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LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

libretaxi.org

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Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#211

Post by Endy »

ansible wrote: post #194
galdosdi wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Medallion has nothing to do with it, any TLC licensed driver can rent a medallion cab. To get a TLC license you pass a BS exam that anyone can pass and a background check, and get an ID. I don't see why LibreTaxi, in areas that have a individual driver licensing scheme, couldn't require that. You just look at the driver's license when you get in, or they post it on the back seat. The license information is recorded i…

Medallion has nothing to do with it, any TLC licensed driver can rent a medallion cab. To get a TLC license you pass a BS exam that anyone can pass and a background check, and get an ID. If I was going to do nefarious things, I wouldn't bother with any of that. I'd instead just carjack a taxi and have at it.

And have the taxi company report it immediately to the cops when you weren't the proper operator of the vehicle on the radio. The cops and the company would then use the vehicle's GPS system to track you down and find you in record time - as I've seen and heard happen in NYC.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#212

Post by Endy »

galdosdi wrote: post #187
chrisallick wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting in a taxi with a $250K medallion and the city of New York behind it is much different than getting in someone's car... Without someone vetting these drivers and taking a risk and responsibility for people's safety, this seems like a terribly dangerous way for anyone to get around.

Medallion has nothing to do with it, any TLC licensed driver can rent a medallion cab. To get a TLC license you pass a BS exam that anyone can pass and a background check, and get an ID. I don't see why LibreTaxi, in areas that have a individual driver licensing scheme, couldn't require that. You just look at the driver's license when you get in, or they post it on the back seat. The license information is recorded i…

Actually, no - every medallion cab in NYC is required to have the driver's name, license number, and picture posted where the passenger can see it. I can, in theory, check any cabbie's license before I set foot in the taxi.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#213

Post by Endy »

forgetsusername wrote: post #203
galdosdi wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shouldn't be an obstacle. This is already exactly how normal, hailable, regulated taxis work (at least in much of the USA, and certainly in NYC -- I can't speak for elsewhere). That's why taxi driver is (at least in the US) a statistically more dangerous occupation than police officer. From the point of view of a driver, this scheme is less dangerous than the status quo, at least there is potentially a little more pa…

> This is already exactly how normal, hailable, regulated taxis work It's funny, isn't it? Every pro-Uber article around here talks about the over-regulated, controlled taxi environment and how damaging it is. Then a service appears that goes the other way: peer-to-peer, no middle-man. Now people complain that it could be dangerous, and they need regulation and control? Which is it? And what makes anyone believe Uber…

My personal opinion is that the proper level is whatever ensures there's safety and control over both T&LC drivers and their vehicles - including limiting the number of said vehicles on the road at any one time. On the more personal level, requiring a percentage of the fleet to be ADA-compliant vehicles (i.e. wheelchair accessible), as well as a clear identification of the driver's identity and license number, are absolute necessities. If we could put speed and range limiters on the cars, I'd be even happier.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#214

Post by serverhorror »

paglia_s wrote: post #91
joeyspn wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BlaBlaCar [0] operates/ed only with community reviews (for drivers and passengers) and is doing just fine in EU... It is in fact so successful, that govs and press always talk about "services like blablacar and uber" (they're classified as basically the same kind of service) [0] https://www.blablacar.com/

Not sure about other EU countries but here in Italy Blablacar and Uber are completely different. For example the price you're allowed to ask is calculated to ensure it's only a cost sharing without any income for the driver.

Austria here: Pretty standard model. Uber driver gets a share of the profit. So that is not the same all over the EU.

Spain (I know this from a Friend): Pretty harsh regulations, no Uber at all.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#215

Post by adekok »

drakonandor wrote: post #200
adekok wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to find stats for the US, but here's one from Canada: http://www.victimsweek.gc.ca/res/r512.html Men are overwhelmingly the majority of victims of stranger violence and robberies. But... evolution dictates that we care more for women than for men.

Getting punched in the face or losing your wallet is a bit less traumatizing than sexual assault perhaps...

I suggest looking into the stats on sexual assault. The "OMG did you hear..." stories we tell each other aren't reflective of underlying reality.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#216

Post by lucb1e »

docdeek wrote: post #5

Interesting idea but not as convenient for someone who travels and doesn’t want to organize a cash withdrawal to leave the airport. With Uber I can just get going.

> doesn’t want to organize a cash withdrawal

You're not the first to mention this, but this is completely foreign to me. I'd love to get off of cash, but there are just so many places in Europe that are cash-only. The Netherlands is bad, but Germany is even worse. Lots of bakeries, fries stores, stands, etc. are cash-only; in restaurants big groups split and settle the bill with cash; and settling stuff between friends is often cash as well (though this is more and more bank transfer / wire transfer / whatever it's called to IBAN within SEPA).

You're serious that "organizing a cash withdrawal" is 1) something you need to do in the first place and 2) it's a hassle or something? I also read about having a separate PIN for cash withdrawals (I had no idea a card could have two PINs).

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#217

Post by lucb1e »

anondon wrote: post #35

> Based on Telegram app, most secured and fastest messenger in the world. Red flag right there.

It's just a Telegram bot, it's not "based on" Telegram's source code (which is what I assumed when reading your comment before opening the page). That's like saying Facebook is based on PHP and saying "that's a major red flag!"

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#218

Post by aphextron »

galdosdi wrote: post #175
reubensutton wrote: post #6

My concern with this is the problem of ensuring the safety of the person driving the cab and the real identity of the rider. Lots of drivers will be reluctant because they can be stiffed on the bill. Lots of passengers will be reluctant to use it due to the inherent risk of riding with what is essentially a stranger.

Shouldn't be an obstacle. This is already exactly how normal, hailable, regulated taxis work (at least in much of the USA, and certainly in NYC -- I can't speak for elsewhere). That's why taxi driver is (at least in the US) a statistically more dangerous occupation than police officer. From the point of view of a driver, this scheme is less dangerous than the status quo, at least there is potentially a little more pa…

>Shouldn't be an obstacle. This is already exactly how normal, hailable, regulated taxis work

Except normal hail-able taxis are driven by professional drivers with background checks and large insurance policies. There's no guarantee the person who picks you up with this app will even be a licensed driver. A lot of the value in Uber is that they take care of these things, not just the app side of things.

Re: LibreTaxi – A free and open source alternative to Uber and Lyft

#220

Post by uncletammy »

parasanti wrote: post #154
spIrr wrote: post #131

I'll post a comment from ProductHunt, which might give a bit more context to where the founder sees this going, and why cash rides make sense under certain circumstances he designed the app for: […] I have gone to the founder's blog and it provides a better understanding of where he sees it going: Uber (and similar apps) will never reach many remote villages, cities and regions around the world (and don't have to), b…

Uber is trying to address the Credit Card issues after it noticed that lots of Singaporeans, maids and foreign labor do not have credit cards but still needs the service. They accept cash now. https://www.techinasia.com/uber-cash-payments-singapore

If only there existed a peer-to-peer version of electronic cash that would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution . Maybe one of these days...
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