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Uber's New CEO

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Re: Uber's New CEO

#81
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're missing my point, I'm not talking about Uber vs owning a car. My point is that for people like you who might take public transit, walk, bike, or otherwise not take a taxi Uber lowers the total cost of a car trip, thereby increasing your demand for car trips. Also, while taking 2+ trips per day will eventually cost more, it's cheaper in the short run where people actually make decisions. Furthermore, Ubers like…

My point is that for people like you who might take public transit, walk, bike, or otherwise not take a taxi Uber lowers the total cost of a car trip, thereby increasing your demand for car trips No, because, like I said at the beginning, if I didn't have Uber I'd get my own car, and so my marginal cost per car trip would be much lower, and so I'd use it more than the couple of quarterly rides I take nowadays. Furthe…

Yeah, they pay sales tax here. And we do need to raise our gas tax, but its sadly politically infeasible.

What I'm getting at is there are costs other than just gas, car payments, maintenance when taking car trips. Things like needing to be alert to drive, parking, and navigating that Uber lowers and creates demand for trips where people otherwise wouldn't drive/take a car and may have foregone altogether.

Re: Uber's New CEO

#82
post #4

This is a thoughtful analysis into the whole Uber CEO opinion, but it is opinionated. Aggregation theory is one way to derive Uber's value, but you can make a compelling argument that supply drives demand. The reason why I don't use taxis in Australia is partly because the experience is far better with Uber and the cost is cheaper, but also because Uber is the most reliable. Without drivers and such reliability, I ca…

It's very interesting in India where you have enormous supply of auto-rickshaws ('tuk tuks') available in most public spaces. Often, when I'm in public, I'll choose an auto-rickshaw instead of an Uber because the rickshaw is right there. I don't have to wait for it, don't have to give it directions to find me. The service is worse - I have to haggle about prices, endure bumpy rides and dangerous driving - but the eas…

Ironically, in multiple parts of India, auto-rickshaw drivers are infamous for having rigged price meters, or flat out refuse to use the meter. Bangalore auto drivers have their unofficial motto as "One-and-half" which basically means you have to pay 1.5x what the government stipulated rate meter reads at the end of your trip.

Uber, in these cases, is a breath of fresh air. Upfront pricing, reasonably friendly drivers, decent customer service in case of issues etc. is very welcome, even if it involves waiting for 2-5 mins. I'd rather wait for a cab than have insults hurled at me for not wanting to get ripped off. :/

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