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Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

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Re: Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

#61

Post by SilasX »

whack wrote: post #52
atopal wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was chatting with my Uber driver last week and he said he preferred Uber, because they guarantee $1500 a week provided you accept a certain amount of rides. This is in SF.

That comes out to a guaranteed $73k/year, even if you take 3 weeks of vacation. For a family where both parents are driving uber, that comes out to a family income of almost $150k/year. Considering the only skill you need is the ability to drive a car, that's insane.

They only guarantee gross pay -- that figure doesn't include Uber's cut or operating expenses[1][2].

Together, that would make your taxable income something like 60% of the figure.

[1] http://therideshareguy.com/what-to-make-of-the-2016-uber-hou...

[2] And seriously, phrasing the guarantee as before their own cut? Come on, guys.

Re: Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

#62

Post by superuser2 »

chrisper wrote: post #16

I do not really like Uber. The company does shady stuff quite often but also their drivers seem to be bad. They do not care at all about traffic laws. Illegal u-turns, stop wherever they want, etc. I can't surely be the only one who experienced this?

>stop wherever they want

Have driven for Uber.

There is approximately nowhere to legally stop in a busy downtown area aside from parking garages that cost $35+. The best you can do is pick stopping places that minimize disruption to traffic (i.e. fire hydrants, no parking zones that could easily accomodate parking, the parking spaces too close to the stop signs) and get into/out of them safely, signaling, watching mirrors and checking for bikes. Be quick, and if a cop or more legitimate user of that parking space comes up, get out of it and circle the block.

If we insisted that drivers only stop in legal parking spaces, there would be nothing resembling delivery or taxi service in a busy downtown area, except at the handful of buildings that actually have taxi stands and loading docks.

There's a reason one of UPS's largest operating expenses is parking tickets. IMO that's perfectly fine. The city has to make it cost something so it's not taken lightly, but the service still gets to exist.

Re: Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

#64

Post by elif »

acchow wrote: post #57
rggb-bayer wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$2.37?! Wow. I use uber pool almost everyday and I never get deals like that! Eg:- http://m.imgur.com/a/5CtfQ

Because you use it everyday they haven't targeted you for a promotion.

I believe it is a factor of how likely they think your ride will get matched.

I have been riding uber every day for the last few weeks after a skateboard crash. Pools from home->work are almost always ~$7.50 and pools from work->home are almost always ~$2.30. I believe it is because i work at an uber hot-spot and live in an uber dead-end.

Re: Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

#65

Post by superuser2 »

NegativeLatency wrote: post #26
nix0n wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a cyclist (in Boston), it's somewhat easier to predict that a taxi might (suddenly) decide to park in the bike lane, and it's more surprising (therefore slightly more dangerous) when another car does it.

I wish that it wasn't the exception to be ticketed for that. I see it all the time, as long as drivers get off with a warning (and not a fine) it will keep happening.

Have you ever ordered a package from Amazon, had a pizza delivered, or taken a taxi? Been picked up by a friend or parent somewhere that didn't have its own parking spaces?

If so, I'm guessing you've benefitted from a driver stopping or parking in a place they weren't legally allowed to stop.

Do you think these services should go away, or what?

Re: Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

#66

Post by nicwolff »

Uber has taken $12B of capital, broken the regulatory regimes and opened the drive-for-hire markets, marketed the benefits of drive-for-hire and ride-sharing to drivers and consumers, and helped drivers finance vehicles – but now there seems to be no barrier to entry for any competing service except writing an app. I'm happy to let VCs pay for my comfortable daily ride to work but I don't see how this is sustainable...

Re: Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

#67

Post by throwaway991199 »

hkmurakami wrote: post #54
Nashhhh wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The key difference being that in the case of Uber, those VCs and investors gave their money voluntarily.

Presumably (hopefully) the socialist government for this hypothetical nation would have been voluntarily put in place by the voting public.

LOL. Go look at Europe. The answer to that is a definite hell-no.

Re: Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

#69

Post by methehack »

nicwolff wrote: post #66

Uber has taken $12B of capital, broken the regulatory regimes and opened the drive-for-hire markets, marketed the benefits of drive-for-hire and ride-sharing to drivers and consumers, and helped drivers finance vehicles – but now there seems to be no barrier to entry for any competing service except writing an app. I'm happy to let VCs pay for my comfortable daily ride to work but I don't see how this is sustainable.…

I have long held the same position. The only thing I can think is that the pricing is based on an estimate of what will be sustainable once self-driving cars are used instead of drivers.

Uber is, in fact, launching self-driving already in, wait for it...Pitsburgh.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-08-18/uber-s-fir...

So, maybe that's the deal.

Re: Uber launches flat fares in San Francisco through subscription

#70

Post by ethanbond »

rayiner wrote: post #68

I pay $3 to commute to my office in Uber Pool or Lyft--cheaper than Metro. Usually no other rider. I don't know how this is sustainable.

Well, it's not.

There is less money coming out of Uber than is being put into it by VCs.

Not sure why everyone thinks these are such business successes. It doesn't take a genius to burn piles of cash.

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