Electric scooters are a public menace. Good riddance!
San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
11–20 of 321 posts
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#12Business permits should be shall-issue: if an applicant adheres to a set of rules known in advance, the city ought to have no power to deny its permit application. Want to limit the number of something? Fine. Auction off medallions or something in a transparent, open way. Don't pick and choose businesses the way SF busybodies do. San Francisco has severe and worsening problems primarily due to rampant interference in…
Same with home renovation / remodeling / addition / construction permits. If your design meets code and zoning, it should automatically get approved. None of this nimby-neighbor-going-to-the-planning-meeting-and-getting-your-project-cancelled-because-your-chimney-will-cast-a-shadow-on-their-backyard bullshit.
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#13I generally away from regulation, but let me articulate the pro-regulation argument. Markets that are important (like transportation) and have network effects need to be regulated. A monopoly with Uber and/or Lyft dominating local transportation is not good for consumers or cities in the long-term. Cities should take control of their transportation and ensure competition by managing allocation of capacity. I think th…
San Francisco just granted two companies a monopoly when previously there were multiple companies fighting for the same business. That’s the exact opposite of what you’re advocating.
VCs would not be giving billion $ valuations if they thought this will be a highly competitive market with many players. Everyone is betting on a winner takes most market.
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#14I generally away from regulation, but let me articulate the pro-regulation argument. Markets that are important (like transportation) and have network effects need to be regulated. A monopoly with Uber and/or Lyft dominating local transportation is not good for consumers or cities in the long-term. Cities should take control of their transportation and ensure competition by managing allocation of capacity. I think th…
>A monopoly with Uber and/or Lyft dominating local transportation is not good for consumers or cities in the long-term.
As opposed to a city ineffectively delivering transportation to such an extent that people have to drive their personally-owned cars everywhere?
Anyone in SF who was here before Uber will tell you that Uber and Lyft were and remain a godsend. Cabs were few and far between (there's an Eddie Izzard bit about this actually) and Muni is slow and unreliable.
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#15Business permits should be shall-issue: if an applicant adheres to a set of rules known in advance, the city ought to have no power to deny its permit application. Want to limit the number of something? Fine. Auction off medallions or something in a transparent, open way. Don't pick and choose businesses the way SF busybodies do. San Francisco has severe and worsening problems primarily due to rampant interference in…
So if the city doesn't specifically say "do not test chemical weapons in the downtown area" then a business should be free to do so ?
Is that the type of system you are proposing here ?
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#16So they want only x number of scooters in the streets. Fine, but the bureaucrats are picking winners, when they should let the consumers choose.
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#17Business permits should be shall-issue: if an applicant adheres to a set of rules known in advance, the city ought to have no power to deny its permit application. Want to limit the number of something? Fine. Auction off medallions or something in a transparent, open way. Don't pick and choose businesses the way SF busybodies do. San Francisco has severe and worsening problems primarily due to rampant interference in…
I always have maintained that local governments tend to be the most corrupt compared to the amount of power that they have, but the corruption is usually too small to gain notice.
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#18Business permits should be shall-issue: if an applicant adheres to a set of rules known in advance, the city ought to have no power to deny its permit application. Want to limit the number of something? Fine. Auction off medallions or something in a transparent, open way. Don't pick and choose businesses the way SF busybodies do. San Francisco has severe and worsening problems primarily due to rampant interference in…
Same with home renovation / remodeling / addition / construction permits. If your design meets code and zoning, it should automatically get approved. None of this nimby-neighbor-going-to-the-planning-meeting-and-getting-your-project-cancelled-because-your-chimney-will-cast-a-shadow-on-their-backyard bullshit.
So you are saying you wouldn't complain if a 50 storey apartment complex was built right next to you and bathed your entire house in darkness 24/7. Sure thing.
This free for all world sounds downright scary.
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#19I generally away from regulation, but let me articulate the pro-regulation argument. Markets that are important (like transportation) and have network effects need to be regulated. A monopoly with Uber and/or Lyft dominating local transportation is not good for consumers or cities in the long-term. Cities should take control of their transportation and ensure competition by managing allocation of capacity. I think th…
>A monopoly with Uber and/or Lyft dominating local transportation is not good for consumers or cities in the long-term. As opposed to a city ineffectively delivering transportation to such an extent that people have to drive their personally-owned cars everywhere? Anyone in SF who was here before Uber will tell you that Uber and Lyft were and remain a godsend. Cabs were few and far between (there's an Eddie Izzard bi…
You are attacking a position that I am not advocating. I am not suggesting government run transportation. I am suggesting that government ensure that the private market remains competitive with multiple players by allocating capacity.
In any case, the only thing worse than government running services is a company with a monopoly running services. The first tends to be inefficient. The second tends to be inefficient with a profit motive (see Comcast).
Re: San Francisco Denies Scooter Permits for Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft
#20This really comes off as spiteful and childish. Bird and Lime didn't come kiss the ring before daring to provide services to the residents of San Francisco, so they get kicked to the curb in favor of a couple of companies who's timing hadn't yet angered the City.