161–170 of 263 posts
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Any new business can establish an equivalent to uberpool once they have critical mass. Since many markets are small the relatively cost of establishing this mass is not excessive.
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I think you're significantly downplaying the network effects inherent in Uber's model. Yes, those network effects might be localized (each city is its own network), but they're still incredibly strong. Drivers want to be where the riders are and riders want to be where the drivers and other riders are. (As a rider, I want there to be a healthy rider pool so I can do sharing.) Additionally, Uber doesn't have to jack u…
>Given that, where do you think there is an opening? If it's so easy to compete with Uber on a micro level, why isn't Lyft beating it in any single market (despite $1b raised)? The market is going through a lot of innovation right now and what the end result will be is not known. I just can’t see how even if Uber wins that they have a way of preventing competition eroding their margins. All the regulation in the taxi…
The difference is that traditional taxis had no monopoly power. They were (and are) undifferentiated commodities—I don't even have any idea who owns a cab I'm in.
Uber's network is a substantial moat which protects it from undifferentiated price competition.
Again, how do you propose that a competitor would build a viably competitive network in an Uber city?
I'm all for "disrupting" the taxi industry, but please don't disrupt traffic because you're too lazy and/or clueless. Is there a way to report asshole Uber drivers?
Services like Uber definitely need some regulation. I drove from downtown SF to the Castro this evening, and witnessed 4 separate incidents of Uber drivers being reckless and/or discourteous. Things like: driver stopped in the leftmost lane, at a green light, because he suddenly decided that he wants to turn right instead of left; driver stopped in the right lane to pick up passenger, when he could have just stood in…
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Good pointer, but remember, as a general rule: The more savvy you have to be to avoid getting scammed, the more corrupt the system is.
That's hardly the system at work. "The system" attempts to address this problem. Your issue is with the people driving the cabs, not regulation.
That's pretty much what corruption is.
Would you say the same of third world traffic enforcement because the system is trying to stop the practice of shaking down motorists?
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Good pointer, but remember, as a general rule: The more savvy you have to be to avoid getting scammed, the more corrupt the system is.
That's hardly the system at work. "The system" attempts to address this problem. Your issue is with the people driving the cabs, not regulation.
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Yes network effects are real - the question is there much of a network effect with the taxi industry. History suggests there isn’t, but the current valuation of Uber suggests that a lot of smart money thinks there is such an effect.
The thing about Uber I don’t understand is how they are going to defend their monopoly once they acquire it. Assuming they eventually win all the legal battles and drive all other taxi and taxi-like services out of business then how are they going to stop anyone else from entering their market? Each transport market is effectively isolated (you don’t hail a driver from SF to get around NYC). This means any new entran…
Assuming they eventually win all the legal battles and drive all other taxi and taxi-like services out of business That's very unlikely to happen and I don't think anyone here at Uber sees the world as a zero-sum game as you portray it. Even in SF, the most mature Uber market, there are still plenty of cabs operating. Cabs offer a different service (street hails, fixed pricing etc) - which is why you can even hail a…
How? Is this specific to SF? I've been there a couple times and never saw this option.
Services like Uber definitely need some regulation. I drove from downtown SF to the Castro this evening, and witnessed 4 separate incidents of Uber drivers being reckless and/or discourteous. Things like: driver stopped in the leftmost lane, at a green light, because he suddenly decided that he wants to turn right instead of left; driver stopped in the right lane to pick up passenger, when he could have just stood in…
What does it have to do with Uber? A lot of drivers are doing that, and don't even get me started on taxi drivers in New York City, they just do whatever they want on a road.
In Seattle, the behavior of uber drivers has started to mirror Taxi cab drivers: surly attitudes and aggressive.
Services like Uber definitely need some regulation. I drove from downtown SF to the Castro this evening, and witnessed 4 separate incidents of Uber drivers being reckless and/or discourteous. Things like: driver stopped in the leftmost lane, at a green light, because he suddenly decided that he wants to turn right instead of left; driver stopped in the right lane to pick up passenger, when he could have just stood in…
What does it have to do with Uber? A lot of drivers are doing that, and don't even get me started on taxi drivers in New York City, they just do whatever they want on a road.