Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is exactly what the Taxi strike did. >"NO PICKUPS @ JFK Airport 6 PM to 7 PM today," the union wrote in a subsequent tweet that was retweeted over 10,000 times. "Drivers stand in solidarity with thousands protesting inhumane & unconstitutional #MuslimBan." https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-scene-at-jfk-as-taxi-d... The objection is not that Uber didn't join the strike but that Uber reduced their prices to un…
> That is exactly what the Taxi strike did. No it's not. The union encouraging != the taxi companies somehow forcing it. The union and the taxi companies are not the same thing. > Uber reduced their prices to undermine the strike Uber reducing prices to normal levels means fewer drivers anyway! Fewer rides! This makes no sense! Why would Uber even bother with some Machiavellian scheme to get a hundred or two extra ri…
Getting that first install is critical, because once someone installs the Uber app they are unlikely to go back to taxi cabs. 200 extra riders might not be a big group, but they tell their friends and family and it spreads. This is especially true if the rides are discounted since everyone loves to talk about how much money they saved by taking an Uber instead of a taxi. Think of the ride sharing market in NYC, more than half the cars on the roads are taxis.
tl;dr Uber has employed viral marketing like this for years and it works.