Re:Uber’s transit offering just went live in Denver
by uber-employee on Sunday February 03, 2019 @03:45AM
(#19068484)
Uber is already doing buses in LatAm and MENA. Most North American cities (except NYC really) just don’t have the density to make the unit economics work for a marketplace with buses. Also, Express POOL (shared ride with walking in order to make the trip more efficient) is already dirt cheap.
Consider: Public bus systems are constrained to fixed schedules and stops for obvious reasons. Neither apply in a Mobile App.
Uber could sign up drivers who own mini-vans or large buses, and dynamically generate "bus routes" using on key waypoints, and both ongoing and forecasted demand (based on historical data).
As a consumer, the experience is still 1) Pick a destination
2) Go to the spot where Uber asks you to go (Which already happens in places like Airports, or if you use Uber Pool which asks you to move a little closer to the route to decrease driving time
3) Get in the uber
4) Get off at a spot when the app/driver tells you which isn't exactly at your destination but close
All for a much much lower price
Meanwhile, as a driver, the experience is: 1) Follow the Uber app's navigation that tells you where your next 'Stop' is. 2) Drive around in a circle that changes throughout the day.
It's a hard problem to solve and get perfect but it would actually justify improving an existing public service.