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What's that based on ? I use both Uber and Lyft frequently and, for me, Lyft has been always cheaper for the same trips.
UberX intentionally set their rates (recently) below Uber, at least in SF. Uber has 5 different tiers of car.
So let's do the math. $21/hour for 7 hours, $150/day, gross. I found some estimates online that a taxi driver might drive about 150 miles per day. Let's say 125 since this was sort of a short day. The IRS mileage allowance is 56 cents per mile - this is supposed to be an "all-in" number that includes all of the costs of owning and operating a vehicle. So that's $70/day for vehicle costs which the operator will have t…
While cab driving is one of the more dangerous occupations, I'd avoid that comparison. Police officer barely rates as occupation of above-average danger in most ratings of fields.
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Arthur C. Clarke wrote a great essay on the challenges of rating systems, in "The Servant Problem - Oriental Style" (included in The View from Serendip : http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9780345271082-1 ) It's a bit more nuanced than this, but the fundamental dilemma is: • An overly negative review essentially dooms someone to never working again. • An overly positive one leads to sticky questions from the next person…
And this, dear reader, is why we need bitcoin micropayments built into a browser.
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I think ideally the ratings should be done by machine learning instead. Rather than returning an average of previous ratings, return a prediction like "there is a 50% chance you will like this and 10% dislike it (40% chance you don't rate it at all.) This way a small sample size doesn't distort the rating too much, and predictions can be customized for every individual, and it's somewhat resistant to fake reviews, if…
A variant of the newer Reddit rating system (Wilson score confidence interval) would be a good way to attack this without the complexity of machine learning. Effectively, a statistical sampling over time that builds confidence that a particular driver's rating is accurate. This would work well with their 40 initial trips policy and you could then just cull those who you have strong confidence are poor drivers. Sigma…
This is the kind of guy you want to be your CEO. Someone who doesn't spend their time shopping for the best suit or glad handing unnecessarily. For those in the hunt for a CEO, take note here. Curiosity, exploration, not afraid to get dirty, a desire to understand and learn. Well done.
He's also the kind of CEO who thinks it's great that there's absolutely no real recourse for drivers or customers when something goes wrong. If you work for him, be prepared for it to be a one-way street.
Interesting. He drives his Jeep, falls to a 4.3 rating and is about to get released from the service. He starts driving his Tesla, finds that passengers start treating him as an equal and give him a perfect 5.0 every time. Somehow that's not at all surprising and disappointing at the same time.
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Really? Americans have gotten soft. I once had a date who questioned what I was driving; I took out her roommate instead. I guess we all have our own "Comfy" zone though?
He still had a 4.3 so they haven't gotten too soft!
Interesting. He drives his Jeep, falls to a 4.3 rating and is about to get released from the service. He starts driving his Tesla, finds that passengers start treating him as an equal and give him a perfect 5.0 every time. Somehow that's not at all surprising and disappointing at the same time.
Also not to be under estimated is that he was driving drunk people when his rating was tanking; they rate lower.
So let's do the math. $21/hour for 7 hours, $150/day, gross. I found some estimates online that a taxi driver might drive about 150 miles per day. Let's say 125 since this was sort of a short day. The IRS mileage allowance is 56 cents per mile - this is supposed to be an "all-in" number that includes all of the costs of owning and operating a vehicle. So that's $70/day for vehicle costs which the operator will have t…
Further, this is what the IRS allows you to DEDUCT. So his taxable income is reduced by the 56 cents per mile - to the extent that his costs are less than 56 cents per mile, he is making more due to the tax-advantaged nature.
Also, at the end of the first year he can elect to either use per-mile deduction, or, the MACRS method, which may or may not give him an advantage (but he has to choose and use one or the other for subsequent tax years).
Interesting. He drives his Jeep, falls to a 4.3 rating and is about to get released from the service. He starts driving his Tesla, finds that passengers start treating him as an equal and give him a perfect 5.0 every time. Somehow that's not at all surprising and disappointing at the same time.
I'd personally be annoyed if my UberX driver came in a Wrangler; one of the most uncomfortable-as-passenger cars on the market. A Camry or something is totally fine; doesn't have to be a Tesla, but should be something relatively quiet and comfortable.