241–250 of 263 posts
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It's not difficult at all. Gas taxes pretty much pay for this. Congestion charges also work nicely in cities.
Gas taxes are less equitable now with more electric vehicles.
(Mileage to be measured at vehicle inspection time and incorporated in registration fees.)
No matter what Uber does, they always please me with stuff like this. It makes the anarch-libertarian blood run warm to see government cronies routinely bested and consumers offered superior services in a market that was ripe for innovation. Now we need this type of disruption in health care and education.
It started in education with Khan Academy and the like, but there's still a lot of work to be done. As for health care... it is one of my fondest wishes for a large company like Google to come up with a medical expert system that can solve even half of the "take two pills and come back in two days" consultation that currently cost me $50.
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There's basically no reason for me to carry cash in my daily life. Uber of all companies should be working to facilitate that trend, not impede it.
I think collecting tips on their driver's behalf would poke a big hole in Uber's claim that they are contractors.
Can't stop, won't stop. Uber continues to amaze me with their incredibly skillful political maneuvering. They seem to have roadblocks thrown in their way at every turn and they manage to just keep trucking. Heads down, eyes on the prize; it's really quite impressive to watch. I have to believe it starts at the top with a tunnel vision approach to revenue growth. It's like that old Al Davis quote "Just win baby!". Whe…
Yes, a company with an illegal business model stayed under the radar until they got big enough that they could combat the legal challenges to their illegal business model. Always a pleasure to watch.
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> A couple years ago, the city allowed independent car services to paint their cars green and take street hails. Does anyone else see the absurdity in that? Compare to: "In 2014, the city allowed people to wear green socks" If you want to transport people for a fee, what rational, moral justification is there for anyone to intervene in that? -To decide what colour your car should be, or where you can pick up customer…
And you can. There is absolutely no law stopping your from picking up people in a car and taking them places. On land you own. When it is communal land, communal rules are made (sadly they far too often benefit a well connected minority, but the concept itself isn't bad).
Imagine you could only wear blue socks on land you own, but anywhere else you'd need to pay $250k for permission to wear them. Would that be alright?
> When it is communal land, communal rules are made (sadly they far too often benefit a well connected minority, but the concept itself isn't bad).
You're kind of seeing a problem, but not really wanting to.
But for starters, the word "communal" doesn't work when you have a small group of "community leaders" imposing their will on ~330 million "community members" they've never met.
No matter what Uber does, they always please me with stuff like this. It makes the anarch-libertarian blood run warm to see government cronies routinely bested and consumers offered superior services in a market that was ripe for innovation. Now we need this type of disruption in health care and education.
It started in education with Khan Academy and the like, but there's still a lot of work to be done. As for health care... it is one of my fondest wishes for a large company like Google to come up with a medical expert system that can solve even half of the "take two pills and come back in two days" consultation that currently cost me $50.
AFAIK, this is not a technical problem; such solutions have existed for quite a while. Drug control laws, laws governing scope of practice of various classes of health care providers, and insurance rules all require that, even if your diagnosis and recommended treatment come out of such a system, its done under the authority of a provider with a particular kind of license with a particular degree of contact.
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It started in education with Khan Academy and the like, but there's still a lot of work to be done. As for health care... it is one of my fondest wishes for a large company like Google to come up with a medical expert system that can solve even half of the "take two pills and come back in two days" consultation that currently cost me $50.
As with Uber and AirBnB, this is something that only a new entrant to the market with no political capital or PR to lose can change.
Disrupting that is likely to take political capital, and application of that political capital at an earlier stage of the process than what AirBnB and Uber have done in their fields, or its going to involve a lot of risk for participants and investors, and not just the kind of limited-downside financial risks that investing in a corporation, startup or otherwise, usually involves.
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But don't think you're safe there. If you have the slightest hesitation at all in your tonality, the driver will all of the sudden get a case of "I don't know that location, can you give me directions". I experienced that when I first moved here back to back one night because I didn't understand the "process" of getting a cab in New York. Point is, cabs are completely shady, and nearly all have horrible service. Sinc…
I take cabs daily and my experience does not match yours. Most NYC cabbies are quite friendly. Most are also immigrants with interesting stories. In Harlem, where I live, cabs will actively honk for any potential fare, especially to the airport. You'll have multiple cabs trying to get you if you have a suitcase. From my conversations with drivers, they prefer airport fares.
This doesn't happen with Uber's model.
Also, I'm paying for a ride somewhere. The top priority for me is not sitting in hot, smelly, filth. I'll stick with Uber.
Whatever you think about Uber, you have to realize that de Blasio's actions are not about congestion or the public's interest. Let's not forget his original plan to have the city pre-approve upgrades to ride-hailing apps: > The mayor’s plan to require Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and other ride-hailing services to get city approval for upgrades to the user interface on smartphone apps -- and to pony up $1,000 ea…
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So, I'm from Russia. In Russia, there's a great variety of cheap taxis, great mobile apps with reviews, gps location of taxis and stuff like that. Very good infrastructure. All simply because government doesn't regulate that. I am yet to meet a single person complaining that this is bad. There is no increase in road accidents. The service is great. The drivers are very polite and are always on time. One must wonder,…
You haven't replied to the question at hand, the externality, at all. And your "because" lacks any kind of supporting evidence. Please stop derailing this subthread with your free market bullshit.