I personally believe that driver's compensation is a valid discussion, but defrauding the system is not the way to do it. Uber/Lyft should just carefully identify and ban the cheaters and the lesson should spread as efficiently as the planning to cheat.
Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
21–30 of 303 posts
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#22Sounds like a cartel. Where parties mutually agree to cut supply to keep prices at a certain level.
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#23I wonder if this is legal?
With the drivers classified as independent contractors rather than employees would cooperation between drivers to manipulate prices run afoul of antitrust law?
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#24I can think of a ton of technical ways Uber and Lyft can combat this. And they probably will. And they'll be short term happy and long term foolish. Because they're treating the symptoms, not the cause.
They just have to keep treating symptoms until they can sell their equity + options.
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#25> They can’t afford to pickup people at Reagan for $4 in rush hour traffic. Are they really getting paid $4 to give someone a ride? That seems so low that drivers would be incentivized to find another job.
I think that’s the airport pickup fee that gets added on top of the standard time/mileage fare.
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#26"On average, Lyft drivers earn over $20 per hour." I wonder if this figure takes into account all the waiting time, or just driving time on the app. If it is the latter, then that's a pretty scummy thing to say, considering that most drivers spend less than a third of the time actually driving people to their destination, putting the actual number closer to 7.00 an hour.
I've had rides that cost me $15 and took 45 minutes, the math does not add up at all.
In fact, I commute with Lyft nearly every day and my average 40 minute ride costs somewhere around $20. Even with another ride directly like mine it's unlikely there's enough earnings within an hour to cover Lyft's fees and pay the driver $20...
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#27"On average, Lyft drivers earn over $20 per hour." I wonder if this figure takes into account all the waiting time, or just driving time on the app. If it is the latter, then that's a pretty scummy thing to say, considering that most drivers spend less than a third of the time actually driving people to their destination, putting the actual number closer to 7.00 an hour.
Also does that include repairs, depreciation, insurance etc. of the car? What about fuel?
It does not.
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#28I personally believe that driver's compensation is a valid discussion, but defrauding the system is not the way to do it. Uber/Lyft should just carefully identify and ban the cheaters and the lesson should spread as efficiently as the planning to cheat.
How is it fraud?
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#29This is hilarious. Props to the drivers. Capitalism at it's finest: assumption of information imbalance.
If uber and lyft do nothing, this behavior will autocorrect itself: expect a few drivers to rebel/revolt after the news of the behavior spreads. Keeping the secret will get harder and harder.
Re: Uber, Lyft drivers manipulate fares at DCA causing artificial price surges
#30Seems like a small software tweak is all it would take to obliterate this tactic, like updating surge pricing every time a driver logged in.