theoretical reason why Uber couldn't get into the driving side of the business, with human drivers. Their future is in autonomous however, which will never be the ambulance business (it will never be autonomou…
> It will never be autonomous, ambulance drivers frequently have to break standard driving laws in emergencies, drive at high speeds, drive around vehicles, etc). And because they have to perform emergency medical treatment, right?! Are we talking about different things - a mini hospital on wheels staffed by highly trained paramedics, and glorified taxis for the elderly/non-critical?
Even a gloried taxi will likely need the human touch if you will for people who might need assistance.
Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#27If you don't get bogged down in details of the service, I see this as generally net good. For many, ambulance rides are prohibitively expensive, and while I certainly wouldn't be cost-conscious taking an ambulance in the event of a seizure or heart attack, for something like a broken arm, or non-life-threatening ailment, an Uber/Lyft/Cab is a good alternative to trying to drive myself. Beyond that, I'd like to see st…
The number of ambulances will adjust to the demand.
Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are a lot of private ambulance services in the US, they're anything but unregulated though as you'd expect with anything in the US medical field (one of the most regulated industries on earth). There's no theoretical reason why Uber couldn't get into the driving side of the business, with human drivers. Their future is in autonomous however, which will never be the ambulance business (it will never be autonomou…
> Their future is in autonomous however, which will never be the ambulance business (it will never be autonomous, ambulance drivers frequently have to break standard driving laws in emergencies, drive at high speeds, drive around vehicles, etc). None of these are reasons for ambulances to not be autonomous. If you accept that most other vehicles will be fully autonomous, ambulances do not require anything further ext…
It is very problematic, e.g. how would you develop such a system? No city is going to allow you to break traffic laws to train an autonomous ambulance. At best you could make one for rural areas. I think the problem is probably AI-complete and would require human-like abilities of abstraction to train.
Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#29Good stat but there's nothing about outcomes. Uber might save money for transportation but how does the lack of a proper ambulance effect outcomes?
Re: Cities with Uber Have Lower Rates of Ambulance Usage
#30If you don't get bogged down in details of the service, I see this as generally net good. For many, ambulance rides are prohibitively expensive, and while I certainly wouldn't be cost-conscious taking an ambulance in the event of a seizure or heart attack, for something like a broken arm, or non-life-threatening ailment, an Uber/Lyft/Cab is a good alternative to trying to drive myself. Beyond that, I'd like to see st…
The number of ambulances will adjust to the demand.
Not really. This works in private markets but in part-government systems such as ambulances there's a few more influences on supply.