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Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

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Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#661

Post by himinlomax »

bgwalter wrote: post #639
harmmonica wrote: post #137

As a Waymo-booster on HN for a while now, here's my latest anecdote. I tried to figure out how to take Waymo to LAX even though it's not actually in their territory yet just because I value the experience so much. I was borderline going to take it within walking distance (about half a mile), but got lazy at the last minute. I took Lyft instead, and, as if the universe cursed my laziness, I booked a "comfort" car for…

Before Uber and Lyft destroyed the functioning taxi market, you got Mercedes by default for a traditional, regulated taxi in many EU countries. You didn't have to argue, interact with a surveillance company, interact with customer service etc. All you needed to do is pick up the phone and get a luxury ride without tracking or surveillance.

Before Uber, in France half of the time you got an irascible driver who never had change and whose credit card terminal was non functional.

Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#662

Post by nottorp »

Scoundreller wrote: post #353
reddalo wrote: post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that the best thing about Uber/Lyft is that they've been a wake up call for the taxi industry. I don't think I'd be able to book taxis (and pay in advance) using an app in my country, if Uber/Lyft didn't exist.

Mysteriously their credit card machines work a lot more often now

Yes, I'm shocked! Some traditional taxis in my area now have a sticker on the window saying they take credit cards!

Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#663

Post by lotsofpulp »

mbesto wrote: post #323
onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is anyone surprised that a smaller segment of the market will pay more for a safer ride in a luxury vehicle compared to a base model Lyft (which can be a barely drivable car with rank cloth interior where you can't even fit two people in the back seat)? Next up, some one will post, "First class tickets cost more than coach." Waymo will eventually have Waymo Comfort and Waymo Black.

> Why is anyone surprised that a smaller segment of the market will pay more for a safer ride in a luxury vehicle compared to a base model Lyft It's a criticism, because this same segment also realizes that a Waymo ride is WAY cheaper to operate than a human driven one.

> It's a criticism, because this same segment also realizes that a Waymo ride is WAY cheaper to operate than a human driven one.

If this were broadly true, Waymo would be everywhere. If it is true, and that’s a big if that it isn’t being subsidized by the rest of Alphabet, it is only true in a very, very, tiny area of the Earth.

On the other hand, Uber is a publicly listed company with public financials already operating globally with profits.

Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#664

Post by nottorp »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #234
tempestn wrote: post #154

This makes a lot of sense to me. When you ride in an Uber or a taxi, you're a guest in the driver's space. In a Waymo, it's your own space. You can play music, talk on the phone, etc. without worrying about disturbing the driver. You're not likely to have strong odors, or driver's phone conversations. And the experience will be roughly consistent each time. In an Uber, you have no idea what the car or the driving sta…

Why is anyone surprised that a smaller segment of the market will pay more for a safer ride in a luxury vehicle compared to a base model Lyft (which can be a barely drivable car with rank cloth interior where you can't even fit two people in the back seat)? Next up, some one will post, "First class tickets cost more than coach." Waymo will eventually have Waymo Comfort and Waymo Black.

I wonder... are the passengers recorded while in a Waymo?

Does Google ever delete those records? Being Google, I bet they don't.

Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#665

Post by light_hue_1 »

bgwalter wrote: post #639
harmmonica wrote: post #137

As a Waymo-booster on HN for a while now, here's my latest anecdote. I tried to figure out how to take Waymo to LAX even though it's not actually in their territory yet just because I value the experience so much. I was borderline going to take it within walking distance (about half a mile), but got lazy at the last minute. I took Lyft instead, and, as if the universe cursed my laziness, I booked a "comfort" car for…

Before Uber and Lyft destroyed the functioning taxi market, you got Mercedes by default for a traditional, regulated taxi in many EU countries. You didn't have to argue, interact with a surveillance company, interact with customer service etc. All you needed to do is pick up the phone and get a luxury ride without tracking or surveillance.

Yeah, before Uber and Lyft I would get a Mercedes.

Except that it took forever. I had no idea when anyone would show up. The driver was annoyed and drove like an insane person. The few times I've actually feared for my life have been on highways with taxi drivers. It was incredibly expensive.

Oh, and half the time they ripped you off.

Yup. And there was no tracking. So if that person wanted to say, drive an insane route? Enjoy. Take a detour. Done. Or dump your body in the woods. You were totally at their mercy.

The taxi system was horrible. The pinnacle of protectionism carving out its niche of crap.

Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#666

Post by nottorp »

socalgal2 wrote: post #556
Simon_O_Rourke wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it's my rampant misanthrope leanings, but even in more trivial things like choosing automated kiosks other staffed in CVS, I'm just more comfortable not having to make small talk with a person, worry if they're having a good day or not etc. I'd happily pay 20 percent more to Waymo for that personless experience too.

If the automated systems work I'd use them. Instead, USA systems are designed around trying to prevent theft and they error in the store's favor. I've had those automated systems scream that I haven't put my purchase in the bag. The purchase being single envelope of yeast, too light to measure. So it screams and scream "PLEASE PLACE THE PRODUCT IN THE BAG", "PLEASE PLACE THE PRODUCT IN THE BAG", "PLEASE PLACE THE PRO…

I don't think it's an USA thing. I completely stopped using the self checkout at my closest store. When I put a fucking 12 pack of toilet paper on the scale and it errored out.

I mean, you can error out at food stuff that loses weight over time (fresh bread for example), that may be acceptable. But at known weight toilet paper?

Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#667

Post by bryanrasmussen »

if products cost more than other products in a similar domain and people are paying anyway I would naturally assume the more expensive products are a luxury brand, and given some of the other comments here I'd think my assumption borne out.

Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#669

Post by taneq »

duxup wrote: post #167
harmmonica wrote: post #137

As a Waymo-booster on HN for a while now, here's my latest anecdote. I tried to figure out how to take Waymo to LAX even though it's not actually in their territory yet just because I value the experience so much. I was borderline going to take it within walking distance (about half a mile), but got lazy at the last minute. I took Lyft instead, and, as if the universe cursed my laziness, I booked a "comfort" car for…

Uber has done that to me. You pick a class but what you get seems unrelated. I need more space for luggage and such and ... some "mid-sized" SUV picks me up that has about as much space a regular sedan anyway ... often the same type of vehicle that picked me up the previous day as a regular vehicle.

Uber seems wilfully deceptive in so many ways. The initial listing of rides including details of vehicles and prices, which looks like an actual offer, but the app then goes off to try and find something similar. Try being a shop, selling someone an item and then going out back to rummage around and see if you actually have anything like what you sold. And then the 'fixed price' you agreed on gets arbitrarily changed on half the trips if traffic gets worse or the driver takes a different route. If I book a trip from the airport, the airport's charge for rideshare lane usage isn't an "unanticipated expense". It's just skeezy.

Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway

#670

Post by gWPVhyxPHqvk »

shawn_w wrote: post #146
rossdavidh wrote: post #118

The last time I got an Uber, it was driven by a young fellow who looked to be in his first year of driving (I could be wrong), the car smelled like mothballs and was obviously in poor shape, and he accidentally drove on the wrong side of a divided road for a block or so (he was apologetic). The last time I tried a regular taxi stand, the car looked even worse, and it broke down. So, we called Lyft, and the driver cou…

Does Uber no longer fire drivers who don't consistently get 5 star trip reviews?

Part of the problem with this system is that I’m hesitant to give a driver less than 5 stars (unless they are truly dangerous) because I don’t want to take someone’s livelihood away.
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