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Announcing UberPool

blog.uber.com

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Re: Announcing UberPool

#61

Post by zyxley »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #34
mikeash wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ZipCar requires you to drop the car where you picked it up, right? So that $7-10/hour includes the time you spend on whatever non-driving activity you get up to at the destination.

Yes, as of 2012 when I could have used such a service. $10 / hour is a fine price for short-term car rental... but since I wanted to use the car to go places, as opposed to just driving around in the parking lot, it worked out to more like $50-100 per hour (of driving). Bicycle rentals don't work like that -- you get on a bike at one stand and leave it at the stand closest to where you want to end up. I don't know wh…

Take a look at Car2Go, which has nominal rates a little higher than Zipcar, but pricing that scales down to minutes and is based around a "leave the car wherever" model.

Re: Announcing UberPool

#62

Post by [deleted] »

joelgrus wrote: post #54
downandout wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are Uber users this price conscious though? I think their core user base skews to a higher net worth, and aren't going to be the kinds of people that want to share a car with another person. The only thing they'll know about the person they are sharing with going in is that they are too cheap to take their own Uber ride. This just doesn't sound like it will work with their core user base. Maybe they are trying to exp…

I am starting a new job soon about 3 miles from my apartment, which is a little too far to walk. (I can walk that far, but I don't really want an hour-each-way commute.) One thing I've been considering is using Uber / Lyft, but it's a lot of money over the course of a year. At 40% cheaper it looks a lot more attractive, though. And sharing a car with another rider isn't any worse than sharing it with the driver! :)

[deleted]

Re: Announcing UberPool

#63

Post by up_and_up »

Shared taxis have existed for long time. This is just optimized with the iPhone app. It's really time vs money. You are paying less but it will likely be longer trip since the other rider is not likely going to your exact location.

Re: Announcing UberPool

#64

Post by austinl »

downandout wrote: post #44
andrewmunsell wrote: post #14

I'm a periodic Uber user and tend to use it later when public transit isn't running. This would be interesting, and if cheap enough, could be more convenient than waiting for a bus if you're in an area where they don't run frequently and it's storming, extremely hot, you don't want to wait around. I also just tried out Car2Go which costed me ~$15. The same trip from Uber, albiet at a different time of day, costs $9-1…

Are Uber users this price conscious though? I think their core user base skews to a higher net worth, and aren't going to be the kinds of people that want to share a car with another person. The only thing they'll know about the person they are sharing with going in is that they are too cheap to take their own Uber ride. This just doesn't sound like it will work with their core user base. Maybe they are trying to exp…

I typically bike to work, but I'll take an Uber every once in a while for about $7-$9. Sometimes I use MUNI, which is $2. If Uber can drop the price range to $3-$5, I'd consider using them almost every day -- the difference in price between taking the train and carpooling at that point seems negligible. I think there are a lot of people in a similar position.

Re: Announcing UberPool

#66

Post by koenigdavidmj »

ZoF wrote: post #42
RandallBrown wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Seattle, a car2go trip that costs $15 would be 36 minutes long. Car2Go has no mileage fee for trips under 150 miles. The same UberX trip would be $13 before taking mileage into account. If it took you 36 minutes, I assume you went at least 3 miles. So that makes the trip cost at least 17 bucks. I've found that Car2Go is quite a bit cheaper than using either Lyft or UberX. I usually use them together though. I'll t…

Doesn't Car2Go require you to bring the car back to it's starting point? Are there multiple locations you can drop the car at, and if not, how do you handle that when taking it to the bar?

No, you can leave it nearly anywhere in the service area. The particular rules are up to the city you're in; in Seattle they amount to "you can park anywhere, provided it allows a normal car to park for at least two hours, and doesn't become illegal to park during certain times (e.g. bus lanes)".

Re: Announcing UberPool

#67

Post by jbarham »

Every time I read about Uber I wonder who the target market is. Then I remember that as a father of three young boys our car has three car-seats in the back row, a CD in the CD player and more in the glovebox to keep the boys quiet, snacks in the center console to placate them when they're hungry, and a stroller in the trunk. And then I realize that Uber is made by and for young, single, childless people with lots of money who live in SF and NY.

Re: Announcing UberPool

#69

Post by andrewmunsell »

ZoF wrote: post #41
qeorge wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to walk ~1/5 of a mile to get to the nearest one. Which is what, a 4 minute walk? That seems pretty minimal to me.

I'm honestly wondering if that's a typo. In what way is ~1250 feet considered a far distance to go for a rental car? Even in a populous metro area that seems about as short a walk as I would expect, are they generally closer?

It's not a typo, but it is 90 degrees today, and I'm sure many people would prefer to be able to be either picked up or go around a corner to find a car.

Re: Announcing UberPool

#70

Post by harlanlewis »

mdorazio wrote: post #59
joelgrus wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am starting a new job soon about 3 miles from my apartment, which is a little too far to walk. (I can walk that far, but I don't really want an hour-each-way commute.) One thing I've been considering is using Uber / Lyft, but it's a lot of money over the course of a year. At 40% cheaper it looks a lot more attractive, though. And sharing a car with another rider isn't any worse than sharing it with the driver! :)

Is there a reason you don't want to just bike? Seems like the perfect distance for it, and it's free after the initial investment of a couple hundred dollars.

What's the saying? A car runs on money and makes you fat, a bike runs on fat and saves you money.

Depending on that 3 mile commute (hills, traffic, bike routes), it may also be faster.

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