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New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

nytimes.com

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Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#51

Post by Daishiman »

mhb wrote: post #49
Daishiman wrote: post #15

I'm sorry but everyone here is completely ignoring the congestion arguments, which like it or not, are actually very valid, just as much as the race to the bottom and long-term unsustainably low prices. I dislike yellow cabs as much as the next guy but street space is definitely a limited resource and not being regulated in a healthy manner.

So if Uber were to set up parking where their cars could wait, would that address this congestion argument? Or would there then be an argument that they were driving up real estate prices?

Considering the astronomically high costs of setting up parking, it's an unrealistic solution. It also doesn't consider that drivers still have to drive to pick up passengers.

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#52

Post by Waterluvian »

dunpeal wrote: post #44
tashoecraft wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So true, my girlfriend had a driver pull his emergency brake then claim his brakes "didn't work" and she had to get out, because he didn't want to drive to Brooklyn. I have 0 sympathy for yellow cabs, Uber and Lyft have raised the bar. If cabs want to compete they need to completely rethink their experience.

I had so many similar issues with NYC cabbies. Off the top of my head: 1. Cabbie turning off his meter right before my stop, then quoting me a price that was x3 times the meter when I last caught glimpse of it. 2. Cabbies flat out refusing to accept credit cards. Forcing me to withdraw cash on an ATM to pay them. 3. Cabbies rudely demanding tip after being rude and inconsiderate the whole ride. There's a reason why U…

Cab driving is a low skill job, which is why it's so important that proper competition can exist. My first ever Uber driver had water bottles and gum and even throw pillows and a blanket in the back. He was in a suit. He was really polite and all that. Because he's looking for 5 star rankings.

Dump all taxi drivers into the same market as this guy and they'll have to improve or be pushed out of business when they get too many "1 star: tried to defraud me" reviews.

Maybe we need an app that lets us photograph the legally mandated ID card so we can collectively leave reviews. But even then it's too late. You're already in the cab.

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#53

Post by JumpCrisscross »

robrenaud wrote: post #16
bluedevil2k wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why should the city buy them back? They sold the assets, they have no obligation to re-purchase them. Investment risk is in the hands of those people (usually companies) who purchase them. Besides, at what price would they even buy them back at? They're certainly not worth the price that some people pay for them (last I checked, about $1M each).

> Why should the city buy them back So otherwise hopeless drivers/single medallion owners who are severely in debt don't end up committing mass suicide.

> single medallion owners

Most medallions are owned by corporate owners [1]. The drivers work for the medallion owner. The medallion owner collects rent.

[1] http://nymag.com/nymetro/urban/features/taxi/n_10292/

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#54

Post by refurb »

forapurpose wrote: post #13
logicchains wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An oversupply according to whom, the taxi drivers? Given how much eager so many riders were to pick them over cabs, they were obviously supplying something that was missing.

> An oversupply according to whom The article raised several negative consequences due to oversupply, which are generally well known. How should we address them?

How do you have an oversupply of cabs/Ubers?

There is a certain demand by passengers and cabs/Ubers will meet that demand. If there are too many cabs/Ubers, then they won't make money and will stop driving.

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#55

Post by fcbrooklyn »

tashoecraft wrote: post #14
CoolGuySteve wrote: post #5

Before becoming mayor, de Blasio lived here in Park Slope. I guess he never used these yellow cabs he’s so interested in preserving because getting one to go to Brooklyn from Manhattan is fucking impossible. Seriously, everything about yellow cab service is worse. Why don’t they buy back the medallions instead?

So true, my girlfriend had a driver pull his emergency brake then claim his brakes "didn't work" and she had to get out, because he didn't want to drive to Brooklyn. I have 0 sympathy for yellow cabs, Uber and Lyft have raised the bar. If cabs want to compete they need to completely rethink their experience.

Haha, that's a good one. I had a guy take his seatbelt off, and try to tell me that the dinging I was hearing was an alarm about oil pressure. The only sympathy I have for the yellow cabs is that the city screwed them with those pricey medallions, the city should refund a substantial portion of the money.

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#56

Post by JumpCrisscross »

Retric wrote: post #37
jamiequint wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They should charge a congestion fee then and let the market sort it out, as opposed to artificially regulating one small source of cars (100k for hire vehicles vs 2.7m vehicles entering the city per day). Why would the thought even be to regulate 3% of cars vs. attacking the actual core problem (2.7m cars/day). It makes absolutely no sense (aside from protectionism of the taxi industry)

Those 2.7m cars don't spend 10+ hours driving each day. So, those 100k for higher vehicles make up a large fraction of total vehicles on the streets. Further, congestion charges would need to be per hour on the road not just in the city to adjust for this issue.

> Those 2.7m cars don't spend 10+ hours driving each day

No, they spend 10+ hours parked on two sides of my narrow street.

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#57

Post by Daishiman »

forapurpose wrote: post #10

Right now space on NYC streets is free, leading to a 'tragedy of the commons': Businesses are each incentivized to overuse the resource because the costs, congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, are externalities for them - Uber and Lyft don't pay for them. With no cost to supply, it also leads to an oversupply of drivers, which depresses their incomes (another reason I don't like the 'contractor' model - the driver…

This is the correct answer.

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#58

Post by fcbrooklyn »

bluedevil2k wrote: post #12
CoolGuySteve wrote: post #5

Before becoming mayor, de Blasio lived here in Park Slope. I guess he never used these yellow cabs he’s so interested in preserving because getting one to go to Brooklyn from Manhattan is fucking impossible. Seriously, everything about yellow cab service is worse. Why don’t they buy back the medallions instead?

Why should the city buy them back? They sold the assets, they have no obligation to re-purchase them. Investment risk is in the hands of those people (usually companies) who purchase them. Besides, at what price would they even buy them back at? They're certainly not worth the price that some people pay for them (last I checked, about $1M each).

Because the city sold them on the basis that they offered an exclusive right to pick up street hails in manhattan. Uber, et al, have essentially eliminated that exclusivity.

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#59

Post by deminature »

CPLX wrote: post #21

Why is everyone treating this news like it's all or nothing ("oh noes they want us to go back to medallion cabs!") rather than assessing it at face value. The number of TLC cars has skyrocketed recently. Which, in many important ways, is a good thing. But this is a crowded city, literally everything that is at risk of runaway growth in this city is regulated, and for good reason, all the way down to hot dog carts. Th…

Anecdotally the vast majority of street blockages I've observed are from trucks unloading, illegally double parked blocking a lane of traffic, rather than for hire cars.

Re: New York Could Become First Major U.S. City to Cap Uber and Similar Vehicles

#60

Post by rdlecler1 »

tashoecraft wrote: post #14
CoolGuySteve wrote: post #5

Before becoming mayor, de Blasio lived here in Park Slope. I guess he never used these yellow cabs he’s so interested in preserving because getting one to go to Brooklyn from Manhattan is fucking impossible. Seriously, everything about yellow cab service is worse. Why don’t they buy back the medallions instead?

So true, my girlfriend had a driver pull his emergency brake then claim his brakes "didn't work" and she had to get out, because he didn't want to drive to Brooklyn. I have 0 sympathy for yellow cabs, Uber and Lyft have raised the bar. If cabs want to compete they need to completely rethink their experience.

And I remember lots of stories about Yellow Cabs not stopping for black people. That really disappeared with Uber.
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