Uber drivers in Kenya are ignoring the app and charging their own rates

Post by lxgr » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 6:51 PM UTC

paxys wrote: post #55

Analemma_ wrote: post #39

It's not Kenya, it's everywhere. Ubers in the US are increasingly doing a lot of the same things (canceling your booking if they don't like where you're going, e.g.) and becoming indistinguishable from the pre-Uber status quo. From an economic perspective it's kind of fascinating that lying and cheating drivers appear to be the natural equilibrium state of the taxicab market; Uber temporarily disrupted this dynamic b…

> and becoming indistinguishable from the pre-Uber status quo As long as you can (1) tap a button on your phone and have a taxi show up in front of you in minutes and (2) pay by credit card and not have the driver rip you off by taking a longer route, it will continue to be infinitely better than the pre-Uber status quo.

Post by lxgr » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 6:54 PM UTC

_zoltan_ wrote: post #24

twelve40 wrote: post #11

It always amazed me how Uber was able to quickly force itself into the most criminal markets (which in poorer countries is typically anything that has to do with taxis). But in hindsight, after a quick surprise win worldwide, they were eventually forced out. In Russia, weirdly enough, not by criminals but by a quasi-state company, starting back in 2018. In parts of Mexico, by what seems like outright criminals and co…

In Hungary by the taxi lobby first and then they let them "back", but there is only a single company that serves taxis via Uber so it's only a front end.

Post by lxgr » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 6:55 PM UTC

paxys wrote: post #62

lxgr wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US airport rideshare model (if you even want to call a largely emergent phenomenon that) must be one of the most wasteful things in transportation ever. Why do I have to wait for, and find, my specific Uber/Lyft out of a sea of otherwise identical ones that are all in each other's way, all while idling and wasting tons of fuel? (I know that the legal answer is "taxi medallions"; that doesn't make it any less absu…

1. You pick the kind of car you want (sedan, SUV, luxury, with a child seat, pet friendly, EV). 2. The driver can choose the areas they want to drive in. 3. Cars can wait in an airport parking lot until they are needed and not crowd the terminal. It is a perfectly efficient model.

Post by paxys » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 6:57 PM UTC

lxgr wrote: post #65

paxys wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. You pick the kind of car you want (sedan, SUV, luxury, with a child seat, pet friendly, EV). 2. The driver can choose the areas they want to drive in. 3. Cars can wait in an airport parking lot until they are needed and not crowd the terminal. It is a perfectly efficient model.

> 1. You pick the kind of car you want (sedan, SUV, luxury, with a child seat, pet friendly, EV). I'd be willing to pay extra to just get whatever car is right there . I really couldn't care less about most of these modes, and I doubt that the vast majority of other passengers do either (maybe with the exception of a child seat). > It is a perfectly efficient model. You've clearly never been to JFK then.

Post by paxys » Wed, Sep 11, 2024, 6:59 PM UTC

sshine wrote: post #66

lxgr wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US airport rideshare model (if you even want to call a largely emergent phenomenon that) must be one of the most wasteful things in transportation ever. Why do I have to wait for, and find, my specific Uber/Lyft out of a sea of otherwise identical ones that are all in each other's way, all while idling and wasting tons of fuel? (I know that the legal answer is "taxi medallions"; that doesn't make it any less absu…

What. I've never heard anything this stupid. I've only encountered the following two airport systems: 1) There's a queue of taxis and people coming out go to the first one. 2) There's a queue of people, and an airport person tells you when you can go to the next taxi. Depending on whether there's too many people or too many taxis.