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Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

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Re: Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

#41

Post by stickfigure »

discardorama wrote: post #15

If my recent experience is anything, Uber needs some serious regulation. I live in SF, and was flying out of OAK. I had used Uber only once before, a long time ago; but this time, I suggested to the wife that we use Uber again. We had to leave SF at 7:15AM - 7:30AM or so. Around 7:15 I pulled up the app, and saw that there were several cars around (as they usually are). I requested an UberX; punched in the destinatio…

Doesn't the last sentence in your message contradict the first one? Uber provides crappy service; use different product. Done.

Re: Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

#43

Post by ddingus »

bsbechtel wrote: post #23

To me, this seems to speak volumes about the viability of Uber's business model in the long run. If they can't compete because additional background checks and insurance are needed, is it really a $40B company?

My thought exactly.

Or, they are mixing an agenda (low to no regulation) with business, choosing to leave a market rather than operate in it's rules.

Re: Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

#44

Post by prostoalex »

rmc wrote: post #29
prostoalex wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same in many European cities, where even UberX drivers have to have a "private driver" license. The requirements involve documented regular maintenance and insurance coverage that would include passengers, not sure what's the business logic behind opposing them.

> not sure what's the business logic behind opposing them They want to have no costs to doing business, and to reap all the profits.

I mean, the cost is already shifted to the drivers (who have to pay for license, submit maintenance paperwork and buy insurance) and taxpayers (who hire government clerks to review all that stuff).

But I get what you're saying - at that point the profit opportunity diminishes somewhat. The upfront cost of it also discourages casual drivers who only planned to do some weekend work.

Re: Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

#45

Post by biftek »

stegosaurus wrote: post #8

All of this nonsense about insurance and checks and blah makes me weep for humanity. If I can hitch hike legally, why can't I pay for the same service? Basically it seems to me that regulation has the effect of forcing lifestyles upon people. You can't just sell people things, you have to be a Thing Seller and devote yourself to that regulatory environment and then you can sell some of the people some of the things.…

Apples and oranges?

When you hitch hike (or pick someone up) you and the other party are taking a mutual risk together.

But if money is exchanging hands I, and I'm going to bet most people, would want the risk factor removed.

Re: Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

#46

Post by moey »

I've got mixed feelings.

At one end, I think it's perfectly reasonable for the state to require more insurance coverage for Uber drivers since there will be more risk involved than a regular driver.

Background checks required by state? That's Uber's job to decide, and they do it anyway. If Uber doesn't do background checks, and there are incidents (even a small number) it will hurt their business at the end of the day. It's in their best interest to do the background checks in the manner they please.

This is a weird situation where Uber doesn't want to "employ" it drivers and pay for w/e is needed for them to do business, but at the same time their drivers require them to provide them with everything to do their job and now their source of income (employer) left the state and them jobless.

I wish we were provided with more details like how much this background check/insurance would cost. They already do both (Uber does a background & provides commercial insurance coverage) so honestly this half-written articles do nothing but make people even MORE confused on how Uber REALLY does business.

Re: Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

#47

Post by hn_user2 »

stegosaurus wrote: post #8

All of this nonsense about insurance and checks and blah makes me weep for humanity. If I can hitch hike legally, why can't I pay for the same service? Basically it seems to me that regulation has the effect of forcing lifestyles upon people. You can't just sell people things, you have to be a Thing Seller and devote yourself to that regulatory environment and then you can sell some of the people some of the things.…

I think the biggest difference between your one off paying to hitchike with a single car and Uber drivers is that Uber drivers have in essence become common carriers.

Additional safeguards to common carriers make common sense to me, since you are now holding yourself out to the public, and not taking one-off or by arrangement only rides.

Kind of like the difference in regulations for airplane charter vs an airline.

The hitchhiker example and just paying one-off car rides is different than someone that advertises and holds themselves out to the public.

Re: Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

#49

Post by amyjess »

ddingus wrote: post #43
bsbechtel wrote: post #23

To me, this seems to speak volumes about the viability of Uber's business model in the long run. If they can't compete because additional background checks and insurance are needed, is it really a $40B company?

My thought exactly. Or, they are mixing an agenda (low to no regulation) with business, choosing to leave a market rather than operate in it's rules.

If this is the case, Uber is being either colossally stupid or both colossally stupid and colossally evil here.

You see, big businesses actually love regulation. It raises the barrier to entry and prices smaller competitors out of the market.

The only companies who don't like regulation are a) small businesses who risk being priced out of the market and b) monopolists or near-monopolists, who have no competitors left to price out of the market.

For Uber to throw their hands up and walk out of a market over regulation means that either they think like a small player or they think like a monopolist. If it's the former... well, they're a $40B company, and they should start acting like one; it's a sign of terrible incompetence that a $40B company is acting like a "poor, oppressed mom-and-pop". If it's the latter, then they're just plain evil, and they should be stopped before they actually become a monopoly. They're also being stupid, too, because they're not a monopoly yet, and Lyft is now going to eat up the Kansas market.

Re: Uber leaves Kansas after lawmakers demand background checks and more insurance

#50

Post by smackfu »

fernandotakai wrote: post #31
discardorama wrote: post #15

If my recent experience is anything, Uber needs some serious regulation. I live in SF, and was flying out of OAK. I had used Uber only once before, a long time ago; but this time, I suggested to the wife that we use Uber again. We had to leave SF at 7:15AM - 7:30AM or so. Around 7:15 I pulled up the app, and saw that there were several cars around (as they usually are). I requested an UberX; punched in the destinatio…

that's strange -- as far as i know, the uber driver will only know your destination after they pick you up (so they cannot do this kind of thing). uber's feature page also say that https://www.uber.com/features -- "After pickup, we show the driver where you’re going..." I also spoke with the drivers I used here in são paulo and they said the same thing: they only get the destination after the pickup and they only get…

How does Uber determine when you are picked up? That's the bit that could be gamed.
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