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Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

nytimes.com

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Re: Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

#41

Post by aalleavitch »

notarealaccount wrote: post #34
abhiminator wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>started sharing your data with 3rd parties as an additional way to monetize. Germany's national broadcaster Deutsche Welle produced an excellent documentary looking at the exact same scenario you described. [0] It looked into the possibility of making short-haul transportation (focusing primarily on Hyperloop) virtually free with just one caveat: a precondition that users share all their private data that advertiser…

Am I the only one who wouldn't mind a responsible way for people to target me with things I don't know about which I might be interested in?

Of course not, but the responsible part is what’s missing. Advertisers aren’t just showing you a product, they are trying to convince you to do what they want and they’re more than willing to exploit psychology and circumstances to get you to do it. Sometimes what they want you to do is good for you too, often it is not.

Re: Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

#42

Post by drivingmenuts »

394549 wrote: post #29
dominotw wrote: post #6

> Won't Be Happy Why so negative. I like how Europeans/Chinese/Everyone stands behind their companies and expect them to succeed globally. USA on other hand is bent on destroying/defaming their own.

> Why so negative. I like how Europeans/Chinese/Everyone stands behind their companies and expect them to succeed globally. USA on other hand is bent on destroying/defaming their own. Companies aren't national sports teams. You shouldn't "stand behind them" unless they deserve it.

I would say "earn" rather than deserve (but I live in the US). Once they pass the bar of providing value at a reasonable cost without driving their employees into the ground while simultaneously being ethical, I would say they have earned a small measure of respect.

Re: Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

#43

Post by lainga »

filesystem wrote: post #26
guhidalg wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At which point people would outrage and the government buys it out for political capital. Still sounds like a win win to me.

Sorry but when has this happened? Which government?

There are things which have not happened which are yet possible.

Re: Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

#44

Post by inferiorhuman »

virmundi wrote: post #40
giantsloth wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This happened with trains in the 19th century and it was an absolute disaster. Please learn your history on privatized public goods. It results in massive fragmentation in standards, extreme levels of corruption and an overall worse experience for most people.

We know about the downsides now. For example, the New York system was private and actually paid for itself. New York subsidized the system. Now it's inefficient, poorly maintained, and expensive due to excessive salaries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPhC3-9mSb4

> For example, the New York system was private and actually paid for itself.

Which New York system? The New York MTA is the result of consolidating multiple, unprofitable systems (e.g. LIRR, New Haven, Staten Island). Most were snatched out of the jaws of bankruptcy by the government as commuter service just isn't profitable much of the time. Let's not forget that the private rapid transit (BMT and IRT) didn't work out so well either (bankruptcy and poorly thought out contracts) and eventually was acquired by New York city.

Re: Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

#45

Post by 394549 »

notarealaccount wrote: post #34
abhiminator wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>started sharing your data with 3rd parties as an additional way to monetize. Germany's national broadcaster Deutsche Welle produced an excellent documentary looking at the exact same scenario you described. [0] It looked into the possibility of making short-haul transportation (focusing primarily on Hyperloop) virtually free with just one caveat: a precondition that users share all their private data that advertiser…

Am I the only one who wouldn't mind a responsible way for people to target me with things I don't know about which I might be interested in?

> Am I the only one who wouldn't mind a responsible way for people to target me with things I don't know about which I might be interested in?

Targeting is about maximizing profits for the advertisers, it's not about maximizing value to you. If they can use targeting to take value from you in order to give it to themselves, they will. For instance, you could be bombarded with targeted ads for product A when you'd really be happier with product B. You can contrive scenarios where ad targeting is a win-win, but those scenarios are misleading because they go against the underlying incentives.

I wouldn't mind a neutral, personalized product recommendation engine, but that's not what ad targeting is.

Re: Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

#46

Post by Spivak »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #38
gnicholas wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The people who are suing Uber would disagree: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/nyregion/uber-disabili...

I would guess that no matter what they did they would be sued.

Nope, the ADA requirement for transportation is that a company must provide "equivalent service."

https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/civil-r...

The relevant requirements are that the following must be equivalent for everyone regardless of disability.

(2) Response time (if the system is demand responsive);

(f) Reservations capability (if the system is demand responsive); (g) Any constraints on capacity or service availability; (h) Restrictions priorities based on trip purpose (if the system is demand responsive).

Re: Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

#49

Post by mlthoughts2018 »

0xB31B1B wrote: post #22
mlthoughts2018 wrote: post #2

But their lines of business have inherently low barriers to entry and inherent economic disincentives to artificially keep supply as high as these services do in outlying regions. The minute they either pay drivers less, charge riders more, or reduce supply, it’s an immediate opportunity for another entrant. Diversifying into e-bikes won’t change that. It’s just an inherent property of the entire concept of a regiona…

“Ridesharing isn’t a profitable business” - this isn’t true. Uber and Lyft both have many cities that have positive unit economics. IIRC the North American market as a whole is profitable for both companies. Both companies are losing money because they are plowing into more and more growth (a la amzn), not because the business is bunk.

All available data so far has not shown what you claim, except I believe for the borough of Manhattan (not even all of NYC), and even that is questionable because of all the widely reported accounting shenanigans Uber has pulled with including full prices in their revenue numbers instead of subtracting out large fare discounts or government fares, etc., from top line revenue.

But regardless, nobody would question if a taxi operation is profitable in a small region with correctly calibrated ride supply in outlying areas.

Even if a single company banded together a few such profitable regions around the world, it wouldn’t be surprising.

However, it would be surprising if you claimed that company had a valuation of tens of billions of dollars while operating on annual losses of ~7 billion dollars.

That would make no sense at all.

Re: Lyft and Uber Won’t Be Happy Until They’re Your One-Stop Transit Guide

#50

Post by Spivak »

usaar333 wrote: post #10
cozzyd wrote: post #5

I wonder how Lyft and Uber have avoided ADA requirements.

Both offer wheelchair accessible cars. I'm not sure what the formal ADA rule should be on them, but offering these services seems to work out for everyone.

It's not enough to offer wheelchair accessible cars, in short they also have to be as available and as responsive as the non-wheelchair accessible cars.
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