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Introducing Driver Destination

blog.lyft.com

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Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#51

Post by cylinder »

pinaceae wrote: post #18

ass backwards. you want the next bn dollar idea? while I am at work, my car sits in the parking lot of the building for 8-10hours, unused. i don't want to be a lyft/uber driver. i want MY CAR to work for uber/lyft in its off hours. have a driver pick it up in the morning at the office, then return it when i want to get home (full gas tank and cleaned car for an extra fee). someone takes this and get rich.

how is someone going to get to your workplace to pickup the car (assuming you are talking about a suburban office park and not a CBD/downtown)

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#52

Post by rhino369 »

eli wrote: post #32
rhino369 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a fairly ubiquitous concept in DC. Hell, the website Zoe goes to work from in House of Cards is named after it.

Hm, I'd assumed that was a reference to the newspaper/typesetting term "slugline". But maybe it's both.

That might be it actually.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#53

Post by mikeyouse »

Rambition wrote: post #38

20 years ago, I lived in a house that had a city implemented carpool pickup spot in the East Bay - every morning carpoolers would line up and wait for a rid into SF to get through via the carpool lane, back when the toll was only $2. Since it was city property, I don't believe my parents got anything out of it, and we couldn't park in front of our house Mon - Fri mornings, my brother did have the enterprising idea of…

That still happens very widely, it's a bit more formalized today:

http://sfcasualcarpool.com/

Paying is optional, usually the passengers throw the driver a dollar or two, but it's pretty widespread:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?vpsrc=6&ll=37.84829...

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#54

Post by fraserharris »

The messaging here is off. "Driver Destination" implies it has generalized applications -> be a Lyft driver where ever you are going. In practice, they need to get traction in the one big market for this: commuters. Better marketing will call it what it is: Lyft Commute - share a ride from home to work

(claiming the product name 'Commute' also stops Uber from using it)

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#55

Post by [deleted] »

seizethecheese wrote: post #41
grimtrigger wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> we've traditionally done for free I don't have stats, but my guess is that most people don't carpool. So traditionally we haven't done it at all.

This is especially true about carpooling with a stranger. Generally, carpooling now happens with neighbors/coworkers, which isn't exactly the same use-case as this.

[deleted]

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#56

Post by jlees »

cylinder wrote: post #51
pinaceae wrote: post #18

ass backwards. you want the next bn dollar idea? while I am at work, my car sits in the parking lot of the building for 8-10hours, unused. i don't want to be a lyft/uber driver. i want MY CAR to work for uber/lyft in its off hours. have a driver pick it up in the morning at the office, then return it when i want to get home (full gas tank and cleaned car for an extra fee). someone takes this and get rich.

how is someone going to get to your workplace to pickup the car (assuming you are talking about a suburban office park and not a CBD/downtown)

Another coworker might well value having it to run errands. But yes, having a Lyft style driver use it for the day is less viable.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#57

Post by Brian-Puccio »

michaelvkpdx wrote: post #22

Trying to charge people for carpooling, something we've traditionally done for free. The "sharing economy" isn't about sharing- it's about monetizing free things and taking a cut. This is not in any way improving humanity. It's a step backwards.

I live on on the south shore Long Island in the suburbs of NYC. My community is a fairly dense, walkable community, but most jobs are located in office parks in the burbs or a commuter rail ride away in the city (or possibly Brooklyn/Queens).

After seeing the same cars every morning drive the same stretches of highway for a while, I thought I'd have a brilliant idea. Create a website where people can post their commutes to possibly look for people to share with. The site would have been free to use (it would be a portfolio piece but I wouldn't turn down a donation here or there) and wouldn't encourage or prohibit any financial exchange between users.

Turns out NYS already has a site for that:

http://www.511ny.org/rideshare/

So I guess if the site exists and no one is using it (and I didn't know about it until I started thinking about attempting to make my own) the issue is publicity. So I posted flyers around town, at the commuter rail station, at the farmers' market.

I'm not sure if there was an uptick in rideshares, but you're right, Michael (of Portland?). Here's something that's been done for a while, for free, with the state even trying to encourage it. Most cars are still empty.

If Lyft can, but offering a financial incentive, get this to take off, maybe it is an improvement. I think it's possible that:

free ride sharing > monetized ride sharing > no ride sharing

Maybe there's some pitfalls I haven't thought of though ...

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#58

Post by jaibot »

michaelvkpdx wrote: post #22

Trying to charge people for carpooling, something we've traditionally done for free. The "sharing economy" isn't about sharing- it's about monetizing free things and taking a cut. This is not in any way improving humanity. It's a step backwards.

We also give food and shelter to guests for free, but restaurants and hotels are still a thing. People do favors for people, and employment is still a thing. People look after each others' kids, but daycare is still a thing.

You probably know fewer than 200 people. Sometimes you can't ask any of them for a favor. Sometimes you don't want to impose on your friends. Sometimes someone would happily do something for you in exchange for some amount of money, and you'll both be better off.

The sharing economy expands the pool of people you can ask to do things for you; is also expands the pool of people who are willing to give you money for doing things. It does not replace friendship and socialability.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#59

Post by discodave »

awwstn wrote: post #16

This is really great – though I wonder if Lyft runs the risk of people making the connection once (i.e. finding a person with similar commute times/locations who is willing to pay for rides) and deciding to arrange a paid carpool that doesn't go through Lyft.

Even if that happens, Lyft is recieving revenue they wouldn't have otherwise. i.e. it may decrease the potential revenue from this use case but not the profitability.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#60

Post by kazinator »

michaelvkpdx wrote: post #22

Trying to charge people for carpooling, something we've traditionally done for free. The "sharing economy" isn't about sharing- it's about monetizing free things and taking a cut. This is not in any way improving humanity. It's a step backwards.

I agree with you; this needs to be a FOSS application, with a "parasite free" network of peer-to-peer nodes to connect users.
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