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Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

latimes.com

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Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#41

Post by icebraining »

zaarn wrote: post #30
kuzehanka wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm fine with Uber costing the same as a regular taxi. Riding in a taxi is a garbage experience compared to uber. Drivers making excuses not to take you after learning your destination, rude drivers, drivers who have no clue how to navigate, drivers who pretend the card machine is broken, or try to take you on winding routes to increase the fare. Despite all the supposed downsides of ridesharing, it continues to be i…

In my country, a taxi driver is legally required to drive you to your destination unless it exceeds reasonable distances (around 50km, which far above what anyone would use a taxi for here). Drivers with broken cashier machines or taxameters aren't allowed to take passengers, especially a broken taxameter might mean that passenger will pay a very much reduced fare. Most of them have GPS, and if they don't they can be…

Yeah, some countries had decent taxi services already; but many others do not, even in the EU, and you can build a quite profitable business just on those.

Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#42

Post by Lazare »

randyrand wrote: post #28

"Uber's success has been based on two unsustainable tactics: subsidizing fares and exploiting drivers" Considering Uber loses a billion dollars a quarter, I think the only people that are being 'exploited' are investors. Investor money is going straight to drivers and riders.

That doesn't follow. It's absolutely possible for drivers to be net losers.

Imagine than in some quarter Uber collected $3 billion of fares, received $5 billion in services from drivers, paid the drivers $4 billion, and made up the $1 billion shortfall with investment.

Obviously drivers are making the free decision to drive for Uber, but it's no more implausible to think that some are working on mistaken assumption or will come out behind in the end than to think the same of investors. (Actually, if anything, it's more plausible, given the disparity in information and resources between the average Uber investor and the average Uber driver.) And certainly it's clear that some drivers are not coming out ahead here once you take account vehicle deprecation, running costs, opportunity costs, etc.

I'm not saying that's true, but to suggest that a company that is losing money can't also be exploiting their suppliers or employees seems obviously wrong. :)

Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#43

Post by bigiain »

omeid2 wrote: post #17
WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the ultimate 'fuck you' to customers, you will get cheaper rides on Uber under Android if you have the Lyft app installed...

Because on iOS they can't detect apps, as far as I know.

Not using App Store legal APIs anyway. But its not like they've let _that_ stop them in the past...

Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#44

Post by arcticbull »

zaarn wrote: post #27
icebraining wrote: post #24

I won't, since I can already use Bolt, Kapten or Cabify. The idea that Uber will somehow manage to keep people from building an app and competing is silly. There's almost no barrier of entry.

There is a barrier to entry: building a network of drivers. If there is no drives, nobody will buy a ride over your app, drivers will then not install it because nobody is buying rides.

Every driver drives for every service in each city. There's no cost to them doing so. The only thing actually motivating them to stick to one service or another is Uber and Lyft have quota-based payouts promotions. Make your quota, get a bonus. Once they do, though, they're back at timesharing.

Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#45

Post by zouhair »

randyrand wrote: post #28

"Uber's success has been based on two unsustainable tactics: subsidizing fares and exploiting drivers" Considering Uber loses a billion dollars a quarter, I think the only people that are being 'exploited' are investors. Investor money is going straight to drivers and riders.

I couldn't care less about these kind of predatory investors.

Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#46

Post by arcticbull »

omeid2 wrote: post #17
WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the ultimate 'fuck you' to customers, you will get cheaper rides on Uber under Android if you have the Lyft app installed...

Because on iOS they can't detect apps, as far as I know.

AFAIK what they do on iOS is track 'behaviors' -- i.e. you get to the quote screen, app-switch, then come back a few seconds later, they know you're price-shopping and can re-quote and lower their prices.

Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#47

Post by zouhair »

kuzehanka wrote: post #26
sschueller wrote: post #19

In the end you will have a service costing the same as a regular Taxi but without all the benefits of them being licensed. Taxi licensing may be screwed up and unfair in the US but in many parts of the world it works well.

I'm fine with Uber costing the same as a regular taxi. Riding in a taxi is a garbage experience compared to uber. Drivers making excuses not to take you after learning your destination, rude drivers, drivers who have no clue how to navigate, drivers who pretend the card machine is broken, or try to take you on winding routes to increase the fare. Despite all the supposed downsides of ridesharing, it continues to be i…

I don't have to relinquish all my identity and GPS location to ride a Taxi though.

Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#49

Post by ubercow13 »

latchkey wrote: post #20
mattigames wrote: post #11

Uber's competition is quickly growing and people is realizing is just a matter of downloading an app and you get cheaper alternative, in Latin America a service called beat is giving cheaper car rides, a service called pickup is usin motorbikes instead of cars and is cheaper for both driver and users, all in all Uber doesn't have a leg to stand on and is becoming clear all it is is piramid scheme in a gigantic scale.

Less expensive does not mean those other competitors are making money. For example, Grab is burning through billions of investors cash, just like Uber [1]. Uber has motorbikes in other countries. It had a huge presence in Vietnam, until Grab took over their un-profitable business. It is just that it isn't popular in the US to take a ride from someone on a motorbike. [1] https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/05/grab-vision-f…

Grab is already more expensive than conventional taxis in some places I've been recently.

Re: Uber’s IPO means higher fares for rides

#50

Post by masonic »

omeid2 wrote: post #17
WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the ultimate 'fuck you' to customers, you will get cheaper rides on Uber under Android if you have the Lyft app installed...

Because on iOS they can't detect apps, as far as I know.

If Uber has access to file storage, can't it look for file names specific to Lyft?
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