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Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

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Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#141

Post by bluedino »

brockwhittaker wrote: post #131
aviv wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a couple dollar difference is that big of a deal, you need to focus your effort on making more money, not switching to a cheaper alternative. The problem is not Uber raising prices, it's you wasting time commuting to the wrong job. I mean this in a good way, not trying to be rude.

I would normally agree but the difference could be around $5 each way for 250 work days a year. A few thousand dollars a year is quite a lot.

It's perfectly okay to tell someone to buy a cheaper car or one that's better on gas. Car owners spend thousands more than they need to commute to work.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#142

Post by treis »

joshe wrote: post #127
treis wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Sure right now. But long term? They don't seem to have any kind of moat at all. They also have the moat of providing a reasonably good service with network effects. How would you come in and beat the Uber/Lyft duopoly? They can copy any innovation you come up with and have the capital to beat you in a price war.

Businesses where you burn capital on price wars are low margin businesses.

(1) Low margin is probably OK given the enormous market Uber/Lyft will share.

(2) They won't actually have to burn capital. No one is going to get into a price war they obviously can't win.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#143

Post by aviv »

ghaff wrote: post #140
aviv wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If $5 each way is a lot of money, it's a sign you are not making enough money. Optimizing life to save that $5 increase is exactly the mindset that keeps people living paycheck to paycheck. Increase the top line, expenses don't matter if you focus your effort on making more money.

Seriously? I’d argue that kicking a $5 per day Starbucks habit is hardly a sign that you need to make a career change. It seems a lot closer to plugging a mindless money leak if it’s just something you do by default.

You should kick it because caffeine (and the cow milk most people consume it with) is bad for you, not because it costs $5.

And yes, especially after a certain age, you should have a job where a few random $5 charges you don't recognize on your credit card statement are something you ignore and don't even bother disputing.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#144

Post by luckydata »

bamboozled wrote: post #129
komali2 wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, a bicycle. You can get a good one on craigslist for a hundred bucks if you're patient. You may get a bit sweatier but you'll get an exercise ;) Or, there's no hills, and you go your own pace, and it's fine. Having tried both I do feel bicycles are safer - those tiny scooter wheels shake me to pieces.

Another thing I like about bikes is that it can be really therapeutic to perform your own tweaks, maintenance and repairs. Yesterday fitted new break pads and it’s such a pleasure to ride and is satisfying as hell.

If it stops raining sometimes in the next year or two I'll give it a try!

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#145

Post by blunte »

Maybe because I'm outside the unicorn bubble I can't see the magic, but I find something very warped about a business strategy that combines stratospheric valuation, intentional regulatory non-compliance, perpetual capital injections, service misrepresentation, and unprofessional corporate behavior... and results in massive financial losses year after year.

When I try to balance the elements, it frankly looks like an enormous grift. Some key early investors have probably made out really well, but at what cost to others involved?

Not that the taxi industry didn't need disruption - it desperately needed a modern ride calling and fare estimating feature. But being well regulated and having to compete with a maverick service that simply ignored rules meant that the taxi industry lost while Uber gained.

Drivers for Uber have come out losers as well, earning much less than expected.

Passengers did well at first, but surge pricing and eventual regulatory costs eroded that gain as well.

Late investors? The jury is still out on them, but likely they will be losers too.

Who won?

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#146

Post by ghaff »

BillionaireBear wrote: post #139
ghaff wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems odd to me as well. I don’t use these services a lot but when I do it’s almist always because they’re better than dealing with a taxi. Rarely do I choose them on the basis of price.

For the most part, a taxi is only better when I'm at either an airport or a hotel. Otherwise, I far prefer Uber/Lyft because it's on-demand, no cash needed and don't have to explain my route or destination.

Yep. Sometimes I take a taxi from the airport because it’s right there and ready to go even though it costs more. Otherwise I will, within reason, use whatever gives me the best experiencr.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#147

Post by woolvalley »

brockwhittaker wrote: post #131
aviv wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a couple dollar difference is that big of a deal, you need to focus your effort on making more money, not switching to a cheaper alternative. The problem is not Uber raising prices, it's you wasting time commuting to the wrong job. I mean this in a good way, not trying to be rude.

I would normally agree but the difference could be around $5 each way for 250 work days a year. A few thousand dollars a year is quite a lot.

Cars cost more than that. If I had a choice between a second commuter car or $200/month of ubering, the ubering would be cheaper. Car ownership in the bay is something like this:

* $100-500/month car payment or depreciation

* +$100/month in gas

* $60-120/month in insurance

* $100/month in amortized maintenance costs

= $360/month minimum base cost

And if you work/live in SF or need to go over the bridge:

* $100-200/month in parking space rent

* $100/month in toll bridge costs

Plus adhoc parking costs as you use your car.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#148

Post by justfor1comment »

aviv wrote: post #126
justfor1comment wrote: post #80

Uber is getting more expensive with time as they try to consolidate losses. For my commute to work nowadays Express Pool costs the same as UberX did a year ago. And of course express pool includes overtly long sight seeing detours and dangerous pick up/drop off points. This is getting prohibitively expensive and I plan to switch to an electric scooter + public transit in a few months.

If a couple dollar difference is that big of a deal, you need to focus your effort on making more money, not switching to a cheaper alternative. The problem is not Uber raising prices, it's you wasting time commuting to the wrong job. I mean this in a good way, not trying to be rude.

Haha. Just to offer some more insight, I started taking Uber everyday because it was cheaper than car ownership and I am happy with that decision so far. However, now the math has changed and therefore I am considering other options. My job has decent pay to be honest. Most of my colleagues drive a Tesla for example. But, I am trying out the whole FIRE thing and not escalating my lifestyle unnecessarily.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#149

Post by maxxxxx »

celticninja wrote: post #130
maxxxxx wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Until the money runs out.

It's a race to either profitability or the death of the opposition, at which point subsidies disappear and prices rise, so does Ubers cut of the fares.

They can't really raise prices because otherwise local taxi companies will start again.

Re: Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near

#150

Post by ghaff »

aviv wrote: post #143
ghaff wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously? I’d argue that kicking a $5 per day Starbucks habit is hardly a sign that you need to make a career change. It seems a lot closer to plugging a mindless money leak if it’s just something you do by default.

You should kick it because caffeine (and the cow milk most people consume it with) is bad for you, not because it costs $5. And yes, especially after a certain age, you should have a job where a few random $5 charges you don't recognize on your credit card statement are something you ignore and don't even bother disputing.

It’s not about some random $5 charges. It’s about money spending habits that, to use the current meme, don’t bring you joy and collectively can add up to a considerable amount of money.
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