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Waze Carpool

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281–290 of 406 posts

Re: Waze Carpool

#281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you’re being too cynical. I grew up in Ohio. Mostly I knew white people who also were born there and mostly knew white people themselves. This is 180* from the Bay Area. Sure, the enormous tech economy makes for a bit of an industrial monoculture. But if you start talking to people about things other than what they do for a living you’ll hear a lot of interesting stories.

I am being too cynical, you're right. I'm pushing into the hyperbole territory to try to make my point as clear as possible. Diversity isn't how many black people you know. And it's not a perfect line of "SV is awful, everywhere else is better". Some places around the country are better for your soul than others, and the best way to experience life is by visiting places, spending time in places where people live dras…

Interesting conversation. I don’t think a choice of work defines somebody as much as you are suggesting.

Also, there are loads of people in sfba that are not wealthy tech workers. You blame the region and our group think but it’s maybe partly your personal bubble?

Re: Waze Carpool

#282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unlike Uber, they appear to talk about a real carsharing system, as opposed to a taxi service with a lower entry barrier. The prices will be much lower since we are talking about the marginal cost of adding another passenger to an already happening trip - and with full info on where people are going, Waze effectively has an endless supply of trips that are happening, it's just a matter of displaying a pop-up "Hey, Al…

If this is the logic behind Waze Carpool, they are SERIOUSLY misguided. If I own a car and and I’m driving to work, my privacy and security during my commute is worth a lot more than $5. No way I’m picking up randos and sitting in silence with them for an hour for a measly coffee.

I think one of the key benefits for some users is that they can use the HOV lane and save a good chunk of time every day.

And many people aren't like you - they might make minimum wage and gas is a big expense for them.

Now I wouldn't do it for the reasons you mentioned but we must remember that we're a fortunate group.

Re: Waze Carpool

#283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unlike Uber, they appear to talk about a real carsharing system, as opposed to a taxi service with a lower entry barrier. The prices will be much lower since we are talking about the marginal cost of adding another passenger to an already happening trip - and with full info on where people are going, Waze effectively has an endless supply of trips that are happening, it's just a matter of displaying a pop-up "Hey, Al…

If this is the logic behind Waze Carpool, they are SERIOUSLY misguided. If I own a car and and I’m driving to work, my privacy and security during my commute is worth a lot more than $5. No way I’m picking up randos and sitting in silence with them for an hour for a measly coffee.

[deleted]

Re: Waze Carpool

#284

The reason why I would not consider Google to legitimately compete with Uber/Lyft at scale in this arena is because it's not part of their nature to staff customer support at the level required to run operationally-intensive businesses. The rate in which something goes wrong in the real world (esp where money in exchanged) is much higher than in a pure software world, and Google is going to try to take the FAQ/chatbo…

I think GOOG is perfectly capable of upping their game to- and above UBER/Lyft levels.

Even if it would require unthinkable religious sacrifice of actually providing live human support from GOOG side.

Re: Waze Carpool

#285
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The same thing that happens in the non-Waze case: you kick them out, call the police, get mugged etc. It's not so simple. Normally people, at least in cities, rarely hitchhike or take up hitchhikers. The goal here is to make it acceptable, and naturally greatly increase the frequency this is happening. This can be reasonably taken as an endorsement by Google to the driver/passenger, because it is -- they want this…

> Normally people, at least in cities, rarely hitchhike or take up hitchhikers. Hitchhiking is also illegal in most states.

Speaking as a former hitchhiker who used it to travel through 39 states, it's actually legal almost everywhere. What is illegal is to stand in the path of travel of a roadway, and in some locations standing on the shoulder is also illegal. But on a sidewalk, onramp, etc, as long as you're not physically in the road, it's almost always ok.

Some exceptions being Utah, Delaware, New Jersey, and maybe another, where you're specifically banned from soliciting rides using signage.

Sadly, the best resource for seeing what the laws are in each state was digihitch.com, which went down in 2014, I believe when the founder passed. Quite sad, they had pamphlets for every state with relevant laws written down -- it came in handy a few times when police stopped me. They were always respectful, but I did have to clarify the laws a few times, since it's clear if read, but not widely understood.

Re: Waze Carpool

#286
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this is the logic behind Waze Carpool, they are SERIOUSLY misguided. If I own a car and and I’m driving to work, my privacy and security during my commute is worth a lot more than $5. No way I’m picking up randos and sitting in silence with them for an hour for a measly coffee.

Yup, and think of the caliber of car and driver that would appeal to.

'Calibre'?

People without spare money are of the wrong 'calibre'?

We weren't all born with latte money to spare. A CEO, brain surgeon or astronaut might have had a shitty car and been happy for an easy $5 when they were in grad school. Calibre my ass.

Re: Waze Carpool

#287
post #278
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure why anyone would need to feel guilty or worry about that fact though. People do that everywhere. Toronto is famous for it's diversity and multiculturalism but the entire city is finely divided into various ethnic, cultural, and work enclaves (little korea, little ethiopia, 2x little italys, etc). And it works great for the most part, there's little ethnic or political tension, at least within the city pr…

> The simple fact is people primarily like being near people like themselves, culturally or otherwise. Unless, of course, they don't. :) I can't stand talking shop outside of work. Silicon valley and San Francisco are so full of technologists and associated ancillary professions it's a pretty miserable place to live--they've displaced all the people I'd normally want to be around. Not that I have much choice on where…

Culturally though, people do for the most part. Whites hangout with Whites, Indians with Indians, Chinese with Chinese, etc.. it's not racism, it's human nature.

Re: Waze Carpool

#288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the bus was just built with a compartment for just you instead of everyone clumped together, I would pay a lot more.

Are you talking about the small rooms inside of trains you see in Black and White movies?

Sounds like they're talking about car ownership.

Re: Waze Carpool

#289

Folks from Silicon Valley should ask VCs to sponsor them trip to Europe, where what they are essentially to solve is addressed. It's called public transportation.

Or Asia, or Canada, or basically anywhere outside the United States..

Re: Waze Carpool

#290

The number of private tech companies that reinvent the BUS and think they're geniuses is staggering. But god forbid we just fund public transportation. We wouldn't want poor people using our service.

A lot of places do not have a competent public transportation system or one at all. Public transportation also doesn't satisfy everyone's needs the same way ridesharing does (access to stops, time in transit, etc.). Even though ridesharing competes with public transpo, it does not eliminate it's need.

"A lot of places do not have a competent public transportation system or one at all."

That is precisely the point. If they spent some money on it, they would have it.

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